The healthy cooking technique
The difference between steaming and cooking is that, with steaming, the vegetables do not touch the water, which helps to retain more of the minerals and vitamins (e.g. vitamin B & C) in your ingredients. After all, many nutrients dissolve in hot water. This means that when food is cooked in water, many of the vitamins disappear into the water and are simply poured away. When steaming, food is cooked by the steam from the hot water, retaining not only its health benefits, but also its crunch and flavour.
These days, many people search how to steam vegetables or ask what is steaming exactly? The answer is simple: it’s a gentle, efficient way to prepare food without compromising on quality.
Also, no fat is needed when steaming. So it really is a tasty, simple and lean cooking technique.
How does steaming work?
There’s really no need to invest in an expensive steam oven to cook healthily. Many people look up how to steam without a steamer or wonder how to steam using a regular pot. Simply take your pan, cover the base with water and add your steaming basket with your vegetables, meat or fish. It’s important always to put the lid on your pan, as this stops steam from escaping. It’s an easy way to learn how to steam without a steamer or even how to steam vegetables without a steaming appliance.
What vegetables can you steam?
One of the most common questions is: what vegetables can you steam? You can steam nearly all kinds of vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, zucchini, chicory, asparagus, potatoes, and even Brussels sprouts. Each vegetable has its own steaming time, so it’s helpful to combine vegetables with similar cooking durations.
How long to steam vegetables?
Another frequently searched question is: how long to steam vegetables? The answer depends on the type of ingredient. Below is a helpful overview:
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How long to steam broccoli? Steam for 5 to 7 minutes
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How long to steam cauliflower? About 8 to 10 minutes
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How long to steam carrots? Cut into slices: 10 to 15 minutes
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How long to steam asparagus? Green asparagus is ready after 6 to 8 minutes
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How long to steam chicory? (Belgian endives): 10 to 12 minutes
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How long to steam green beans? 7 to 10 minutes
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How long to steam cabbage? White or green cabbage: 6 to 8 minutes
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How long to steam salmon? Salmon fillet: 8 to 10 minutes
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How to steam rice? Steaming rice takes longer: around 20 to 30 minutes
Steaming with BEKA
Planning to buy a steamer or a steaming basket? Let us tell you about our own high-quality solutions:
- Chef multi stoominzet: This practical steaming basket in the Chef collection is compact to store and really handy, because it suits 3 diameters of Chef saucepans: 16, 18 and 20 cm
- Polo steamer: Our Polo collection features this steamer with 2 levels for steaming vegetables, fish, dim sum, etc. Are you preparing 2 vegetables, each with a different cooking time? Or would you like to steam a piece of fish, together with your vegetables? You can do it all thanks to this multifunctional steamer.
