And a little talk about pots and pans too !
It has long been said, that when you boil vegetables and then drain them, you are feeding the kitchen drain all the nutrients that would have otherwise, done your body a lot of good. Steaming lets you get those nutrients on your dinner plate, instead of down the kitchen drain. When you boil a vegetable, you are immersing it in a liquid, most commonly water. Your food tumbles around in the pan as it boils, and the liquid permeates the vegetable. That is what softens it. In that process, the moisture in the vegetable is becoming part of the liquid and the liquid is becoming the moisture in the vegetable. You are leaching out the nutrients and diluting them. When you steam that same vegetable, you don’t immerse it. You have liquid on the bottom of the saucepan, and the vegetable is suspended over it, in a steaming basket. You bring the liquid to a boil, cover the saucepan, and the steam from the boiling liquid cooks the vegetables in the basket. As long as you have the equipment to steam, it is easy.
Below are 2 examples of equipment that can be used to steam. There are countless other options out there, but these have been tried and true in our experience.
The perforated steaming basket, in front, is where you put the ingredients being steamed. The basket fits perfectly into the saucepan and the cover/lid fits tightly over the saucepan so no steam escapes. All three pieces are made to go together for the purpose of steaming.
Maybe you got a set of saucepans which included a steaming basket. If not, you are probably not going to make an investment in a steamer, as pictured above, not knowing how many times you will use it. We are going to show you a far less expensive steaming alternative. But should you decide at some point, that you would like to steam vegetables (or so many other things that benefit from steaming) more often, I offer you this thought. The stainless steel saucepan pictured above, was purchased by my mother more than 50 years ago! It has a ding or two, but this pan, without the steaming basket inserted, has been used most every week, for more than 50 years. It has been dropped, charred and used as a drum by two generations of babies. As you can see, it is hardly worse the wear. The surfaces are somewhat scratched, but this pan is going to be around for yet another generation to use, (unless it is thrown in a parking lot charity box upon my demise). I know that won’t happen. My family members would have to be fools to do such a thing, and this gal didn’t raise any fools! Do you hear that family? I expect you to do right by the pans that fed you well! My point is; you will never regret investing in quality kitchen tools, and there is no tool more important than pots and pans. DON’T BUY CHEAP POTS AND PANS. If you want to do any job well, you need good tools. We most certainly are not advocating for expensive cookware. There is a solid middle ground price range, between cheap and expensive, when it comes to pots and pans. Take a trip to a store which carries a decent selection of pots and pans. You will find some brand names that have been trusted for years. Use those known brands to make comparisons with others you are considering buying. Buy pots and pans that are heavy, that is a rule to adhere to. Heavy metal or glass pans will retain the heat absorbed from the stovetop burner or oven, and evenly distribute it to the food in the pan. If the pan is made of thin metal, you are basically cooking directly on the stovetop burner, with nothing to “buffer” the heat. It is very easy to get hot spots in thin metal pans and burn food. Your cooking experience, and the finished product, will greatly benefit from using quality pans. Another important feature you should look for when buying cookware is a tightly fitting cover. The best situation is to have a tight fitting lid for ALL your pots and pans. Most good cookware is going to have oven safe handles, meaning, the handle won’t melt if you use it in the oven at high temperatures. It definitely provides a larger range of versatility, if you can pop it in the oven. Most importantly: DO NOT BE SWAYED to buy cheaper pans in pretty colors or patterns, because it would be a nice decorative touch to your kitchen. Remember that you are buying a tool. Quality and functionality should be your only consideration, within your price range. When it comes to your pots and pans, don’t think quantity. Think quality. You don’t need all that many pans, buy the best you can afford. We have a short list of pots and pans we think you will use most often, on our SHOPPING LIST.
Whew, I really took a side track there. But it seemed a great opportunity to share our thoughts about this very important subject. We have been planning on discussing this at some point. It just so happens the subject just fell into place here.
Let’s get back to steaming, shall we?
Once again, here is my 50 year old, 5 quart saucepan. But this time the custom made steaming basket has been replaced by a great alternative for the everyday cook. In front, there is a “flying saucer” steaming basket. There are three little feet on the bottom, that hold the basket out of the steaming liquid in the pan. Those fan like pieces along the outside, expand or close up according to the size of the pan you are steaming in.
This is a picture of the flying saucer steaming basket, all closed up. More than likely it will be packaged like this if you are looking for one to buy. PLEASE NOTE: The term “flying saucer steaming basket”🛸 is purely my own concoction for something to call this. You are never going to find anything labeled flying saucer steaming basket 🤗. The basket is elevated by three little fold out peg legs, on the bottom.
If you are using a flying saucer steaming basket, the bigger the pot, up to the radius of the basket, the better off you are. The legs don’t hold the basket far from the bottom of the pot, so you need to be careful NOT to have the water level hitting the bottom of the basket. The wider the pan, the more liquid can be added without immersing the basket. All of the water can evaporate, even with a lid on. So you need to be extra observant about steam escaping from the pan, and add more water if necessary during steaming. Fully expanded, you can spread out the food being steamed. The more room around the food you are cooking, the more evenly cooked the food will be. You should spread the food out as thinly as possible, particularly if you are steaming something that can get mushy if overcooked. If you are steaming something such as clams that are not going to collapse when fully cooked, you don’t need to worry about stacking the basket in multiple layers as long as the cover is on tightly, with no steam escaping. That is an important note. Don’t try to steam in a pan without a cover that fits. And remove the cover as little as possible during cooking. Containing the steam in the pan at a consistent heat is necessary for steaming.
CAUTION: And there is no kidding around about this; you can burn yourself quicker, and worse, with the steam under that cover, than in any other method of cooking. The cover is hot, and when you remove the cover, your forearm is hanging right over the rim of the pot where the steam is going to escape. You need to make sure your hand and forearm are protected, before you lift the cover. A long oven mit is best, but wrapping your hand and arm in a dish towel works. Getting burned with steam is a painful experience. Be careful.
I have a little closing story about steaming apparatus. Have you read our American chop suey recipe? In that discussion I introduced you to Doreen, my oldest best friend. We have been friends since we were 2, it’s not that she is all that old I just have known her longer than my other best friends. Anyway, Doreen and I had a discussion about American chop suey, you can check it out AMERICAN CHOP SUEY. There is a post script to that discussion. Doreen made Ricky’s recipe for American chop suey after all, and she and her husband Dennis loved it! Another convert to Ricky’s recipe; it is that good!
So, what does this have to do with steaming? I recently stopped over to visit with Doreen and mentioned I was getting ready to add a post on steaming. She popped out of her chair, went into her kitchen and came out waiving a floppy red thing, announcing “this is what I use”. In her hand was a red, silicone, steaming basket. No worries about where to store this baby in your kitchen. It is flexible enough to be folded into quarters. Now, I am going to admit, the little red silicone steaming basket, isn’t going to be added to MY assortment of cooking tools. But for Doreen, it works. I guess I have become a bit of a snob when it comes to my kitchen equipment. But this little cutie might be just perfect for you!
