Veggies give us a whole lot of vitamins and useful elements our bodies won’t properly function without. That is why so many of us steam vegetables to intake most of their usefulness.
Naturally, a question occurs on how to steam vegetables at home correctly.
That’s the thing we’re about to reveal today!
Steamed Veggies Health Benefits
People tend to take care of their health today and that’s good. In accordance with this tendency, frying food becomes more and more unpopular since this method of cooking was proved to be harmful to our body.
For this reason, steaming vegetables is a good alternative, besides, this approach is less time-consuming which makes it just perfect for the laziest cooks!
But why steaming is so healthy?
- Treating the veggies with steam preserves all the useful elements whereas boiled vegetables leave almost all their usefulness in water
- Steamed veggies taste better since they are still crispy and fresh-looking (unlike some boiled counterparts)
- Steamed veggies preserve the natural cellulose that is good for our digestion while boiled ones lose pretty much of it
And of course, steamed vegetables look like fresh ones and it makes them more appetizing rather than soft and tenderized boiled ones.
How to Steam Vegetables. Detailed Guideline For Newbies
So how to steam veggies to preserve all the health benefits they can give us?
The procedure, in fact, can be done in several ways hanging upon what equipment is used during the process.
However, the general scheme is the same.
- First, we need to wash and clean or peel the veggies
- All the excess parts must be cut off (e.g. leaves, sprouts, etc.)
- If needed, cut the veggies or dice them
- Process them with steam and serve
Always consider that different sorts of veggies must be steamed during a different period of time! It hangs upon how hard they are when raw and their size since cut veggies become cooked faster.
And even though almost any vegetables are ok to steam, some of them may be less steam-friendly (for instance, the soft ones like tomatoes).
How long to steam vegetables, one may ask?
Well, it hangs upon the type of the foodstuff but usually, the time doesn’t exceed 15 minutes. E.g., cut asparagus and broccoli florets need seven minutes whereas carrots, cauliflower, and potatoes will require 10-15 minutes.
And now let’s take a closer look at the ways of steaming veggies.
How to Steam Vegetables On The Stove
To prepare veggies this way, get a casserole with boiling water ready and a metal colander, too.
Rinse and trim the veggies if necessary, and cut them.
When the casserole content starts rolling, place the vegetables into a colander, and place it over the boiling casserole.
Steam vegetables on the stove considering the time required for a certain sort of the foodstuff.
How to Steam Vegetables In a Pot
For pot-steaming, a steaming basket will be required. Most of them are constructed to fit 8-inch pots and wider so you won’t have problems.
Start with preparing the veggies, wash them, and cut making them a bite-size.
Heat up 1 inch of water, fill the basket with the veggies and place it over the boiling liquid.
Steam vegetables in a pot until they’re soft enough (test them with a cake tester which must not ruin the veggie’s flash).
How to Steam Veggies With a Bamboo Steamer
Another option is steaming veggies in a special bamboo steamer. This method is 100% organic and safe since the steamer is made of natural material.
Those steamers are perfect for the wide-bottom pans and casseroles, besides, they’re stack which allows steaming several different kinds of veggies at the same time.
The process is simple.
- Prep the veggies
- Put the steamer into a pan or wok with water so that it covers the bottom rim of the steamer to ¼ inch. The water can be already boiling or be cold – choose yourself
- Place the veggies inside over the protective layer of cabbage of another leaf vegetable to prevent food from sticking
- Keep an eye on the water and don’t let it evaporate too much!
How to Steam Vegetables In a Pan
You may be surprised but pan may serve for steaming, too!
For steaming fresh vegetables this way, take a deep pan, fill it with 1.3 cm water, and place the veggies inside.
Cover it with the lid and steam for the required period of time on low heat.
That’s it! Easy and absolutely effortless.
Even though steaming is simple, questions often occur regarding certain nuances of this method of cooking.
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