Steaming is considered the healthiest cooking style nowadays. We should start reducing our consumption on deep-fried food and fast food. Being a “lazy” person, I always consider steaming food is the simplest way of cooking as not much preparation work is required. You just need to rinse the food and place it in the steamer basket. Then you can start steaming the food anytime you like.
If you are students or working adults, steaming food works best for you. You can enjoy healthy meals all the time and you can save money and time dining out. Do you know that most of the food can be steamed including rice and bread? If you don’t know how to use steamer basket, don’t worry. I am here to share some simple steps with you. Now, let’s assume that you are going to steam boneless chicken for dinner. What do you suppose to prepare? You are suggested to prepare boneless chicken, broccoli and sweet potatoes.
- First thing first, after getting all the ingredients, you are advised to rinse them in cool water. Please keep in mind that broccoli will take short time to cook.
- Secondly, you can start filling up one-third of your pot with water. Before placing the food in the steamer basket, you are advised to boil the water first. It will be good for you to increase to high heat until the water boils.
- Once the water in the pot boils, you can then reduce the heat. It is time to place all the food in the steamer basket. Then you can place the basket into the pot. Please bear in mind that the boiling water MUST NOT BE COVERED by the water. It is not cooking the food in the boiling water. You need to ensure that the steamer basket is placed above the water. You are actually applying the steam to cook the food.
- In order to capture the steam effectively, you are reminded to place a fitted lid over the pot and make sure that the pot is close tightly. Allowing too much of steam to escape will make your cooking time longer. Hence, it is not necessary for you to keep lifting the lid to check the condition of your food. After 5 minutes, you can first take out the broccoli from the steam basket. Let the chicken to be cooked in a longer period. A good quality steamer basket makes the steaming process faster and the steamed food will definitely have nice and firm texture.
- After the steaming process is completed, you can then lift the steamer basket out by using a pot holder. Please take note that the steamer basket is extremely hot. You must be more careful in handling the basket. You are advised to prepare a bigger bowl. Place the steamer basket on top of the bowl and let the excess water drain out. Once the food is drained in a proper manner, you can then serve the food in the nice plate.
Isn’t it super easy to prepare food by applying the 5 simple steps stated above?
Here is one important reminder. Different types of food will need different time frames to steam. Hence, you can consider steaming different kinds of food separately. If you want to steam them at one time as you don’t have so much time, you must keep an eye on the food during the steaming process so that the vitamins and minerals in the food are not spoilt due to “over-steamed”.
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