by Ted Onulak

Created on: January 14, 2009   Last Updated: January 28, 2009

Steaming is a quick and appetizing way to prepare most firm vegetables and lock in their nutrients. A steaming pot consist of three elements; a 2-quart saucepan to boil the water, a steaming element with a perforated bottom and a lid. Most wok sets come with a steaming plate and work quite well for this application.

This technique is so foolproof that the only real pitfall is overcooking your vegetables or scorching your pan if the water boils away.

The beauty of steaming is that it retains the vegetables' nutrients and cooks them in half the time as boiling. There are only a few basic tricks to remember when steaming vegetables.

First, don't overdo the amount of water. Fill your bottom pan with about 2-inches of water. Obviously, cooking time will increase if you are waiting for a full pot of water to boil. .

Set your pan on the stove and fill the steaming unit with your vegetables. Make sure that they are similar in hardness. For example, don't use a delicate vegetable like asparagus with hard vegetables like carrots or cauliflower. Be sure to wash your vegetables and peel them when appropriate.

Second, keep the lid on and let the steam work its magic. . Your steamed vegetables should not be mushy, but should retain a little bit of resistance to the bite. I like to let them steam until I begin to get a strong aroma of the vegetables. At that point, I test them for doneness with a fork. Most times, when you get that aroma, they will be done perfectly.

If you are looking to enhance the flavor of your steamed vegetables and keep down the calorie count, a nice trick is to use some lemon wedges (peel and all), or sliced ginger in the boiling water to infuse the vegetables. This is a great accompaniment for broiled fish. If you start up your steamer with some fresh string beans and set your fish filets to broil at 400-degrees F, you'll have a healthy meal in 10 minutes.

Delicate vegetables like asparagus or snow pea pods take about 5 minutes. Harder vegetables like a medley of baby carrots, cauliflower and squash could take about 10-12 minutes. This of course, will vary with individual taste.

You can add nice flavor and still keep it light with some lemon pepper or toasted sesame oil.

Of course, you can make your steamed vegetables quite opulent with a few easy touches. Try a quick saut of slivered almonds, butter and a splash of Amaretto to put over your string beans, asparagus or snow pea pods. A quick saut of minced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and basil in butter or olive oil will guarantee that everyone will go back for seconds on your vegetables.

Try this great cooking method and steam up your life!

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