Reviews on Steamers

Cookware - Steamers

Information and how to choose and use Food Steamers

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Steamers are becoming more and more popular as people discover the benefits in steaming their food versus boiling, sautéing, or frying. Choosing the right steaming cookware is often a daunting task so in this article we explain about the benefits and different types of food steamers currently on the market to help you choose the type most suitable for your needs.

What are the Benefits of Using a Steamer?

Steaming your food is beneficial due to the natural vitamins and nutrients that the foods are able to retain. Steaming is a quick way to cook foods and because of this they have less time to lose these important vitamins and nutrients. 

Steaming retains more of the essential vitamins and nutrients that your body needs then other cooking methods. When you boil or sauté vegetables you lose a great percentage of these nutrients in the water that you pour out or in the oils that you cook in.

Another great benefit is that it is not necessary to add any fatty oils! Additionally when you steam your food it is more difficult to overcook, which is another common reason for lost vitamins and nutrients.

Types of Food Steamers

Most commonly steamers are used to cook vegetables, but they can be also used to steam fish, crab, shellfish, rice and even meats.  Let’s now discuss the different steaming options that are available and find out which will work best for you.

Electric Food Steamers

The trick here is to put the food that needs the most steaming at the bottom and layer your way up with the food that needs the least steaming at the top.

Electric steamers are going to be the more expensive of your steaming options.  If you do a lot of steaming, are looking to save time and steam multiple foods at once then an electric steamer will work great for you.

They are best for cooking for families or for when you want multiple parts of your meal steamed, vegetables on one tier, fish on the next, etc.

Food Steamer Inserts and Stove Top Steamers

You do have to check the vegetables from time to time with a fork to be sure not to over steam and they take a little longer to cook then an electric steamer but are still a quick method of cooking.

Stove top steamers are best for cooking vegetables and can accommodate groups small and large.

Microwave steamers

Bamboo Steamers

Perhaps the down side of the bamboo steamer is the difficult cleaning. These are not dishwasher safe and should be only cleaned with a mild cleaner if anything at all. They need to be stored in a cool, dry place.

Due to the nature of the bamboo you shouldn’t put the food directly on the bamboo grate, this is for two reasons.  The first being the difficulty in cleaning and the second being that the bamboo with absorb the flavours of the food you are cooking. Use lettuce, parchment paper or any fresh leaves to separate the food from the steamer grates for an easier clean up.

Due to the nature of the bamboo absorbing flavour it is recommended that you use a separate tier for your fish, veggies, meats, etc.  Bamboo steamers are great for people looking for a unique natural way to cook and who are willing to take the time to clean and care for the bamboo.

General

Standard Safety Marks.   Look for electric food steamers with a recognised safety mark for your particular country which is a sign that the manufacturer follows the best safety precautions.

Good Reviews.  Check cooking magazines and websites to read slow cooker reviews from other consumers and businesses.

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