How to steam without a steamer
How to steam cook, what cooking utensils do we need? It is always said that steaming is the healthiest way to cook. The advantages of steaming are well known, but when it comes to steaming, what systems are there?
The steam basket, I would say that it is the most popular, effective and practical system, and the one that almost everybody uses, thanks to its resistance (they are usually made of stainless steel), durability, hygiene and easy cleaning. It can be put in the dishwasher.
The Silicone Papillote is revolutionizing the way of steaming. It is the easiest and most practical system in our opinion. It can be done both in the oven and in the microwave and can be put in the dishwasher.
The disadvantage of electric steamers is that they are usually very bulky, so they take up a lot of space and are complicated to store. However, they can look good on the countertop or on your kitchen island. Plus there are a lot of parts to clean once you’re done.
How to steam heat
Steaming food is one of the healthiest cooking methods there is, and now that Easter has just passed and summer is dangerously approaching, it will be great for us to start getting in shape and show off our best figure.
The difference between cooking vegetables and steaming them, is that with the first method we lose many of their vitamins that go with the water. That is why it is so important to reuse this water, for example, to cook rice, but with vegetables we will have lost it. The temperature of the steam also makes that we lose vitamins of the vegetables when steaming them, but certainly much less than cooking them.
The easiest way to steam is with a steamer, but not everyone has one at home. Yesterday a friend called me asking what vegetables he could make with one he had been given, and I told him that I didn’t have one. What do you mean? Of course I do, and the fact is that we can all make our own in a very easy and simple way.
This simple method of steaming is not only for cooking, but it is also perfect for heating already cooked food. You just put the food on the strainer and let the steam take care of reheating. Much healthier than reheating in the microwave.
Which vegetables can be steamed
Steaming food is one of the healthiest cooking methods that exist, and now that Easter has just passed and summer is dangerously approaching, it will be great for us to start getting in shape and show off our best figure.
The difference between cooking vegetables and steaming them, is that with the first method we lose many of their vitamins that go with the water. That is why it is so important to reuse this water, for example, to cook rice, but with vegetables we will have lost it. The temperature of the steam also makes that we lose vitamins of the vegetables when steaming them, but certainly much less than cooking them.
The easiest way to steam is with a steamer, but not all of us have one at home. Yesterday a friend called me asking what vegetables he could make with one he had been given, and I told him that I didn’t have one. What do you mean? Of course I do, and the fact is that we can all make our own in a very easy and simple way.
This simple method of steaming is not only for cooking, but it is also perfect for heating already cooked food. You just put the food on the strainer and let the steam take care of reheating. Much healthier than reheating in the microwave.
Strainer for steaming
If you do not know how to steam cook, in the following lines we will show you how to do it. As its name suggests, this type of preparation is based on cooking food by applying the steam generated by boiling water, without coming into contact with water.
If you want to know how to steam cook, you should bear in mind that this is a technique that has been widely used for centuries in Asian countries, where the aim is to maintain the nutritional properties of the food.
The most basic way of steaming is to use a strainer or a grid that you may already have at home over a pot with water. It will help you to prepare your steamed dishes, although you will have limitations when cooking large quantities.
For this reason it is more advisable to resort to the silicone and plastic steamers being containers that have a base on which the water is placed, a grid on which the food is placed and a lid. They can be of plastic, which are suitable for microwaves, or of silicone, suitable for both microwaves and conventional ovens.