Cooking fish using steam
During steam cooking, fish remains juicy and firm, with the tastes and characteristics
of the various types of fish being particularly well conserved. Fillets and whole fish
are well suited to this cooking method. The cooking times using steam are very
short. The fish is cooked when the skin is no longer shiny and it can be cut using a
fork.
Before use, you should slightly coat the inside of the cooking dish with butter or oil to
ensure that the tender skin of the fish does not stick. Fish is particularly aromatic
when the cooking dish is covered with a layer of fresh herbs (for example sprigs of
thyme or dill), finely chopped aromatic vegetables or condiments such as finely
chopped onions, garlic, sliced ginger or slices of lemon, etc. Additionally, we
recommend that you marinate the food before steam cooking. As examples, lemon
juice, olive oil, white wine or soya sauce all add plenty of taste to your fish dish.
Cooking meat using steam
Only the most tender pieces such as fillets of veal, pork or beef, or white chicken
meat (perfect for this type of preparation) can be steam cooked. They remain
particularly juicy when rolled in leaves (for example spinach) or cooked on a
bed of vegetables. Where meat is concerned, it is particularly important to avoid
overcooking it, which will lead to it becoming dry and hard. It is better to reduce the
cooking time indicated and check if the meat has already cooked sufficiently. It is
always possible to continue cooking for a little longer if you find the meat isn't done
enough but it is never possible to improve the quality when the meat is overcooked!
Steam cooked meat always requires a spicy seasoning to avoid it becoming bland.
For this reason, we recommend that you add a sauce.
Poaching food in the steam oven
Steam cooking (which will be new to many of you) can in certain cases also replace
the use of a double boiler. Preparing food using steam cooking is ideal for flans and
terrines. However, the ingredients should never be added directly into the cooking
dish but instead cooked in moulds. Porcelain and glass moulds resist heat well and
are particularly well suited, unlike plastic moulds. The cooking times can vary slightly
according to the size and material used for the moulds and/or their ability to conduct
heat.
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ooking tips
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