Steaming is one of the oldest cooking technologies. Residents of areas where there were natural hot springs, this way softened edible roots, fruits, vegetables or fish. It was enough just to lay food on the stones near a direct source of steam.
This technology of food processing is widely used by Eastern peoples, that's why among Chinese and Japanese there are so many long-livers. At us such way of cooking is more often applied in a children's ration or at presence of corresponding dietary prescription of the doctor.
Advantages and disadvantages of steaming
Among the ways to heat food processing steaming is considered one of the most useful, healthy and natural ways. During the cooking process, all useful moisture is stored in the food. So it is noticed that with such heat treatment in brown rice and a number of other cereal products vitamins of B group remain, while in cooking they disappear.
Technology is equally applicable to cereals, vegetables or fruits, and to more "dense" products, meat or fish. It is easy to prepare not only primary raw materials, but also semi-finished products, for example, vareniki, pelmeni, manti, cutlets, pies, etc. You can cook eggs and seafood. Surprisingly, for a couple you can "bake" even a cake, cake, casserole or other delicious dessert. True, among the variety of edible products there are those, for the preparation of which the steaming will not work. For example:
- pasta, in particular noodles, lose their shape;
- fungi, especially forest, contain harmful substances, which can be eliminated only by prolonged soaking, digestion or frying;
- spoiled vegetable products with a "defect", which during cooking can progress and spoil the taste of the dish.
To facilitate the process of preparing dishes for a couple, manufacturers of household appliances have developed a lot of special kitchen appliances. They are distinguished by functionality, volumes or number of containers for the simultaneous preparation of various products. Whatever device you choose, they all will have the same operating principle: in the tank at the base there will be a liquid( which is boiling intensively during cooking), and on top of this container there are special baskets with holes through which the steam will affect the foodto the full readiness.
Let's notice that products on pair come to "condition" a little bit faster, than at thermal processing in fat or water. This is a very easy and simple way of cooking. You do not have to constantly stir, watch, so that the products do not stick to the dishes, do not fall apart or something like that. Pieces do not need to be turned over, steam can penetrate everywhere, so cooking in this way is not tedious.
Steam cooking methods
Each hostess will be able to choose the most suitable for her cooking option for a couple, the benefit that there are a lot of them. We will disclose for you some of them in more detail.
Option No.1
Take the usual pan that you have in the kitchen. Pour water into it to half the volume. Then put a colander in the bowl( it should be a little more than the rim, so as not to fall through).Cover the structure with a lid and the homemade steamer is ready."To create a garden" in this case will be those housewives who do not use dishes for a couple in the daily diet of their family. Note that this option will be the cheapest, since you do not have to spend extra to purchase a special device.
Option No. 2
An ordinary steamer that you can buy from a glassware store will be analogous to your "home" option. This is the same saucepan, only a special insert with holes is included with it. The lids in the steam cookers are specially designed to fit as tightly as possible to the edge of the pan( sometimes they even have a latch to maintain tightness).In the steamer, the temperature and pressure necessary to "keep up" the dish are kept well.
Option # 3
The electric steamer is the most common type of cooking utensils for steaming. In the store of household appliances you will be offered both a mono-steamer and an appliance with several compartments( to cook different dishes at the same time).You can also choose a device with the appropriate volume. For example, in multiblock steamers for half an hour you can cook immediately and fish, and garnish, and dessert. If you are worried that water will boil and the device will break, then the developers have provided for the possibility of self-switching off the steamer, if there is no liquid in it. Electric steamers are a multifunctional device in which you can cook, warm up, sterilize. Program your machine in the deferred cooking mode. The functionality of such a device depends on the model and price.
Option number 4
Recently, multivarquins, very convenient multifunctional devices for cooking in a variety of ways, have gained immense popularity. Almost all of their models are equipped, among other things, with appliances for cooking food for a couple.
Steamed food: useful qualities
Improvement of the home menu with steamed dishes will help to regulate the digestive processes of all members of your family in a short time. Products retain not only natural color, but also a bouquet of taste, smell and useful properties. In food there are vitamins and mineral components, natural moisture. Products from the steam are well absorbed by the body, do not disturb the digestive tract.
According to the medical prescription, paired products are recommended for people with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, with nervous exhaustion, as well as dietary nutrition.
Passing to the state of steam, water( especially from a tap, with a high content of chlorine impurities) is not burdened with metals. Food becomes useful, unlike foods cooked in a liquid.
Gastroenterologists note that "steam" food is useful for improving the condition of the skin, hair and nails. Suffering from cardiovascular diseases, it is prescribed to switch to products treated with steam, as they reduce the amount of cholesterol and slag deposits, which is so harmful for this group of diseases.
Is steamed food harmful?
We would like to point out that if you comply with all the rules of cooking technology for a couple, you will not get any harm from the products. The only thing that gourmets celebrate is the lack of colors of taste, the dish may seem unattractive. Eliminate such a shortcoming is easy. At the end of cooking, you can season the dish with spices, spices or sauce( as you like).