3 questions, 3 answers: what to watch out for when cleaning your combi-steamer.
Asked to Victor Silberer, Director Operational Product Management EMEA at RATIONAL AG.

Mr Silberer, RATIONAL combi-steamers have an automatic cleaning system. Can the user even do anything wrong when cleaning their appliance?
Not much anymore, on condition that they follow the suggested cleaning schedule displayed on the unit itself - and that is the practical thing about the integrated Efficient CareControl in RATIONAL appliances. The combi-steamer detects dirt and limescale, determines the most efficient cleaning cycle and then recommends optimum quantities of cleaner and descaler to you. This even takes into account the usage of the unit and the past cleaning intervals. If you follow this cleaning recommendation, you will always have a clean and maintained appliance and at the same time extend its lifetime.

Does this mean RATIONAL only recommends own brand chemical agents for cleaning and descaling?
Yes, because that is the only way you can ensure that the appliance is completely clean and descaled. In our cleaning system, we have coordinated the use of tabs in combination with the necessary time and water optimally in order to remove the scale in the steam generator and at the same time clean the cooking cabinet without residues. Think about what your unit looks like after a full load of grilled steak. After the automatic cleaning, you won't see any fat residues anymore - and this also makes compliance with hygiene regulations much easier.

You have already spoken briefly about your descaling tabs. Is a water softening unit even necessary?
No, even with very hard water there is neither need for expensive and high-maintenance water softeners nor regular, manual descaling. The special scale-dissolving ingredients in the RATIONAL care tabs prevent limescale building up in the first place and the integrated care agents again extend the lifetime of the combi-steamer. To put it simply: with our automatic cleaning Efficient CareControl, not just the cooking cabinet but also the entire system is always clean and maintained. This leads to a very high operational reliability of the units.