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On Tue, 17 Aug 2004, Roger Burton West wrote: > First question: does anyone other than me like broccoli and cauliflower > and spinach and so on lightly steamed rather than Cooked, or am I just > perverse? Less so spinach (I like to fry it briefly in a little butter, and then add some nutmeg and a tiny bit of cream, and that is delicious). But brocolli and cauliflower and other such things - definitely. I cannot *stand* overcooked (or even fully-cooked) veg. Boiling makes things soggier faster, and I'm sure the water steals half the flavour. > Second question: does an electric steamer offer any advantages over > putting them in a closed bowl with a little water, dropping some butter > on top, and nuking them for a few minutes? (Not that I'm likely to get > one; I'm just curious.) I don't have an electric steamer - I have a pan that gets filled with water, and there are two baskets that fit on top, and then a lid, and it all sits on the stove. If it's not being a steamer it can double up as a spare pan, and the baskets can be pressed into service as emergency colanders because they are all holey at the bottom. You can get little fold-out steaming things, that work like, ooh, I need to draw a diagram - like a little fan that folds out all around, and will fit a variety of pot sizes, and has a little stand that's about an inch high to keep it from the bottom of the pan. I had one for years, but it died a bit back. It's not as good as the proper steaming pan thing, though, and had a biting-finget habit. Or you can get bamboo steaming baskets from a chinese food place - they're cheap and work really well and you can stack them several-high. I have no clue about microwaving veggies, though. I have not a microwave and I think they are EFIL. So I've not answered your question at all, and have just been rambling incoherently about steaming things. Marna
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