Food steamer

A steamer is a cooking appliance that allows food to be cooked under steam. In Europe there is a kitchen utensil steamer only since the 1920s, although the preparation method has been around for centuries and especially in the Far Eastern cuisine has a long tradition.

Steam cooking

Basically, you have to distinguish between pressureless steam cooking and pressure - steaming. The " non-pressurized " steam cooking the food to be heated is exposed to the vapor of boiling water at ambient pressure. When pressure steaming boiling water and cooking product form a closed system from the environment, the boiling water leads to an increase in pressure within the system. Generally the pressure to 2 bar is limited, at this pressure the water boils at 120 ° C. The higher the steam temperature is the cause of the shorter cooking times of steam pressure cooking in comparison to pressureless steam cooking.

The cooking over rising steam is an ancient Chinese method of preparation. By Cooking in steam the food is prepared very gently. The hot water vapor flows to the food and surrounds it on all sides. The food is not watered down, drained or dried out, but preserve the natural flavors and vitamins from the food remain, the color even more pronounced.

However, this knowledge was not confined to Asia. Whether Asian food stall, with more than water-filled woks piled stackable bamboo basket, steamed dishes, antique Thermopolium - or grandmother, who put a pot with water to the oven so the roast does not dry up and the bread was a brown, shiny crust, they all helped themselves the fundamentals of vapor or mist cooking. Accordingly, has long been known that steam cooking as a very gentle cooking method offers the possibility of a healthy and enjoyable diet. Meanwhile, increasingly replacing tailored to these purposes Appliances these traditional methods.

Steam cookers

In 1927, the pressure cooker of current design (a pressure - steam cooking system) on the market, which experienced a real boom in the 1970s and 80s. In the late 1960s the Roman pot was introduced, which allows a natural vapors by means of pressureless steam.

Electric steamer

In the 1990s, electric steamer came in the wake of the increasing interest in Asian and especially Chinese cuisine with stackable steam baskets at the market, the tedious and time-consuming preparation of Asian dishes that are as, for example, simplify Dim Sum, but also for the gentle preparation and warm-up other courts are suitable. Same time, this steamer can also be used as a rice cooker.

In the classical, electric, pressureless steamer provides a heated water bowl two or more stacked plastic inserts on a perforated floor with steam. For rice or for heating up food, there is a non-perforated paper. The steamers of this type can prepare two to three servings simultaneously. More modern, non-commercial pressureless steamer are separated in a steam generator and a cooking chamber for gastronorm container (1/ 3 or 1/ 2 GN ), allowing simultaneous cooking of up to 3 containers. Non-pressure devices for professional use, take 1 /1 GN containers on multiple levels (usually 4-16) and the oven can also provide you with hot air.

Systemdampfgarer

An increase in the electric steamer are the so-called Systemdampfgarer: In retrofit Dampfgareinsätzen for a normal oven complete menus for the whole family can be prepared. The steam generation is done by setting of bottom heat in the oven. Retrofitting ovens but usually paid relatively expensive.

Steam oven

With a steam oven large quantities can be produced from food and they are suitable for stewing, braising or blanching fresh meals for heating food and defrosting of ready meals and frozen products. The new devices offer various technical refinements, such as program control is automatically adjusted to the different boiling point of water depending on the altitude of residence. There are devices that operate according to the low-temperature cooking method (70 to 80 ° C ) in which they are called the 100 ° C steam is not continuous but intermittent ( pulse width modulated ) can come into contact with the particular food and others who combined a allow cooking with hot air and steam. The cost of such devices are significantly higher than those of conventional ovens. You need either a fixed water connection or have a mobile water tank, which must be filled before the steam operation. See also the combi steamer.