Commercial steamer repair professionals report that most of the steamer problems come about as a result of improper use. Do you want your unit to last for a long time and also give you ideal services? You need to use it properly. Here are tips that will help you out:
Don’t add too much water
The most important component of steam cooking is water. The key to having great food is adding enough water. When you are using a steam basket on the stove, start by adding one or two inches of water to the pot. You should avoid adding too much water that it goes above the steamer basket when you place it in the pot. You should note that adding too much water leads to ruining of the meal.
At the same time, you should avoid adding too little water as it will lead to the burning of the pan. When you add too little water, the water is bound to boil way before you are done with cooking.
Don’t steam for too long
While many people use the steamer, most of them are unable to steam the food properly enough that everything remains hot and tasty. Most of the people end up steaming the food for too long which as you might guess, leads to food ruin.
When you are cooking vegetables or other related dishes, you should note that the two tend to finish cooking fast which might be too early than you need them.
When you are cooking such foods, you should simply switch off the steamer or heat source. Many people switch off the heat source but fail to remove the food from the pot. This is wrong. For you to prevent the food from continuing to cook when they are in the pot, you should remove them and place them in a bowl filled with ice water. This will prevent the food from getting too soggy.
Doing this has also been shown to help the vegetables to remain crisp.
Always boil the water first
When you are in a hurry, it’s common to be tempted to throw everything in the pot and let it cook fast. This is wrong as it often leads to a horrible dish.
For you to ensure that the food cooks properly, you should first boil the water then add your vegetables and other food items.
Once the water is boiling, you should then simply add your vegetables, close the lid and allow the steaming process to start. For you to tell the right amount of heat that you should use, experiment by turning the heat up or down while the food is steaming.
Get creative
The most common way of steaming food is using water, but you shouldn’t limit yourself to this. You should get creative. Instead of using plain water, try using chicken and vegetable broth. You can also add a little bit of lemon or salt to the water before it starts to boil.
Are you feeling adventurous? Add some herbs to the water. Some of the common ones that you can use include: rosemary sprigs, dill sprigs, sliced garlic, lemongrass, and any other that you might be interested in.
When you are experimenting with different materials, you might change the amount of time it takes for the water to boil, which changes the overall cooking time.
Keep the seal air-tight
Commercial appliances repair Northern VA professionals recommend that you keep the seal of the pot air-tight. This is to prevent the steam from escaping making it difficult to cook the food. When the seal isn’t tight enough, you not only end up with undercooked food, you also tend to use a lot of energy.
