How to cook vegetables in a double boiler?

With the development of medicine and the increase in life expectancy, many people have changed their attitude towards nutrition.Increasingly, food is used not only tasty or hearty, but also healthy products. The store of healthy vitamins and minerals are various vegetables, while they are low in calories, and are often used during weight loss.

The main disadvantage of such healthy products is that fresh, they can get bored very quickly. Heat treatment not only reduces the content of useful things in the fruit, but can itself be harmful. For example, vegetables fried in deep fat or oil will cause more harm to the body than good. Diversify the diet, and at the same time get the maximum amount of vitamins from tomatoes, potatoes or zucchini will help the steamer.

Cooking in this kitchen assistant takes place by exposing the food to jets of hot steam rising from a bowl of water. Like a slow cooker, this device does not require constant presence and control of the cook, therefore it releases a lot of time. At the same time, unlike a conventional frying pan, pan or oven, steaming vegetables has some other advantages.

For cooking in various braziers and pans, vegetable or animal fats are required. It can be sunflower or olive oil, lard, or small pieces of bacon. When you try to stew or fry vegetables on a dry surface, everything will burn and stick to the bottom of the dish. Of course, modern non-stick coatings reduce the amount of oil required for frying. However, completely get rid of excess fat will allow only a double boiler.

In addition to high calorie content, the oil adds to any product harmful carcinogens that appear in it during exposure to high temperature. A plate of tasty and healthy vegetables turns into a whole cluster of trans fats, cholesterol and free radicals, which increase the risk of developing both a common peptic ulcer and cancer. Unlike frying, steaming occurs at lower temperatures, as water boils at 100 degrees.

Vegetables in a double boiler will be just as soft, and at the same time dinner will be held without the risk of poisoning your body with dangerous chemicals.

Steam affects the fiber of vegetables less aggressively than dry heat or boiling oil. Due to such a mild method of processing, almost the entire vitamin and mineral composition of the fresh fruit remains in vegetables. As an example, boiling in ordinary water washes out about 60–70% of all useful substances from carrots or peppers, while steam - only 10–20%. And this applies to both fresh produce and various vegetable mixtures, sold in frozen form.

Also, many housewives will appreciate the ease of care for a fashionable kitchen machine. In contrast to the multicooker or the roaster, there are no traces of butter or burnt pieces of food in the double boiler. Its containers are easy to clean even with plain water without the addition of a cleaning agent, especially while they are still warm. In addition, they can be placed in a dishwasher without prior manual cleaning, unlike massive trays or pans.

Of course, practically any person will be able to appreciate the benefits of the double boiler. However, there are several categories of people who are shown cooking this way. First of all, those who have diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract. For example, yazvennikam or children and adults suffering from gastritis, it is not recommended to eat spicy, fried and fatty foods. In this case, not only vegetables, but also fish, poultry, and even meat, steamed, are perfect for a diet.

The absence of cholesterol in vegetables stewed in a double boiler is especially useful for people with vascular and heart diseases.Moreover, such nutrition is shown both to those who have already undergone or undergo a course of treatment, and to those who have a predisposition to such diseases associated with heredity or current health status. Unlike lovers of food, which was cooked in deep fat or with the addition of a large amount of fat, those who prefer food from a double boiler are more insured against the formation of cholesterol plaques and blood clots.

Most often, a double boiler advertised in various directories and sites, as the main assistant in weight loss. And indeed, the calorie content of a dish prepared with the help of hot steaming is significantly lower than stewed and fried foods. In addition, vegetables cooked in a double boiler require less salt, which not only retains fluid in the tissues, but also whets the appetite. Even replacing one of the usual meals with such a diet snack, after a couple of weeks you can notice how the swelling goes, and the weight gradually begins to decline.

Contraindications for eating food that is steamed, almost none. It will not harm either children or adults. The only exception may be those products for which a person has an allergic reaction, since it will not disappear from another method of preparation. Also, heat treatment of food carried out in a double boiler made of low-quality material can also cause small but tangible damage. From high temperatures, cheap plastic can release various chemical compounds that can get into food.

There is no single instruction for the double boiler, which could be used to prepare any dish step by step. Each product and each recipe has its own characteristics. However, there are some nuances that you should know when cooking vegetables for a couple.

• Proper selection of products. Not all vegetables are tasty if cooked with a steamer. In addition, not all of them can be put in the bowl at the same time, since the cooking time will be different. The most delicious dishes are eggplants, all kinds of cabbage, carrots, asparagus and green beans. Corn, radishes and potatoes should be cooked in a separate dish, and cook them for 10-15 minutes longer.

• Preparation of vegetables. Small tomatoes or beans can be laid in a double boiler, only having washed beforehand. With large potatoes or pumpkin to cope will be more difficult. Beforehand, they will have to not only be washed, but also peeled and cut into smaller pieces.
• Preparation of the kitchen machine. In order not to expose the vegetables to excessive heat, you must preheat the steamer. To do this, clean water is poured into the lower container, and the device is turned on for heating mode. As soon as the walls of glass or plastic bowls began to fog up, you can put the necessary products in them.

Most often in the instructions for the steam kitchen machine there are several popular recipes of the main dishes, which can be cooked in it. In addition, on the Internet you can find many detailed instructions on which it is easy to prepare not only fish or meat, but also many other complex dishes.

One of the most popular and healthy salads, familiar to almost any person in our country, is the usual salad. However, few people know that it is possible to make it even more useful by boiling vegetables not in a regular saucepan, but in a double boiler. For a delicious salad will need:

• 1 red beet;
• 2 carrots;
• 6 pieces medium potatoes;
• 1 pickled cucumber;
• 2 bunches of green onions;
• vegetable oil, salt, pepper to taste.

The cooking process itself is fairly simple. Potatoes, beets and carrots are washed, cleaned and cut into several pieces. Water is poured into the steamer and the heating mode is set.After the steam has appeared, the vegetables are laid in one or several containers, and left for cooking for 25-30 minutes (depending on the size of the pieces).

Vegetables cooled to room temperature are cut into small cubes, adding to them chopped cucumber and onions. It remains only to fill the salad with oil and spices, and serve. If the amount of salad turned out too big for 1-2 people, you should not fill it completely. You can put some sliced ​​and mixed vegetables in another dish and put them in the fridge. Vegetables without salt and oil will stay in it for at least 2-3 days.

Pampering yourself not only healthy, but also a tasty breakfast is quite easy if there is a double boiler in the kitchen. It is better to prepare breakfast in the evening, and in the morning it will be necessary only to warm it in the microwave. For casserole you will need:

• 2 chicken eggs;
• 1 medium eggplant;
• 1 large bell pepper;
• 200 g of durum cheese;
• greenery;
• salt, pepper to taste.

Wash vegetables, cut into medium-sized cubes and put steamers into the bowl. Grate the cheese on the smallest grater and beat in a dry bowl with an egg. Add chopped greens, salt and pepper to the mixture and whisk again. Pour the chopped vegetables with whipped mass and put the form in a preheated steamer. To the casserole was not too soft, the form on top of it can be covered with ordinary foil. Preparing the dish for about 25-30 minutes, before serving, sprinkle with finely chopped greens.

Experiments in the kitchen should give not only tasty, but also useful results. In order to reduce the calorie content of the finished dish, as well as to keep in its composition a greater amount of nutrients, you can use a steamer. Steamed vegetables are a great addition to any meat, poultry or fish.

How to cook vegetables in a double boiler, see the next video.