How many times do you find yourself lathering veggies in butter and/or salt to enhance their flavor which was actually lost during the cooking process? Well, I didn't use butter, but before Jose got me this wonderful steamer for Christmas, I used to spend a lot of time cooking zucchini slices in a pan on the stove; I usually sauteed them in olive oil and loaded them with spices. Sadly, during my pre-steamer days, I rarely made one of my favorite veggies, carrots, because they took too long to cook when boiled in a pot on the stove. I'd have to stand there and stir them in the spice and apple juice concoction they were swimming in; the apple-juice was supposed to naturally replace the sweetness the carrots lost while boiling.
Some studies suggest that cooking vegetables can remove a good portion of their nutrients, not just their flavor, particularly when they are boiled in water. This isn't the case for all vegetables, though, as WebMD points out in this article. Steaming is a great alternative if you're not sure whether to eat your veggies raw or cooked. Generally, when veggies are steamed, they have up to 50% more minerals than when they are boiled. Basically, the less water, heat, and time you use to cook the veggie, the better, as this site explains.
I've noticed that steaming the veggies, rather than cooking them over a stove or even boiling them, brings out their natural flavor so much that they can be eaten without any added spices. I have to admit that a few of them (take squash, beets, and carrots for instance) taste a lot more like a dessert than a veggie...but only when steamed!
So the steamer is a real life-saver, in the sense that I want to eat more veggies which will lead to over-all improved health, and it's even a huge time saver. All I have to do is wash the veggies, cut them up, then throw them in the steamer until they're tender. Now, whenever I make soup, I cook the meat and broth in a pot while the veggies steam separately, then I mix them together in the pot right before serving. The end result is a tastier, healthier meal. That makes my taste buds and the rest of my body very happy.
Some studies suggest that cooking vegetables can remove a good portion of their nutrients, not just their flavor, particularly when they are boiled in water. This isn't the case for all vegetables, though, as WebMD points out in this article. Steaming is a great alternative if you're not sure whether to eat your veggies raw or cooked. Generally, when veggies are steamed, they have up to 50% more minerals than when they are boiled. Basically, the less water, heat, and time you use to cook the veggie, the better, as this site explains.
I've noticed that steaming the veggies, rather than cooking them over a stove or even boiling them, brings out their natural flavor so much that they can be eaten without any added spices. I have to admit that a few of them (take squash, beets, and carrots for instance) taste a lot more like a dessert than a veggie...but only when steamed!
So the steamer is a real life-saver, in the sense that I want to eat more veggies which will lead to over-all improved health, and it's even a huge time saver. All I have to do is wash the veggies, cut them up, then throw them in the steamer until they're tender. Now, whenever I make soup, I cook the meat and broth in a pot while the veggies steam separately, then I mix them together in the pot right before serving. The end result is a tastier, healthier meal. That makes my taste buds and the rest of my body very happy.
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