Steaming and Its Variations

There are many foods that can be prepared by steaming or one of the techniques based on steaming. All of these techniques cook foods by surrounding them with a vapor bath. In some cases, the food is suspended above a simmering or boiling liquid or stew. Foods prepared en papillote rely on the moisture naturally present in the food or that introduced through the use of sauces or ingredients, such as mushrooms or tomatoes, that have high moisture contents.

Shallow-poaching and pan-steaming call for the food to be cooked directly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pan. The cover traps steam, cooking the portion of the food that is not submerged in the poaching liquid.

Ingredient Selection : Foods prepared by any of the steaming methods should be naturally tender, or they should be cut or prepared so that they will have the best possible consistency when fully cooked. Steaming does not tenderize tough foods as it cooks them, so cuts of meat from the shoulder or shank are rarely steamed.

Preparation techniques can include skinning, filleting, trimming, slicing, or grinding. Vegetables are peeled and cut if necessary. Remember that the size of the cut and the thickness of the food will influence total cooking time. Steaming is best when foods are not cooked for extended periods.

Determining Doneness for Moist-Heat Methods

Steamed foods should be plump, moist, tender to the bite, and just cooked. Any excessive cooking will cause the food to take on an inappropriate texture. Vegetables that should have been just barely tender may become soft enough to mash, and they may well lose their best color. Foods meant to be pureed, however, should be cooked until they no longer offer any resistance when pierced or cut. In some cases, it should be possible to mash them with a fork or spoon.

The desired degree of doneness, and terms used to refer to those stages include:

• Blanched -- foods are cooked just long enough to set colors or make them easy to peel.
• Par-cooked -- foods are cooked to partial doneness, as might be appropriate for vegetables or grains to be finished by sautéing or stewing.
• Tender-crisp -- foods are cooked until they can be bitten into easily, but still offer a slight resistance and sense of texture. There should be no audible crunch, and foods should not "fly off" the plate when a guest tries to cut them.
• Fully cooked -- foods are quite tender, though they should still retain their shape and color.

Any juices from poultry should be nearly colorless. Meats and poultry should offer a little resistance when pressed with a fingertip and should take on an evenly opaque appearance.

Vegetables and fruits should have a good color, with no dulling or graying evident. They should be tender to the bite, if they are being served directly from the steamer.

Grains should be fluffy and tender to the bite. Beans should be tender enough to mash easily, yet still retain their shape.

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