GROWING TREND TO STEAM FOODS

Over the last several decades people have become more health conscious about the foods they eat and how they prepare them. Gone are the days where fried foods were the preferred choice night after night, and these have been replaced by such cooking methods as baking, broiling, and steaming.

Of these three, steaming is currently the cooking method of choice that is gaining the most momentum. That is why we have taken the time to tell you why food steaming is getting so popular and to also alert you to some great food steaming products that are out there in the marketplace.food steaming products that are out there in the marketplace.

FOOD STEAMING BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS

• Benefits

The many benefits of steaming food by far outweigh the drawbacks associated with this cooking method. Here are a few of the biggest reasons why food steamers have become such a popular way to prepare home cooked meals these days.

• It’s healthy

By far the number one reason people steam food is for the healthy benefits this method of cooking provides you. Steaming tends to seal in a food’s juices, so it does not lose as many nutrients as you do with other types of cooking methods. It works exceptionally well for this purpose when you steam vegetables in them.

Also, when you steam foods, they do not stick to the cooking surface like they do when you broil, bake, fry or pan cook them. This means that you will be able to avoid adding fats and oils into the cooking process which many experts believe are not healthy for you.

• It’s simple

Meal preparation with food steamers is incredibly easy. All you have to do is prepare each food you are about to steam and then place it into the cooking pot. Since moisture is continually added to the food during this process, you do not have to worry about the food getting burned or it needing to be turned over, so it does not dry out. When you are steaming foods all it requires is for you to check the water level in the steamer occasionally during the cooking process.

• It keeps foods moist

When you steam foods, you are using super-heated water to cook with. That is why food cooked by this method stays so moist. Vegetables come out looking great, and meats do not substantially shrink in size like they do when cooked in other ways.

• It’s affordable for most

Rarely if ever do you see a food steamer made for home use that is over $200. You can even buy a decent food steamer for under $20 if you shop around. That makes them an extremely affordable kitchen item. One that will continue to pay for itself over the years with all the other benefits it gives you.

• Drawbacks

We told you that the good things about food steaming significantly outweighed the bad, but there are a few drawbacks to doing it. Some of the things that people don’t like about steamed foods are they take longer to prepare, the food served is not always aesthetically pleasing, and steam can quickly burn you if you do not work around it carefully. Perhaps the biggest complaint most people have about steaming foods is that the meats you can steam are pretty much limited to fish and chicken. Beef and pork require much higher heat settings than a food steamer is able to produce.

HERE ARE SOME TOP FOOD STEAMERS

• Budget Friendly – OSTER 5-QUART STEAMER

Maybe we have whet your appetite, so you want to try food steaming but maybe not enough to make a big investment in a steam cooker to do it with. That’s ok because with food steamer models like this one you can be steaming food for less than it would cost you for popcorn and a movie.

This is an excellent two cooking pot food steamer. It will help you easily prepare delicious and nutritious steamed dinners time after time. What makes it nice is that you can cook veggies in one cooking pot and conveniently use the other for meats. It also features an automatic low water shut off and an easy to set 60-minute timer.

• Value for the Money – HAMILTON BEACH DIGITAL STEAMER – 5.5 Quart

If you don’t mind spending a little bit more money on a great food steamer, then this could be the perfect model for you. It is remarkably simple to use, and you can easily prepare several different steamed foods all at once. It is a good looking food steamer too and will enhance the looks of nay kitchen with its polished steel finish.

This food steamer has such great features as an all-digital control system, dual heavy plastic cooking pots and an easy to read water level gauge. It is a unit that is big enough to make an entire meal for a large size family in and its cooking pots will even nest down to make this device easier to store.

• Top of the line – VIANTE CUC-30ST INTELLISTEAM

If you are an avid food steamer, you can certainly justify spending a little extra to get the best food steamer. It does an amazing job simultaneously preparing several different steamed foods at once. This model food steamer could not possibly be simpler to use thanks to its many preset cook settings.

It features two small cooking pots that can be used for steaming vegetables and one large cooking pot that is great for steaming meats. Best of all, this model food steamer can heat each cooking pot individually. It really is the ultimate tool for making wholesome and delicious steamed meals.

Check out our rice cooker reviews.

TRY IT YOU WILL LIKE IT

If you have never tried food steaming, there is no better time to start than now. You now know the many benefits that food steaming provides you, and you have also been introduced to some excellent food steaming models. Food steamers come in all sizes and price ranges so it’s never been easier to find one that meets your needs and fits nicely into your budget.