How to Cook with an Electric Food Steamer

Steamed vegetables keep their flavor and can maintain some firmness

Steaming your food is a simple, almost foolproof cooking method. In addition to helping you avoid burned or overcooked food, steaming also preserves the flavor and nutrients better than boiling. You have several options for cooking your food. Some things, like asparagus, you can simply stand upright in a pot with a little water at the bottom. You can also use a steaming basket, which goes inside a pot on the stove. If you don't want to waste valuable stove space and steam foods frequently, invest in an electric food steamer.

Things You'll Need

• Electric food steamer

Instructions

1. Fill your electric food steamer with water to the correct level. Your steamer should have some sort of visual indicator, such as a line, to let you know how high the water level should be.

2. Arrange the food you wish to steam in the appropriate bowl or bowls. The food should be near the center of each bowl and, if possible, should not block the vents that allow steam to travel through the chamber. If you are using more than one bowl, place the thicker items with longer cooking times in the lower bowl, as food here cooks more quickly.

3. Stack the bowl or bowls on the base of the steamer, and then put the lid on the top bowl. Plug the steamer into an outlet.

4. Set the timer on the steamer for an appropriate amount of time based on what you are steaming. For 1 pound of vegetables, this can range from approximately 10-17 minutes for asparagus to up to 35-45 minutes for whole red potatoes.

References

• Oster: Food Steamer User Manual Model 5712
• Nesco: Electric Food Steamer Use/Care Guide Model ST-25
• Beauty Secrets 4 U: Steaming Food in a Food Steamer

Resources

• What's Cooking America: Vegetables