Steaming food is a perfect technique for those who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, constipation, who want to lose weight, or simply decided to improve their diet and be healthier.
In addition to all the benefits of keeping nutrients in food, preventing them from being lost in cooking water, it is also very practical and you can cook at the same time, cereals such as rice or quinoa, vegetables, legumes, meat, fish or chicken.
So, 5 good reasons for steam cooking are:
- Help to lose weight, as it is not necessary to use olive oil, butter or oil to cook, reducing the number of calories in the meal, besides increasing the feeling of satiety, due to the amount of fibers; Regulate intestinal transit, as steam maintains the quality of food fibers, helping to treat constipation; Lower cholesterol, because it does not use any type of fat in the preparation of food, preventing the accumulation of bad cholesterol in the blood and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases; Control blood pressure, because it is not necessary to use salt and other sodium-rich condiments, such as Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce to flavor foods, since the steam keeps all the flavor of the food; Increase the quality of life because it creates healthy eating habits, allowing you to prepare any food in a healthy way, such as vegetables, meat, fish, chicken, eggs, and even rice, preventing diseases related to poor diet.
Steam cooking is a great way to encourage the intake of vegetables and fruits, by adults and children, and can even be done in a normal pan. See also How to cook food to maintain nutrients.
How to steam
- With special basket for common pot: place a grid on the bottom of a pot with about 2 cm of water, preventing the food from being in direct contact with the water. Then, cover the pan and place it on the fire for as long as necessary for each type of food, as shown in the table. Steam cookware : there are special steam cookware, such as Tramontina or Mondial, which allow you to put one layer on top of the other to cook several foods at the same time. Electric steam cooker: just add the food in the proper container, respect its way of use and connect the pan to the electric current. In the microwave: use a special container that can be taken to the microwave and cover with a cling film, making small holes so that the steam can escape. With bamboo basket: place the basket in the wok, add the food to the basket, put about 2 cm of water in the wok, enough to cover the bottom of the pot.
Food must be properly cooked when it is tender. This way it is possible to cook different foods at the same time, making the most of its properties.
Watch the following video and see how to steam, as well as other very useful cooking tricks:
To make food even more tasty and nutritious, aromatic herbs or spices can be added to the water such as oregano, cumin or thyme, for example.
Time table for steaming some food
| Foods | Amount | Preparation time in the steam cooker | Microwave preparation time |
| Asparagus | 450 grams | 12 to 15 minutes | 6 to 8 minutes |
| Broccoli | 225 grams |
8 to 11 minutes |
5 minutes |
| Carrot | 225 grams | 10 to 12 minutes | 8 minutes |
| Sliced potato | 225 grams | 10 to 12 minutes | 6 minutes |
| Cauliflower | 1 head | 13 to 16 minutes | 6 to 8 minutes |
| Egg | 6 | 15 to 25 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Fish | 500 grams | 9 to 13 minutes | 5 to 8 minutes |
| Steak (red meat) | 220 grams | 8 to 10 minutes | ------------------- |
| Chicken (white meat) | 500 grams | 12 to 15 minutes | 8 to 10 minutes |
To facilitate the cooking of food and reduce the preparation time, it is recommended to cut them into small pieces.
