What foods are suitable for steaming?
- Sliced carrots – 6-8 mins
- Cauliflower florets – 5-6 mins
- Asparagus (thick spears) – 5-6 mins
- Broccoli florets – 5 mins
- Brussels sprouts – 8-10 mins
- Green beans – 4-5 mins
- Spinach and leafy greens – 5 mins
- Peas – 3 mins
- Whole artichoke – 25-35 mins
- Small potatoes – 15-20 mins
What are the health benefits of steamed foods?
Reasons To Why Steamed Food Is Healthiest
- Retains Vitamins and Minerals. A lot of vitamins and minerals found in Healthy Vegetables which have been lost with conventional procedures of cooking.
- Does not Require Oil. When food is steamed, there is no need for oil, something regularly used when frying. ...
- No flavors. ...
- Healthy. ...
- Digestible. ...
- Lowers Cholesterol. ...
What foods can you cook in a steamer?
What can I cook in a 3 tier steamer?
- Steamed Asian Dumplings - Step-by-step tutorial plus video link to making these delicious dumplings.
- Chinese Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce.
- Shrimp Scampi Foil Packets.
- Steamed Vegetable Dumplings.
- Steamed Shrimp.
- Chinese Steamed Chicken.
- Steam-Grilled Surf and Turf Recipe.
- Steamed vegetables with flavoured butters.
Do steamed foods have more nutrients than boiled foods?
More specifically, the review indicates that an onion's pungency increases during chopping (hence onion-induced tears), steaming is the best way to maintain nutritional quality (including TAC, carotenoids, glucosinolates and more), cooking and baking onions improves their flavonols content, soaking and cooking veggies helps remove anti-nutrients such as tannins and acid phytic, boiling helps retain folate content in vegetables and so on.
2. Steamed Carrot Cake
When we think of cakes, we usually think of ovens – and for good reason. After all, the phrase usually is “bake a cake.”
3. Mediterranean Steamed Salmon
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could make a tasty, nutritious, all-in-one dinner in 30 minutes or less? With this recipe for Mediterranean steamed salmon, you can.
4. Steamed Spinach
Steamed spinach is a flavorful side dish that you can make in a little over 5 minutes.
5. Steamed Rice
I can’t believe I forgot to mention rice when I was talking about typical steamed foods in the introduction!
6. Steamed Cabbage
Steamed cabbage takes a bit longer to make than steamed spinach (about 20 minutes total cooking time), but it’s every bit as delicious.
7. Steamed Potatoes
Potatoes are one of those foods that taste amazing no matter how you prepare them.
8. Steamed Broccoli
The best thing about steamed broccoli is how easy it is to make! It takes 15 minutes and nothing but your broccoli and some water.
1. Teochew Style Steamed Pomfret
Among the huge variety of Asian – particularly Chinese cuisine – Teochew food stands out as being clean and minimalist. It’s all about delicate flavors in Teochew cooking, and the popular Teochew Style Steamed Pomfret is a testament to that.
2. Steamed Herbal Chicken
When it’s chilly outside or you’re feeling under the weather, Steamed Herbal Chicken is a super comforting dish to indulge slowly in. Herbs such as yu zhu (solomon's sealrhizome) and dang gui (angelica root) are added for bittersweet flavors and pungent aromatics, and give you a much needed energy boost and helps reduce inflammation.
3. Beautiful Fragrant Purple Sweet Potato Kueh Lapis
This Beautiful Fragrant Purple Sweet Potato Kueh Lapis is the healthier cousin of the famous nine-layer Nyonya Kueh Lapis as its made with no oil. Layers of this bright Kueh Lapis are steamed bit by bit, giving you that finished look that’s so delicately pretty. Out of purple sweet potato? Try it with some Ube (purple yam).
4. Steamed Garlic Prawns
A fresh, juicy prawn deserves to be steamed to keep all those tasty ocean-brine sweet juices in, and this Steamed Garlic Prawns recipe allows you to do just that. This dish is easy to whip up if you have access to fresh prawns, and can be ready in under half an hour.
5. Silky Steamed Eggs
In a rush and running out of ingredients to make your family dinner with? This simple yet fulfilling Silky Steamed Eggs are perfect for those busy weeknights, when you need to cook a few dishes to pair with steamed rice in a hurry. It’s so straightforward that within a few times of cooking it, you’ll probably know this recipe by heart!
6. Steamed Ginger Milk Pudding
Steamed Ginger Milk Pudding are for those days that you can’t fit a decadent chocolate cake in anymore, or just need a simple sweet ending to offset that spicy curry. Ginger helps with that digestion, and this warm pudding will slide right down easily after a big dinner.
7. Steamed Fish with Lime and Chili Dressing
Steaming your fish or seafood doesn’t mean compromising tastes and smells, as this Steamed Fish with Lime and Chili Dressing goes to show. Fresh sea bass is coated with a typical Asian mix of spices and herbs, before being steamed on a banana leaf to maximize those pleasant aromatics.
Broccoli
Break the broccoli head into florets about 2 inches each, peel the stem (Yes, the stalks! Don’t let it go to waste), and simply cut crosswise into half inches to make sure it cooks at the same time with the florets. Simply toss the steamed broccoli in oil infused with garlic and a spritz of lemon juice.
Carrots
If you’re looking to further simplify steaming carrots, choose the baby ones (like baby carrots for real, the young, small, thin ones!). Then simply wash them and proceed into steaming. For flavors, melt some butter in a pan, add minced garlic and ginger, toss the steamed carrots in and simply sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Asparagus
You have to remove the woody part ends of your asparagus first. To do that, snap off the bottom inch or so with your fingers. The stems will naturally break at the point where the tough parts begin. You can simply season steamed asparagus with salt and pepper and quite frankly, you’re all good. Yes, it can be that simple.
Bok choy
Simply clean bok choy in cold water, make sure you gently push the leaves apart to remove any dirt in between stems. You can leave them whole or cut them in half lengthwise if they’re too big. One idea of serving steamed bok choy is with a Ma Po Style Pork to complete the meal.
Cauliflower
Break your cauliflower head into uniformly sized florets and simply steam them. If you’re not a big fan of its white color, you can bring them to life by sauteeing minced fresh turmeric and garlic cloves in olive oil and simply tossing in the steamed cauliflower. You can also add spices like cumin or fennel seeds if you want to up its flavor.
Artichoke
To prep artichoke, use kitchen scissors to cut off the tips of the little thorns on the ends of the leaves (you can also opt to just leave it since it’ll soften anyway with cooking). Remove the small leaves at the base and then slice off the top of the artichoke. Rinse in running cold water and then proceed to steam.
Kale
Simply wash kale leaves, chopped them, and then proceed to steam. You can simply dress it with a concoction of olive oil, lemon juice, and soy sauce, seasoned with salt and pepper. Super simple, right?
1. Dark leafy greens
When steamed, these nutritious leaves cook in just a few minutes. Go for local, in-season leafy greens (visit a farmer’s market) such as collard greens, bok choy, mustard greens, Swiss chard, kale and spinach (or any other green you’re in to). Steam for 1-2 minutes, drain, chill and freeze in small containers to use in your green smoothies.
2. Winter squash, gourds & pumpkin
Steam ‘em whole and scoop it out! Stuff your steamed veggie of choice with meat or vegetable chili, soup or other flavorful combinations for an impressive main course at your next dinner party. You could also chill the cooked squash and use it as a bowl for a mixed salad.
3. Fish and shellfish
Delicate fish and shellfish retain moisture when steamed. Place seasoned salmon or other white fish on a bed of fresh herbs or citrus slices and steam until flaky.
4. Fresh tomatoes
Do you have an abundance of farm-fresh tomatoes? A steamer is perfect for processing tomatoes to remove skins, getting them ready for making tomato sauce or salsa for canning or freezing.
5. Defrost and reheat
Short on time? Use your steamer to gently defrost or reheat food so it retains moisture and flavor without overcooking or drying out.
6. Desserts
Love a warm and sweet dessert that’s low in sugar? Scoop out the seeds and core from a baking apple or pear and stuff it with chopped nuts, dates, cinnamon and a splash of vanilla and steam until soft. Use apple or other fruit juice as the steaming liquid instead of water.
7. Cruciferous vegetables
These veggies LOVE steam. In fact, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and radishes become sweeter when steamed. Keep it simple by steaming broccoli until tender crisp; add a pinch of salt and splash of fruity olive oil to season.
Cook delicious meals without fat or oil
Donna Currie is a food writer and blogger specializing in recipes and kitchen gadgets. She covers kitchen tools and gadgets for The Spruce Eats and is the author of Make Ahead Bread.
Best Overall: Hamilton Beach 37530A Digital Food Steamer
This 5 1/2-quart electric steamer has two tiers that stack for cooking then nest for more compact storage, so it’s both large and small. You can use just one tier for cooking when you don’t have as much food to cook, or use both tiers when you’re cooking for a crowd.
Best Budget: Oster Double Tiered Food Steamer
If you’re not sure you’ll be steaming enough food to warrant a high-priced appliance, this 5-quart steamer has plenty of features and a budget-friendly price. It has two tiers with transparent steaming bowls for cooking foods separately. The timer can be set for up to 60 minutes, and the steamer turns itself off when time is up.
Best High-End: Cuisinart Digital Glass Steamer
If you don’t like the idea of cooking in plastic, this steamer has a five-liter glass cooking pot, a stainless steel steaming tray and a glass lid with stainless steel trim. All parts are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.
What to Look for When Buying a Food Steamer
Steamers come in two varieties: electric or stovetop. The stovetop steamer is an insert that fits into or on top of a saucepan or other pot that's filled with an inch or two of simmering water. The food is placed in the insert, and the perforated base of the insert allows the steam to surround and heat the food.
FAQs
Steaming is one of the quicker cooking methods. The exact time needed to cook food will depend on the size and thickness of the food.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Donna Currie is a cookbook author who reviews products and writes roundups for The Spruce Eats. In addition to the best food steamers, she's also written roundups on the best cookware, bread machines, and pressure cookers .
7 Food Steamers for the Best Kitchen Experience
Looking to buy a food steamer for yourself? Overwhelmed by the variety available and unsure of what to buy? Not certain what is the best steamer for your food? We’re here to help you! In this article, we have listed some of the top food steamers which will make your culinary experience worth every penny.
Top 7 Best Food Steamers Review in 2022
This best food steamer would allow you to steam cook a wide variety of food ranging from vegetables to meat, fish, and poultry. It ensures the retention of nutrients while preparing food. The double-tiered design lets you separate and cooks 2 different types of food simultaneously!
How Can You Pick the Best Food Steamer?
The food steamer is a handy tool to have when cooking and reheating food that probably needs some moisture, dumplings, and other food. The best food steamer must have the ability to hold the food when you add hot water, and it must use the materials like stainless steel or silicone.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A: Doctors say ‘Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy’ and this has been the main motto of the Food steamers. So, the answer to this question is “yes” because food steamers are used to boil foods like vegetables, and the process of boiling keeps all the original nutrients in the food.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking to minimize your daily oil intake and lose some weight, or simply trying to eat healthier and nutrition-rich, or just looking for an energy-efficient way to prepare your meals with minimal supervision, food steamers are your ultimate companion.
