How can you cool down steam?

Just like any other substance, steam cools on contact with anything around it that's
cooler. In the case of steam ... rising, let's say, from something on the stove ... it's
cooled by the air it passes through, and by anything else it drifts past, such as the
cool pots elsewhere on the stove, or the walls and ceiling of the kitchen.

BUT ... if you're thinking about cooling some steam enough so that you can hold it in
your hand, then forget about it. Remember that water turns to steam when you heat
it to 212 degrees. It works exactly the same in the other direction ... as soon as you
cool some steam down below 212 degrees, it turns to water !