A technique that won’t steer you wrong
Steaming food is a healthy way to cook — and you don’t need any fancy gadgets to do it
In this era of programmable, appliance-specific cooking, it’s easy to overlook one of the most reliable, widely used ways to render food properly — with steam.
It is that simple: If you can boil water, you can learn how to steam foods. And that, in turn, will help make you a better cook.
Steaming has long been considered a healthful way to cook. Steamed vegetables retain more of their nutrients and unique flavour, even when different ones are cooked together. No added fats are needed.
The chance you’ll overcook ingredients is greatly reduced because of the gentle nature of steam heat — whether it’s fish and seafood, whole eggs, dumplings, custards, rice, fruit or even certain cuts of steak.
Pressure cookers and electric multicookers harness the power of steam, of course. But you can steam foods on the stovetop, in a conventional oven and in the microwave, all in fairly short order.
Packet, or en papillote, cookery is basically creating a steamy environment on a small scale.
A bain-marie or hot-water bath achieves the same steaming results for foods in ramekins.
Bamboo steamer baskets allow for steaming multiple ingredients with one pot or wok, and they can be lined with parchment paper, cheesecloth or edible leaves.
Professional kitchens use special equipment such as perforated pans (available at restaurant supply stores and online), but home cooks can achieve the same results with a strainer, saucepan and lid, as well as a simple bamboo steamer.
The liquid transformed by heat is typically plain water, but when you add aromatics to it such as lemon grass, ginger and citrus, they can infuse steamed foods with wonderful aromas.
Beer works, too. Chef-restaurateur Victor Albisu steams pork shanks over a citrus-chicken broth-IPA combination instead of braising them.
The meat becomes incredibly tender with hours of lowand-slow cooking, without falling apart or off the bone, as it would have done if it had spent that time submerged in liquid.
Are you ready to give steaming a try? Here’s how to handle some foods for which the method works especially well:
PEAS
Place fresh or frozen peas in a perforated double-boiler type pot or in a fine-mesh strainer set over a few inches of simmering water in a pot. Cover and cook for about two minutes (add about 30 seconds if frozen), until the peas are a brighter shade of green.
STICKY RICE
A glutinous variety of rice or sushi rice will typically call for a long soak and rinsing, then it takes about 20 minutes of steam heat in a cheesecloth-lined bamboo steamer over a pot of simmering water. The cooked grains of rice will be lovely and separate.
FROZEN RICE
Place in fine-mesh strainer over a pot of simmering water. Cover and defrost the rice until you can break up the block into individual grains.
WINTER SQUASH
Cut into thick slices or wedges. Place in a shallow glass baking dish with 2 to 4 tablespoons (30-60 mL) of water. Microwave on high for four to six minutes, checking after the first four minutes, until tender enough to pierce with the tip of a knife.
SMALL POTATOES
Place 8 ounces (225 g) of yellow-fleshed potatoes in a glass baking dish with a 1/4 cup (60 mL) of water. Cover with a vented glass lid or partially with silicone lid or with vented plastic wrap that does not touch the food. Microwave in five-minute increments until fork-tender.
SCALLOPS
Line a bamboo steamer with a few layers of wide lettuce leaves and then place the scallops on the leaves, cover and steam for about eight minutes, or until the scallops are just opaque all the way through.
TENDERLOIN STEAK
We tried this method from Keith Schroeder, author of Mad Delicious (Cooking Light), and we came away impressed. Steaming lean medallions takes about eight minutes and cooks them to an even medium-rare, much as sous-vide can accomplish. But steaming also turns the meat an unappetizing colour, so Schroeder coats them in a port-wine reduction as soon as they’re done. They look and taste restaurant quality.
Keep in mind that steam heat is intense, so be sure to open or uncover your justcooked foods with a protected hand and with the steam directed away from your face.