Steaming food is a perfect technique for anyone who has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, constipation, or wants to lose weight.
So, 5 good reasons for steam cooking are:
- Helping to lose weight, therefore it is not necessary to use olive oil, butter or cooking oil, reducing the number of calories of the meal, besides increasing the sensation of satiety, due to the amount of fibers;
- Regulate intestinal transit, because the steam maintains the quality of the fibers of the food, helping to treat the constipation;
- Decrease cholesterol because it does not use any kind of fat in food preparation, preventing the accumulation of bad cholesterol in the blood and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases;
- Control blood pressure because it is not necessary to use salt and other spices rich in sodium, such as English sauce or shoyu to flavor the food, since the steam retains all the flavor of the food;
- Increase quality of life because it creates healthy eating habits, allowing healthy food to be prepared, such as vegetables, meat, fish, chicken, eggs, and even rice, preventing diseases related to poor diet.
Steam cooking is a great way to encourage the ingestion of vegetables and fruits by adults and children, and can even be made in a normal pan. See also How to cook food to maintain nutrients.
How to cook steaming
For steaming it is necessary to place a grill in the bottom of a pan with about 2 cm of water, avoiding that the food is in direct contact with the water. Then, cover the pan and bring to the fire, for the time necessary for each type of food, as indicated in the table.
However, there are special steam cookers, such as Tramontina or Mondial, which allow you to put one layer on top of the other to cook several foods at the same time.
Watch the following video and see how to steam, as well as other very useful cooking tricks:
For food to become even more tasty and nutritious can be added herbs or spices in the water as oregano, cumin or thyme, for example.
Time table to cook some steamed food
| Foods | Amount | Preparation time in the steam cooker | Microwave preparation time |
| Asparagus | 450 grams | 12 to 15 minutes | 6 to 8 minutes |
| Broccoli | 225 grams |
8 to 11 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Carrot | 225 grams | 10 to 12 minutes | 8 minutes |
| Sliced potato | 225 grams | 10 to 12 minutes | 6 minutes |
| Cauliflower | 1 head | 13 to 16 minutes | 6 to 8 minutes |
| Egg | 6 | 15 to 25 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Fish | 500 grams | 9 to 13 minutes | 5 to 8 minutes |
| Steak (red meat) | 220 grams | 8 to 10 minutes | ------------------- |
| Chicken (white meat) | 500 grams | 12 to 15 minutes | 8 to 10 minutes |
To facilitate the cooking of the food and shorten the preparation time it is recommended to cut them into small pieces.
How to cook steam in the microwave
To cook steam in the microwave should replace the pan by a container that can be microwaved and covered with a sticking film, making small holes so that the steam can leave.
The preparation time varies according to the power of the microwave and therefore it is recommended to consult the instruction manual to check the time table for cooking the food.
