Steaming Food is Easier and Tastier Than You Think
Steaming food is one of the best ways to retain nutrients. Steaming vegetables is a favorite of mine because I know I am not going to cook out all of the vitamins and nutrients had I boiled them - an easy way to overcook vegetables. You also get the bright beautiful colors that come from steaming vegetables. When I see them in that state, I know they are perfectly cooked. Many people turn away from steaming food because steamed foods have the reputation of being mushy, bland, and overcooked.
This doesn’t have to be the case if you want to add another fun and healthy method of cooking your meals. Steaming meals can be easy and a great change for the typical way you prepare your food.
Types of Steamers Available
Steamers are available in bamboo, metal, and electric. The bamboo is the most popular and probably the least expensive. The way steamers work is by placing a little water into a wok or pot and then placing the steamer (bamboo or metal) on top of the water. You place your ingredients into the steamer then cover the entire thing in order to let the hot water vapor cook your food. You can also purchase folding steamers that sit right on top of a pot. Those are great for veggies and can fold up and be put right into a drawer after use.
Electric steamers do the same job but come with more functions like a built in timer. You can also steam foods in parchment paper or aluminum foil packets right in the oven. That is a good way to steam chicken or fish with vegetables in one little packet.
Tips for Steaming Food
- Keep food at least 1-inch above water
- Cut food to even sizes for even cooking
- Steam strong flavored foods separately to prevent overpowering other food
- Put space between foods so steam can circulate
- Marinate foods to add flavor
- Add marinade to cooking liquid or use stock, wine, soy sauce, etc.
Steam Times
These are just estimates but once you get the hang of steaming, you’ll know how long for most items.
- Vegetables - 1 to 3 minutes
- Fish - 7 to 12 minutes
- Chicken - 8 - 10 minutes
