What Is a Steamer?

Steaming is delicious, fun and healthy.

Steamers are any enclosed vessel that has a perforated platform inside, water heated in the base and a lid to keep in the heat and pressure. Steamers come in many shapes and sizes, from industrial machines that hold many large pans to small metal inserts capable of sitting inside any home pot. Using a steamer is easy, healthy and gives food a clean flavor. They are widely used to cook very delicate foods, such as decoratively cut vegetables or carefully folded dumplings.

History

Fish en Papiote, or in paper, is a traditional dish that allows fish to steam in its own juice inside parchment paper.

It took people a long time to build vessels to hold water and cook, but once people figured out how to get water over fire, it became absolutely necessary. People all over the world have used water to boil, simmer and steam their foods, depending on the heartiness of the item being prepared. Steaming has been used in Japanese, Chinese and Mediterranean cooking styles for thousands of years. Be sure to use a lid when steaming to keep the heat and moisture inside.

Bamboo Steamers

These two bamboo steamers show the difference between the platform and lid.

Traditional Asian steamers are woven from bamboo. They are cylindrical platforms that allow the water vapor to permeate into the top without allowing any food to fall below. A wok or other bowl-shaped pot is used for the base, a little water is boiled, and the lid goes on top. Steamers do not need a lot of water and the water should never touch the platform. Some bamboo steamers have such a tight weave that they can effectively steam rice.

Metal Steamers

Steamer baskets can be used with pots of many shapes and with many different foods.

Perforated inserts now come in many pot and pan sets. These typically fit into the tall stock pot, but only go a few inches down. The steamer should be relatively close to the water to allow the heat to reach it efficiently, so the best bet is to use this to, for example steam asparagus while boiling pasta. Many houses have a steamer insert made of steel, such as the one pictured. It folds into a little dome with short legs and the top fans out to fit into a variety of pots.

Industrial Steamers

Professional kitchens use the pressure created by steam to cook many dishes extra quickly yet with the utmost care. Industrial steamers sit atop a counter and open like a microwave. Long pans are inserted and when the timer is set and door latched, super-hot high-pressure steam fills the chamber. Potatoes are often softened this way to make potato salad or mashed potatoes. Chefs also use these appliances to steam vegetables instead of boiling; the steamer uses less water and is not as violent as boiling.