All the Benefits of Steam Cooking

Arriving from the East, steaming is among the healthiest methods used in cooking. But why is this cooking method different from other types of cooking? Let's find out together.

Highly economical and ecological, this cooking method is typical of Japanese and Chinese cooking and has spread in kitchens all over the world thanks to the widespread opening of oriental restaurants. Couscous (also called couscous), a traditional dish of North Africa, is also cooked by steaming. This, in fact, is prepared by means of a special container made of two pots which are placed one upon the other: the lower one is filled with water and the upper one has a bottom with small holes in which steam circulates.

Steam cooking: what benefits

Among the great advantages of steam cooking there is certainly the one of keeping all the organoleptic and aromatic properties of foods. Mineral salts and vitamins are not lost.

As opposed to boiling, in fact, steam already has energy which contributes to the increase - even if slight - of the pressure inside the container used for cooking. Thanks to this property, nutritional values are not lost.

Moreover, from the moment of boiling the food is immersed in water, mineral salts and water soluble vitamins present in food are dispersed in it (and almost always discarded).

Thanks to steam cooking, then, also the taste of foods will be more intense and at the same time more natural because it is not necessary to add any supplementary fat such as oil or butter.

Among other things, any dish is suitable for this type of cooking: fish, meat or vegetables can be completely steamed and, for this reason, it is indicated in any food plan or diet, especially when you want to lose weight.

Lastly, among the advantages of steam cooking there is also an economic saving because, by stacking several baskets together, you can cook more dishes at the same time. This, therefore, undoubtedly also has a positive implication for the environment. One of the most widely used steamers on the market that uses multiple stacked baskets is the WMF Kitchenminis, equipped with two separately regulated cooking chambers with a capacity of 2.15 liters each.

How long does steaming take?

Steaming takes longer than cooking by immersion and it depends on what kind of food you want to cook.

For example, chicken will take about thirty minutes to cook, while fish will take between ten and twenty minutes depending on whether it is seafood or a whole fish.

Rice, instead, will take about twenty minutes and only vegetables will take less time.

How does steam cooking work?

With steam cooking the temperatures reached for cooking food are very high, close to 100°C (212°F).

The utensils used for steaming can be special steamers or normal pots with a perforated steel basket. The water in the pan in this way will not come into contact with the basket and with the food, thus favoring this type of cooking. The basket must, then, be closed by a lid in order to promote the circulation of steam inside the container.

It is also possible to use bamboo baskets for steaming on multiple shelves. These baskets, in fact, are typical of the oriental culture from which comes the technique of steaming.

It is very important, then, to choose the right level of water to be placed in the proper pot or container. If it is too high, in fact, it is possible that foods come in contact with it losing their nutritional and aromatic substances. If it is too low, instead, it is very likely that water will evaporate completely before the cooking is completed.

Practical advices for reducing steaming times

Since steaming requires longer times compared to the classic cooking methods, the suggestion to reduce steaming times is to cut foods in slices or in small pieces.

But that is not all, because it is possible to use a pressure cooker. In this way you will combine the benefits of steam with those of pressure, being able to cook food at a temperature higher than 100 ° C in a short time. In fact, pressure can delay the production of steam that will be formed only after reaching a temperature between 115-125 °.

We must say, however, that by using the pressure cooker to decrease the time of steaming you could lose both the taste and the nutritional values of foods.

Steamer, what is it and how it works

Since the preparation of steamed food has greatly increased thanks to the ability of being able to cook healthy, light foods, having a natural taste and allowing an easy management of food plans, in the last few years the steamer has been very successful.

For this reason, it is possible to find many types of steamers on the market that can be summarized into two categories: electric steam ers and gas steamers. Usually, then, any steamer comes equipped with a base in the upper part, a tray that collects the water drops and diffuses the steam, one or more perforated baskets, a tray for the water that will have to evaporate and a lid.

In order to make a steamer work, it will be enough to add water in the proper tray or tank and, once the temperature will begin to evaporate the water, it will start cooking foods placed in the proper baskets.

There are also products in which it is possible to cook both in the traditional way and with steam at the same time, using the Cocotte with Round Staub Steam Basket, available in blue or in two other colors Cherry Red e Black, which with a special basket, placed in the upper part, will stew the fish while in the lower part you can cook the rice, thus obtaining a much tastier dish.

A few tricks to optimize steaming

Once the steamed food is ready, you can proceed to run it undercold running water to prevent the food from continuing to cook. Not only that, but another trick is to turn off the heat in the last minutes of cooking. This, in fact, will continue using the steam still in circulation.