| Despite an emerging raw food movement that has already reached beyond isolated enclaves of sleek, hyper health-conscious types to famous chefs, most of us still prefer our food, well, cooked. Heat breaks down starches, softening them and enhancing their natural sweetness; coagulates proteins, causing them to become firm and altering their flavors; browns sugars, adding to food’s aromas and visual appeal; and melts fats, so that they coat your mouth with sensuous flavor. But heat also destroys vitamins and enzymes, reducing the nutritious value of the food. And when temperatures outside are soaring, we naturally begin to crave cleaner, fresher, lighter preparations. Steaming - a moist-heat method of cooking that enhances the flavors and textures of food while minimizing nutrient loss, is a great compromise. To steam food properly, select naturally tender, delicate items that cook quickly, like baby carrots or a piece of fish. You’ll also need a perforated pan insert, rack, or basket designed to suspend the food over a boiling liquid. Most often, that liquid is just plain water, but stock, or even aromatic herbs added to the steaming medium will impart their subtle flavors to the finished product and may be used later as the basis for a sauce. Food should be arranged in a single layer in the basket or rack so that steam can circulate around it, and the pot should be covered to create the pressure that shortens the overall cooking time. A variation on this basic method for very small items like peas, beans, or broccoli florets is to place them directly in a shallow pool of boiling liquid and cover the pan. Other variations facilitate the cooking of certain ethnic foods. Many Asian cuisines use special bamboo baskets that fit in a regular wok to steam dumplings and other regional delicacies. In tropical climates, it is common to wrap food—usually with a bit of fruit or salsa to provide moisture - in corn husks or banana leaves to trap the steam, tying each packet shut with a fibrous strand before nestling these among coals or placing them on a grill. This is the basic method for making spicy pillows of corn meal and other ingredients called tamales, but as the leaf wrappers work to season the food, it’s also a delicious way to prepare fish or even small, tender cuts of poultry. Even classical French cuisine has its equivalent; order a piece of salmon or trout en papillote, and what should arrive at your table is a puffed-up envelope of crimped parchment paper with your meal inside. Our noses process about 80% of the information that we register as taste, so slashing the packet open and breathing the fragrant steam that rushes out is in itself a delicious moment. When mildly pressurized moist heat circulates around food and begins to penetrate, it initially intensifies colors even as it alters the textures and flavors. But don’t walk away from that pan! The most common mistake made with steaming is to overcook the food. An acidic environment caused by the acids naturally present in green vegetables builds up, causing a brownish discoloration, while proteins get rubbery and vegetable fibers dissolve to mush. There is no place for meat thermometers here - doneness is determined by color, texture, and experience, and ultimately is a matter of taste. Classical preparations often urge a greater degree of doneness, particularly when it comes to vegetables. But as familiarity with new styles and cuisines expands, and overall food handling and transportation systems improve, delivering a fresher product, al dente vegetables and pieces of fish cooked medium or even rare are increasingly preferred. Remember, the whole idea of steaming is to maximize flavor while minimizing nutrient loss from cooking, so aim for that light, clean result. And feel free to taste test a few extra snow peas or tender asparagus shoots to help you to get your timing down! |
| The Secret to Steaming |