 
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 steam. In some
cases, the food is suspended above a simmering or boiling liquid or
stew. Foods prepared by steaming 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.
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, boning, 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.
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.
Here are a few tips when food is done and some terms used.
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.
The flesh of fish and shellfish will lose its translucency when
properly cooked, taking on a nearly opaque appearance. Mussels,
clams, and oysters will open when properly cooked and the edges of
the flesh should curl. Shrimp, crab, and lobster should have a
bright pink or red color.
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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Back to Basics - Preparing Vegetables
Knowing how to prepare vegetables helps you get the most nutritious
value out of them, ensures that any dirt or chemicals are cleaned
away, helps your dishes cook evenly and will even have a positive
impact on the look of the finished dish. Not to mention the best
possible flavor!
Broccoli
With broccoli the trick is to have the stems and the florets cook at
the same rate. You can do this by removing the tough outer skin of
the stalks. Simply peel the skin up from the base of the broccoli
stalk.
Asparagus
The tender tips will cook more quickly than the stems. Avoid this by
peeling the thickest part of the stems with a sharp knife.
Cauliflower
The stem and leaves of the cauliflower are edible but they are
tougher and take longer to cook than the tender florets. After
removing and discarding the outer leaves, rinse the cauliflower and
remove the leaves and stem. Using a sharp knife carefully core the
cauliflower. The leaves, stem and core can be reserved for use in
soups, stock or stews if you wish.
Gently separate the cauliflower crown into evenly sized florets -
large or small depending on the recipe.
 
Leek
A relative of garlic, onion and shallot, the leek is a versatile and
healthy vegetable which adds flavor without overpowering the other
ingredients of a dish. Both the white root section and the green
leaves of a leek are edible. The root tip should be trimmed , the
top of the leaves cut off and discarded along with the toughest
outer leaves.
You will be amazed at how much dirt and grit gets lodges between the
layers of top leaves of a leek. And also how deeply within the
layers you will still find traces of soil. If you are intending to
use the green leaves then the easiest way to ensure that the leek is
thoroughly clean is to run a slit up the length of the leek and wash
out the layers under running cold water.
 
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