Steaming your vegetables is a quick and simple process. You can get food on the table in no time at all, and it will still remain tasty and nutritious. In order to get the best results from steaming, there are a few things you should think about.
What are you going to use for your steaming? The easiest thing to do is buy a steaming set, which will come with everything you need. If you don’t have one though, it’s easy to improvise. You can use a heat-proof colander over a pan of boiling water. Just make sure the veg is covered and doesn’t go into the water, otherwise this is the same as boiling and you will lose valuable nutrients.
Is your veg cut up properly? It will need to be chopped up into similarly-sized pieces. Don’t make them too small or too big, otherwise they will cook at the wrong speed, and if they’re different sizes, they will cook unevenly.
Do you know how long you should be steaming different vegetables for? Here are some approximate times:
Spinach – 3 minutes
Kale – 10 minutes
Florets of broccoli or cauliflower – 6 minutes
Carrots and potatoes – 10 minutes
These times will need adjusting depending on personal preference. Remember that the vegetables will continue to cook through once removed from the heat, so remove them when they’re still a little underdone for your taste. Set a timer so that you remember to remove your vegetables from the heat.