Steam Cooker: Why Is It Needed In The Kitchen?

Do you want to lower cholesterol, lose weight, and eat well? Do you dream of spending less time in the kitchen? Cook in a steamer.

Do you want to lower cholesterol, lose weight, and eat well? Do you dream of spending less time in the kitchen? Cook in a steamer.

How a steamer works

Today, everyone knows that healthy food is part of a healthy lifestyle. Steam cooking meets all the requirements of a healthy diet. Steamed food preserves nutrients, vitamins and color. The steamer consists of several containers that are placed one on top of the other like a pyramid. Water is poured into the lower container, the next container collects excess liquid and fat, products are placed in several upper containers. The water in the lower container boils, and the products are cooked in steam, which rises and circulates evenly on all levels of the steamer.

A steamer saves time, money and energy

When products are cooked in a steamer, there is no need to constantly monitor them, they do not need to be turned over, they will never burn. You just need to put the products in the steamer, set the required time for cooking, press the power button and wait for the steamer to give the winning signal - "ready".

In a steamer, you can cook several dishes at the same time, using the same steam, saving time and electricity.

Advantages of a steamer

In a double boiler, boiling water never comes into contact with the food being cooked, so the nutrients are not boiled away. The heat from the steam evenly passes through the products and cooks them in their own juice, which reduces the loss of nutrients, preserves the texture and aroma.

It is easy to cook any food in a double boiler: meat, vegetables, fruits, spaghetti, rice, eggs.

Products can be prepared in several ways:

• just put the products on the bottom of the steamer container.
• products can be wrapped in wax paper, in foil, in cabbage leaves and placed in a steamer, this method is used for cooking products in marinade and own juice.

The main advantage is that you can cook several dishes at the same time , for example, vegetables and meat, cereals and fish.

Frozen products do not require additional defrosting.

With the usual methods of cooking - frying, baking, grilling, meat is cooked in its own and additional fat, so dishes often turn out fatty. In a double boiler, fat melts with steam and drains into a container for excess liquid, so the dish is not greasy and light.

Reasons to start cooking in a steamer

 

• Valuable vitamins, minerals and nutrients are preserved.
• Products remain fresh and juicy.
• The color and aroma of the products are preserved.
• Food fibers are softened, so the product becomes soft and easily digested by the body.
• The preparation of any products does not require fat and oil, therefore all dishes are dietary and not fatty.
• You can cook anything in a steamer: seafood, meat, vegetables, and spaghetti.
• Food is prepared quickly and easily, on average, the dish is prepared in 30 minutes.
• You can cook several dishes at the same time using one heating source, which saves money and time.
• The kitchen becomes cleaner, because there are no grease splashes on the walls and stove, and it is very easy to wash the steamer.
• The low level of fat content improves the condition of the skin, hair and nails. The cholesterol content in the blood decreases, the condition of the cardiovascular system improves.

Boil or steam?

When products are boiled, valuable compounds for the body remain in the water. If the broth or decoction is not used for food, then the vitamins do not enter the human body. Even if the broth is not pumped out, the biological value of cooked dishes is significantly reduced.

During normal cooking, vegetables lose: 43.0% protein, 31.9% calcium, 44.7% magnesium; 46.4% phosphorus; 48.0% iron

When steamed, vegetables lose 16.0% of protein, 10.7% of calcium, and 18.6% of magnesium; 16.7% phosphorus; 21.3% iron.

In a steamer, products are processed with moist heat, which preserves the consistency and natural color of products.

It is important to know

It is necessary to monitor the amount of excess liquid that is collected in an additional container. If the products were frozen, a lot of liquid is released, which can spill over the container.

After cooking, it is better not to leave the products in the steamer, even after the steam is turned off, steam continues to be emitted, the products may be overcooked and will not be tasty.

When cooking meat and vegetables, meat should be placed on the lower level. During cooking in a double boiler, the liquid flows down, so the juice of the meat revives the vegetables located below.

It is better to place the products in the steamer containers in an even layer so that all the products are cooked at the same time.

Larger pieces of food should be cooked on the lower level of the steamer because they take a little longer to cook.

Steam disinfection

Steam kills bacteria, viruses and chemical impurities (which are used to treat vegetables and fruits for long-term storage). Therefore, before eating, for example, an apple, instead of washing it under running water, keep it under steam for a couple of minutes. Before this or that vegetable and fruit reaches the kitchen, it passes through the hands of dozens of people (collectors, sorters, packers, sellers, other buyers), steam treatment disinfects and cleans.

You can sterilize dishes in a steamer, including baby bottles, pacifiers, and small plastic toys.