Do you steam food?

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

Obsessive cook
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To be honest I rarely steam anything. I often microwave greens and other vegetables which (to my mind) often produces the same result. I do have steamers. I have a metal one and a Chinese style bamboo steaming basket but they are rarely used.

Do you often steam food? If so which foods and what kind of steamer do you use?
 
Yes, all the time.

I steam all sorts: tofu, tempeh and vegetables, to name just a few. I'm not a huge fan of the microwave*. Our current microwave is a very small one that cooking much at all in it is difficult. Even sweetcorn cobs are a challenge because they are often too long for the turntable to go round.

We've a single layer adaptor to one of our IKEA pans that came as a dedicated steamer and we've one of those weird metal flower bud inserts that acts as one as well. I've also been known to use the pasta pan insert as a vegetable steamer as well (my parents bought it from my money when they were stranded here & everything got left to me when they finally managed to get back home).

I'm considering getting a bamboo steamer as well to be honest because I often find that here are items that would steam better if the stream holes were better distributed.

I pretty much steam most things because it uses less water which from my point of view it's a good thing (i know microwaves use even less but i don't like microwaves or clingfilm which is bad for the environment, though there is now a biodegradable version just on the market) and also with it taken marginally longer than boiling the veg, it's less likely I'll over cook the veg through losing track of time. We have a timer, and I use it but I'm horrendous for setting the time and forgetting to press start...

* (Bad experience with one melting down, and me being left with the choice of staying put, to turn it off and ending up toxic fume inhalation and a severe asthma attack that came close to killing me (I was resuscitated in A&E) or leaving the maisonette and burning down the block of 10 houses we lived in.)
 
kaneohegirlinaz said:
Yes I do steam different foods.
Fish
Dumplings
Vegetables
Rice
Eggs
I always steam all of the Sausages that I cook first and than crisp them up in a bit oil fat
Bao (buns)
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I forgot I steam my hard boiled and soft boiled eggs! Must not have cooked any that way this year. I think we've still got a jar of picked eggs from the previous year.

Rice I'd like to steam. My dumplings are not the same type, same name, different type of dumpling, they have to be cooked in the stew or casserole they are in.
I've never made bao buns though I love them when we eat Vietnamese...
 
I buy frozen gyoza alot of times and steam them.
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In Hawaii, we make what is called Manapua or Bao stuffed with both savory and sweet things.
I can't find a photograph of them steamed but I have one baked and filled with Char Siu, my favorite!
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Morning Glory said:
I think that you can't cook them any other way? But I've never made them.
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You can fry a lot of it.

Or boil it in soup but my favourite for dumplings is to put them in a lightly oiled pan, get them frying then add water & a lid, let that go until it’s boiled dry then remove the lid and let they keep frying until crispy brown on the bottom.
 
We
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Yes, all the time.

I steam all sorts: tofu, tempeh and vegetables, to name just a few. I'm not a huge fan of the microwave*. Our current microwave is a very small one that cooking much at all in it is difficult. Even sweetcorn cobs are a challenge because they are often too long for the turntable to go round.

We've a single layer adaptor to one of our IKEA pans that came as a dedicated steamer and we've one of those weird metal flower bud inserts that acts as one as well. I've also been known to use the pasta pan insert as a vegetable steamer as well (my parents bought it from my money when they were stranded here & everything got left to me when they finally managed to get back home).

I'm considering getting a bamboo steamer as well to be honest because I often find that here are items that would steam better if the stream holes were better distributed.

I pretty much steam most things because it uses less water which from my point of view it's a good thing (i know microwaves use even less but i don't like microwaves or clingfilm which is bad for the environment, though there is now a biodegradable version just on the market) and also with it taken marginally longer than boiling the veg, it's less likely I'll over cook the veg through losing track of time. We have a timer, and I use it but I'm horrendous for setting the time and forgetting to press start...

* (Bad experience with one melting down, and me being left with the choice of staying put, to turn it off and ending up toxic fume inhalation and a severe asthma attack that came close to killing me (I was resuscitated in A&E) or leaving the maisonette and burning down the block of 10 houses we lived in.)
Click to expand...
We didn’t use plastic wrap growing up for the same reason. We used a plate as a lid for the bowls when microwaving.

Also there is a company called “Anyday” that make microwave cookware that isn’t plastic but I often use whatever is handy and I try not to microwave plastic.
 
I rarely use the microwave other than heating up water for Colleens tea. I couldn't tell you the last time that I steamed anything. I don't enjoy the texture of steamed veggies.
 
detroitdad I steam/cook our vegetables to a crisp-tender, not like in when I was a kid and every thing was cooked to a mush :thumbsdown:

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Our farmers market sugar snap peas lightly steamed and dressed in my homemade compound butter, YUM!
 
I steam fresh veg a lot. When I’m not sure what to do with it, I steam it, then usually let some butter melt over it and add fresh herbs and that’s that.

My steamer insert came with my cookware and fits inside. It’s not one of those collapsible basket thingies and can also double as a strainer in a pinch.
 
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