Steam or added steam (cloud)
The oven adds steam to the cooking, either instead of dry heat or together with hot air. Only ovens with a water tank, drawer or recess can do it.
What it is for
Roasts with juicy meat and crisp skin, and bread with good colour and crust (Bosch); food crispy outside and juicy inside (Siemens); bread, meat or fish (Hotpoint). AEG’s Steamify sets the steam level from the temperature you choose.
Makes differ, check your oven’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly which elements run and how hot.
- What it looks like
- A cloud, often with wavy or vertical lines in or under it; Bosch combines the cloud with a fan.
- Names makers use
- Added steam (Bosch); addedSteam, fullSteam (Siemens); Steamify, Humidity (AEG); Gentle Steam, Active Steam (Hotpoint); Steam (Smeg)
Where makes differ
The cloud varies a lot: Hotpoint’s Gentle Steam is three vertical lines inside a cloud and its Active Steam three clouds along a line; Smeg says a cloud or a wavy line. Before using it, fill the tank or recess the way your manual describes — Hotpoint’s Gentle Steam takes water poured into the oven floor recess, its Active Steam a pull-out drawer.
Often confused with
Brings cooked, chilled food back up to eating temperature. On Bosch and Siemens steam ovens it adds steam so the food does not dry out.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines oven function icons, so this meaning is taken from 5 makers’ own guides, each fetched and checked on the date shown:
- Bosch: Bosch UK — Oven symbols guide — “Added Steam” symbol icon (cloud and fan): succulent roasts with crispy skins and breads with good colour and crust. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Siemens: Siemens Home UK — Oven symbols guide — “addedSteam” pictogram: the combination of steam and hot air turns food crispy outside and juicy inside. Checked 2026-09-23.
- AEG: AEG UK support — Symbols and functions on your AEG oven or cooker — “Steamify®” icon (a cloud): everyday cooking with steam; steam level set from the chosen temperature. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint UK — Understanding the different symbols on a Hotpoint oven — “Gentle Steam”: three vertical lines in a cloud; water poured into the recess at the bottom; bread, meat or fish. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Smeg: Smeg UK — A guide to oven symbols and what they mean — “Steam Symbol”: resembles a cloud or a wavy line; steaming food in the oven chamber. Checked 2026-09-23.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.