Whether you're a fan of rice, veggies, fish, or decadent desserts, there are plenty of reasons to be grateful for steam cooking. But steaming benefits more than just your taste buds! Between great nutrition and endless options for use, a steam cooker is an investment that will pay off with every bite. You'll love the efficiency associated with steaming your food, and your customers will love what it can produce. Read on for your ultimate guide to taking full advantage of steaming devices.
The Steam Cooking Advantage
Every steam cooker or related product comes with a plethora of advantages that guarantee it will quickly become well-loved and well-used. Here are some unbeatable perks that you may have missed:
- Nutrients are preserved
- Steaming is considered a "gentle" method, cooking your food to perfection without harming natural vitamins and minerals. At the same time, fats, acids, toxins, and pesticide residue are greatly reduced.
- Meals can be served fast and fresh
- When compared with boiling foods, steaming keeps your food tasting fresher. It also cooks much faster, as water begins steaming (and thus warming) sooner than it begins boiling. Not only that, an entire meal can be cooked using one piece of equipment!
- Steaming is easy!
- Even the clumsiest chef can take advantage of steaming, as it offers very few opportunities for errors. As long as you ensure that your water does not entirely evaporate before your food has finished cooking, you'll be serving fresh, delicious eats in no time.
Behind the Steams
Tasty results and endless perks may seem like the result of magic. Fortunately, steam cooking is actually a fairly straight-forward art that anyone can master! Here's how it works.
Steaming employs a method called moist-heat cooking. The steam that envelops your food reaches up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100°C), thoroughly heating your food without ever having to fully touch it. Because what you're cooking isn't surrounded by water, none of its nutritional benefits are lost in the quick, easy process.
The phrase "just add water" is typically associated with the prepping of powdered, processed meals, but it's true for fresh, steamed delicacies as well!
Steam Cooking Equipment
Now that you're up-to-date on all the benefits and working of steam cooking, it's important to be informed on your options. When you're ready to invest in a new, table-transforming appliance, there's sure to be the perfect choice for you.
Counter Steamers
As the name would suggest, these steamers will feel right at home among your kitchen's other counter-top appliances. With multiple racks for peak efficiency, you'll be transporting delicious plates from the tray to the table in no time at all.
Heavy Duty Steamers
A heavy duty steamer is the perfect choice for a restaurant that's ready to equip every customer with fillets and vegetables packed with nutrients and flavor. Although they occupy a bit of space, they'll quickly prove their worth by churning out perfectly prepared food.
Braising Pans
Commercial braising pans can come in many shapes and sizes, which makes sense when you become aware of all of their uses! Purchasing one of these devices enables you to braise, fry, steam, simmer, and so much more!
Kettles
Though typically associated with teas, large restaurant kettles are ideal for heating up any food quickly and evenly. Your customers will get warm food, and your soups will get the ultimate spa treatment.
Convection Ovens
A strong convection oven uses similar science to steaming that ensures your food is cooked fully. These ovens distribute evenly around food, requiring less heat and less time to deliver the results your customers expect.
Sterilizers
Of course, steamers would be nothing without water. When adding a new steaming appliance to your arsenal, consider purchasing a water filtration system to easily ensure that you're filling up your machines with the best.
Trust Crown For All Your Steaming Needs
When it comes to steam-cooking equipment, Crown Steam Group carries everything your commercial foodservice operation will ever need. Complete with Crown, Market Forge, and Firex, this unique and one of a kind partnership of innovative brands offers up a versatile and broad line of steam equipment that will be sure to enhance your steaming capabilities.
Ready to incorporate all the benefits of steam cooking into your foodservice operation? We'd love to help out by offering up a free foodservice equipment assessment for you and your staff. Learn all about Crown Steam Group and their innovative steaming equipment and get valuable insight into how you can boost performance and productivity from the experts at Eaton Marketing.
