Better steamed than fried! Advantages of steam cooking

If we compare the different cooking techniques We can put steamed cooking at one end and fried and battered ones at the other.

The steam cooker enhances the flavor and aroma of food. And, in addition, it is comfortable, clean, fast and healthy because it reduces the use of fats. It consists of preparing food in a pot of boiling water to which a steamer has been added, where vegetables, legumes, rice, etc. are placed.

Instead, the fried and battered should be cooking techniques very occasional. Cooking in this way, food absorbs a lot of oil which, with heat, loses nutritional qualities. If burned, fried at high temperatures, or reused, it can become toxic.

The benefits of steam cooking

In this type of cooking the temperature never reaches 110 ºC, so the nutrients of the food are preserved. And since the ingredients are not submerged in water, as is the case with boiled ones, mineral salts are not dilutedexplains Josep Valls, from the Codis Verd online store.

By steaming, food does not overheat excessively and preserve their properties.

As they do not absorb water, their flavor or color is not altered, nor is it necessary to use oils or butter, so the result is a light and healthy cooking.

This method is also easy and cleanaccessible to all.

The best utensils for steaming

For steam cooking you can baskets or steamers stainless steel (such as the so-called “daisies”), bamboo (the most ecological) or glass (discard aluminum or plastic ones so that they do not poison food).

They’re a simple and cheap solution but these baskets usually have few and small holes. If the pot has a low water capacity and the lid is flat, the water condenses and excessively wet the food. Cooking times are longer than with other options.

Also, if the basket is low and you have to put little water, it is easy to get confused and the pot burns.

The electric steamer it is practical and allows do multiple foods at oncebut they are usually small. If you decide on it, choose one that incorporates temperature regulation to be able to choose between gentle cooking or more intense cooking.

The steamer pots (steam ovens with a dome-shaped lid) are designed so that the water, when it condenses, slides down the internal faces and does not wet the food.

The sieve of the steamer pots usually has a large number of holes of considerable size to favor the circulation of steam. This allows to have shorter processing times and, the less time a food is exposed to heat, less loss of vitamins suffers. If the tank of the steamer pot is high, a lot of steam is created and ideal cooking is then achieved.

How to steam cook step by step

Once you have chosen the container, you only have to take into account some details:

cut food into regular portions, not too large, and arrange them in a single layer that facilitates the distribution of steam. When introducing food into the steamer, the boiling water. Can flavor the water adding spices or aromatic plants. Once the cooking is finished, this water can be saved to prepare a soup or pasta. Don’t lift the lid until the end of cooking, because each time it rises it loses effectiveness. This requires having clear cooking times and accumulating a little experience. once cooked Food must be removed from the steamer so that it does not continue to cook.