Advantages of cooking with
steam
– Steam prevents food from drying out
so it remains moist and juices are not
lost. This applies to a wide variety of
food, including dumplings, steam
puddings, fish and meat dishes, as
well as vegetables.
– Food does not brown or get crisp
from over-cooking and cheese melts
perfectly.
Tips on steaming
– When cooking frozen food, e.g. ve-
getables, ensure that any large
clumps frozen together are broken
up first so that they cook evenly. The
cooking time is approximately the
same as for fresh vegetables.
– Cooking with steam retains the true
taste of the food better than conven-
tional cooking. Therefore, food
should not be seasoned until after it
has been cooked.
– Cooking liquids do not boil away.
They are either absorbed by the
food, as with rice and pasta, or they
remain in the dish to form a sauce,
as with casseroles. The sauce can
then be thickened or added to after
cooking.
– You can select any runner level. You
can also cook on several levels at
the same time. This will not alter the
cooking time.
– Fish should be cooked at 75 °C to
maintain its texture and natural co-
lour.
At this temperature you should cook
on only one level.
Fish can be cooked on more than
one level at 90 °C. Please note that
at this temperature the cooking time
will be reduced by several minutes.
– To avoid any transfer of tastes cau-
sed by moisture dripping down from
above, solid containers should be
placed above any perforated contai-
ners. (See the section on cooking
whole meals).
Practical tips
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