6
Steam room
To allow the steam to circulate
a) Pack food loosely in the baskets
b) Whenever possible, use single layers of food
c) Leave spaces between the pieces
d) When layering food in a basket, leave spaces between the pieces in each
layer to let the steam circulate through the layers
Uniformity
1. For uniform cooking
a) Try to cut all pieces of food in a basket to roughly the same size
b) Put larger pieces, or food with long cooking times, nearest the reservoir
c) Put smaller pieces, or food with short cooking times, furthest from it
2.
Don’t worry too much about overcooking — steaming is a relatively gentle
cooking method and a few minut
es extra generally won’t matter
3.
Don’t overcook fish — it’ll chew like rubber and taste like cardboard
nb Juices from the upper basket will drip into the basket below. Don’t put
delicate flavours below strong ones, or vegetables below greasy foods.
Fit the lid
Put the lid on top.
Don’t try to steam without the lid in place. The food won’t cook, the water
won’t last, and you’ll fill the kitchen with steam.
Start cooking
1. Make sure the timer is turned to 0, then plug the unit into the power
socket switch the socket on.
2. Turn the timer clockwise to set the time you want.
3. The light will come on to let you know the element is working.
4. When the timer returns to 0, the element will switch off, the light will go
out, and the timer will ring.
Emptying
1. Make sure the timer is turned to 0, then unplug the base unit from the
power socket (switch the socket off first).
2. Everything will be hot
— use oven gloves or a cloth — use the handles.
3. Steam will escape from the baskets
— keep hands, face, etc. away from the
area above t
he steamer. Don’t lean over it.
4. When you lift the lid, angle it to direct steam away from your body.
5. Put the lid on a plate or tray
— water will drip from it.
6. Lift the baskets off and set them down on plates or a tray before serving.
7. Take care when removing the diffuser
— apart from being very hot, the
juices are likely to stain if spilt.
8. Leave any water remaining in the reservoir to cool, then pour it out via the
spout. Keep the mains lead out of the way so it doesn’t get wet.
