Steaming Dumplings In Bamboo Steamer: Why You Should Do It
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If you’re in healthy cooking that doesn’t take hours to prepare and cook, these round, multi-tiered cooking utensils may just be the thing for you. Cooking with a bamboo steamer helps your food to preserve essential nutrients, produce authentic dishes, and reduce cooking times due to high steam temperatures. Steaming dumplings in bamboo steamer, is it the better choice?
Bamboo steamers may not be for everyone, but if your goal is to make nutritious meals on a budget, this may be something for you. Here are the reasons why you should start steaming dumplings in bamboo steamer.
Steaming Dumplings In Bamboo Basket Steamer: Why You Should Do It
If you are a traditionalist and would like to cook using time-tested methods of cultivation from which the food originated, then the appeal of using a bamboo steamer is clear. However, this handy cooking tool’s utility lies not only in its conventional and esthetic characteristics but also in the actual result of the food being cooked.
A. Light & Safe
A lot of people are boiling their vegetables. It washes away essential nutrients. Using steam is a gentle alternative to cooking vegetables and other foods. If you are a good chef, steaming helps to retain the vitamins and minerals in healthy foods.
Preparing your meals with a bamboo steamer also has other health benefits. If you cook food that is very fatty, such as meat or certain types of fish, the oils drip out of the food and into the boiling water, resulting in a very light meal.
B. It’s Cheap
Many bamboo steamers are cheap and easy to find. Various styles and sizes can be found in almost every specialty kitchen store, as well as in major department store chains. You may buy one for $20 or less, and that normally includes two pieces of a steamer basket and a lid.
C. Fast Food
The incredibly high temperature of steam helps you to cook your food much faster than other methods. If you’re new to cooking with a bamboo steamer, you need to regularly check your food to make sure it’s not overcooked.
And, the fact that you can cook a few items at the same time also leads to a shorter cooking time. For example, you can cook fish on one leg, and cook vegetables on a second leg, stacked right on top of it. The bamboo lid at the top of the stacked tower holds steam in place, ensuring that everything is cooked evenly.
D. Food Quality And Presentation
Since steaming your food is a much more gentle process than other cooking methods, food not only retains its nutritional benefits but also retains its shape, natural flavor, texture, and color. Often, steam does not dry food as other methods do.
Your food is not going to be watery or soggy with a bamboo steamer, either. Since bamboo naturally absorbs water, there is no condensation within the steamer that can leak into the food. Also, it looks impressive to have a dinner party and freshly steamed dumplings served directly in these exotic-looking steamer trays.
How To Use a Bamboo Steamer Basket For Dumplings
The use of a bamboo steamer is a forgiving way of cooking. A mistake or two is not going to ruin a meal. However, there are a few things to bear in mind so that your food comes out looking fantastic.
1. The Tier Rows
Lining the tier is not an absolute necessity, but it is a very good idea for a variety of reasons. When cooking anything like dumplings, if the tier is lined, it prevents the food from sticking to the bamboo slats. The lining also stops the scent of certain foods from permeating bamboo. You don’t want the broccoli that you cook to smell or taste like fish because the last meal you cooked was salmon.
It’s up to you what you line your steamer with. There are no tough, easy rules for what works best. Some good alternatives are cabbage leaves, spinach, banana leaves, or corn husks. A lot of people use a sheet of parchment paper cut to size to match the steamer. You may also purchase precut, perforated parchment paper from Amazon. Depending on the size you want, you can purchase a box of 50 sheets for less than $10.
2. Prepare The Steam Source
If you’re using a wok or skillet, fill it with two to three inches of water. Make sure that the boiling water does not come into contact with the food when you put the steamer in. If you’re using a kettle, you should bring more water in because it’s considerably deeper.
When using a shallow pan, the steamer’s sides must not be in contact with the pan or the bamboo burns. It’s a good idea to check to see how your equipment suits and works well together before you start. If the water comes to a gentle boil, you’re ready to serve.
3. Steam Your Meal
There are two ways to do this when you put your food in the steamer. The first way to do this is to put what needs to be cooked directly on the slats or liner. This results in very light and safe cooking since the oils in many types of meat and fish drip down into the broth.
Some recipes, however, call for food to be cooked in its natural juices. In this scenario, you can put the food in the dish and then place the dish on the steamer tier’s slats. The natural juices of the food would be preserved in this way. Remember to use a dish or plate that can withstand high vapor temperatures.
If you plan to prepare a whole meal at once by using two-thirds at the same time, note that the food in the bottom tier is cooked quicker than the food in the upper tier since it is closer to the simmering water. Let’s presume you’ve got one tier of fish and another tier of vegetables. Depending on the type of fish and vegetables, it’s probably best to put the fish on the bottom and put the vegetables on top.
All that’s left now is to cover the tower with a lid and put it in a wok or pan. Check and one so often to make sure that the water is not completely evaporated. Often check your food regularly to prevent overcooking. Vapor is extremely hot, so be extra careful.
Bamboo Steamer Basket Advantages Over Traditional Steamer Advantages
The bamboo steamer is a wonderful cooking tool. Dietitians and advocates of healthy eating practices argue that steam cooking is the best way to preserve all your food nutrients. That way, food stays fragrant and light, and you don’t eat extra fat from frying. On the other hand, Chinese bamboo steamers are a common attribute in Chinese kitchens – just like rice cookers.
The theory of a bamboo steamer is the same as that of a traditional steamer: you place a pot of water in the fire, the steam rises to the steamer, the food is heated, and the cooking process starts. Some people think it’s an odd item, but it’s really a really useful unit.
The bamboo steamer is constructed of bamboo fiber, and the bottom and lid are made of woven straw. Usually, before cooking, each sheet’s bottom is lined with parchment paper or leaves (traditionally bananas have been used). This way, the food is not going to stick to the bottom of the device.
So what’s the difference between a traditional steamer and a bamboo steamer? We recommend that you consider the simple and seemingly obvious advantages that will make a bamboo steamer extremely useful in your eyes.
1. Perfect Regulation Of The Humidity
When steaming food, particularly vegetables, you will sometimes find that they become too wet after a certain period of time. If you keep them for a minute longer than is required, your broccoli will start to be filled with extra water. It won’t happen in a bamboo steamer.
Excess steam is absorbed into the walls of the bamboo steamer during cooking. You don’t get boiled or wet goods like this. This element is not governed by a regular steamer in any way since the excess moisture can not be absorbed by plastic or metal.
2. Versatility Of Use Of The Commodity
The bamboo steamer should be called a genuinely universal steamer. You can cook traditional Asian dishes, such as steamed buns and gaze and vegetables, chicken, poultry, and other items. Some people even cook cereals!
The only thing to note is that the tier’s flavors and tastes can be consumed too brightly. It is also advisable to have many layers for various types of food – for example, chicken and meat use one layer, and buns use another.
3. Multiple Layers
Now that we’re talking about the bamboo steamer stage, it’s worth noting its benefit. You can set several levels at once, increasing the number of items, much like cooking fish and vegetables at the same time. This is very convenient, particularly if you cook a few portions or even a few different dishes at the same time.
This can not be assured by regular electric steamers. Don’t forget, however, that each level should be parched with baking paper or parchment. This way, you stop sticking food to the surface and do not have to wash the steamer.
4. Simple To Take Care Of
Since bamboo steamers need to be coated with parchment, they get much less dirty. In fact, you protect the third parties fully from dirt and injury, and the smell of food is not absorbed by bamboo. Of course, if the food was in direct contact with the basket, it would have to be washed and dried in a normal manner.
But if you simply do it by the rules and apply either plant leaves or parchment paper to the bottom of the baskets, it won’t take you a long time to wash them. All you need to do is clean the bottom of each level under a jet of water and let it dry.
BirdRock Home 10 Inch Bamboo Steamer
BirdRock Home 10 Inch Bamboo Steamer for Cooking Vegetables and Dumplings – Classic Traditional 2 Tier Design – Healthy Food Prep – Great for Dim Sum, Chicken, Fish, Veggies – Steam Basket – Natural. Easily prepare traditional Asian food without any extra kitchen cookware. Great for steaming dim sum, dumplings, vegetables, rice, beef, chicken, fish, etc. Steamer is very versatile allowing you to use pots, woks and pans you already have in your kitchen 100% BAMBOO: steamer basket is designed using 100% bamboo giving you a natural option to cooking
Pros
- Easily prepare traditional Asian food.
- Steaming allows your food to retain more of its nutrients.
- Helps to avoid the fats found in olive, vegetable, or canola oils.
- 100% BAMBOO.
- Designed with 2 tiers letting you cook the meat separate from the vegetables and rice.
Cons
- The design of the steamer puts the deck in the middle of the layer close to the floor of the next level.
Final Words
Bamboo steamers would be a snap to clean, particularly if you lined the thirds before cooking. Even though these useful utensils can withstand a considerable amount of heat and steam, they are not reliable dishwashers. The easiest way to clean your steamer is to wash it with hot water. If you can get away without using soap, do it. Even after rinsing, soap can linger.
Before you store your steamer, make sure it’s absolutely dry. The last thing you want is a bamboo mold to expand if it’s put out of steam. If you follow these simple directions, your bamboo steamer will last a long time, give you a lot of great food, and it’s definitely worth your money.
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