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Boiling and steaming
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| If, in an ideal chronological picture, spit roasting and grilling are the most ancient methods of cooking, boiling is a relatively recent invention. This technique is in fact based on technological knowledge, such as the construction of pans, originally made of heat-resistant clay or metal, which were not available to our most distant ancestors. |
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The use of steam to transmit heat can be defined as a further evolution of boiling, and has been part of oriental - particularly Chinese and Japanese - cooking for centuries.
Technically speaking, boiling cooks food by passing heat energy from the liquid (the conductor) it is put into, using a flame. As far as steaming is concerned, on the other hand, the food is not covered with liquid but is wrapped in watery steam. In both cases the cooking takes place through convection.
Boiling is a real turning point in human food history, for a very simple reason: water penetrates the tissues gradually, causing them to swell and making them easier to digest. However, some groups of vitamins (B1, B2 and C) are heat-sensitive and are completely destroyed in the process, while the effectiveness of others is compromised.
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The choice of putting the food into water when it is cold or once it has started to boil depends on the desired results, as the methods have very different organoleptic and nutritional characteristics.
With cold water cooking, a part of the nutritional elements pass into the cooking water and appear in the characteristic greyish foam on the surface. As the temperature increases, the external layers of the food create a kind of barrier for the other nutritional substances that remain on the inside. This is therefore clearly the preferred method for a good stock or for excellent vegetable soups: the food will gradually give off its protein and vitamins to the liquid, although this does have some setbacks. The meat for stock, for example, will be tougher and have less flavour, and not be so nice to eat.
With hot water cooking on the other hand, vegetables will retain more flavour and boiled meat will be juicier. When the food is thrown into the boiling water, almost instantly an external protective layer is created to lock in all the nutritional substances. In the case of meat, the loss of fat is kept to a minimum, and pulses will keep their flavour, texture and colour better.
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THE TRADITION AND INNOVATION OF STEAM |
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We have already mentioned that steaming represents a clear evolution with respect to cooking in boiling water, from a nutritional point of view. While boiling makes food easier to digest, steaming helps to maintain the proteins, mineral salts and vitamins much better. In fact foodstuffs absorb humidity and smells, without letting go of almost any of their own contents: all these substances are in fact coagulated on the spot, locked inside the food. The only exception is fat, which melts when it comes into contact with the heat. This way our food is lighter, more full of flavour and above all full of important substances we need in our diet, particularly because this kind of cooking almost never uses fat but only vegetable flavourings that cook in the convection liquid.
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While boiling can be used to cook almost any kind of food, and is particularly good for fat-rich meats and large fish, steaming is the ideal solution for crisp, compact vegetables (potatoes, cauliflower, sweet corn etc.), some varieties of lean meat and fish, but less so for green-leafed pulses, coriaceous vegetables and fruit. These require particularly long cooking times, which is not so convenient, but which can be avoided by cutting the food into smaller pieces.
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For steaming, technology has for some time been able to assist us with that most precious of tools: the pressure cooker. This pan mixes all the advantages and benefits of steaming with the speed of preparation, owing to the valuable assistance of pressure. This saucepan has a hermetically sealed lid with a double valve system: one valve is used to let the steam out manually when the required pressure has been reached, and the other is for safety purposes. The temperature inside the cooker reaches 125°C, allowing for a drastic reduction of cooking time, from half up to two thirds. A few examples: whole cauliflowers, about 10 minutes, beans 20 minutes, potatoes 15 minutes. Further information can be found in the booklets supplied with the cooker, which also generally contain a range of recipes.
Oriental cooking traditionally uses bamboo baskets together with the wok, the typical pan used for all kinds of sautéed dishes. By using them directly at the dinner table, this as a pleasant and refined alternative to a traditional meal.
Obviously if you don't have a pressure cooker or any stylish bamboo baskets, all you need is a saucepan and a wire basket or a ceramic bowl (avoid plastic). Place the vegetables, meat or fish in the top container and bring a small amount of water to boil in the saucepan on the bottom, adding onion, carrot, celery and bay leaves for added flavour. Close with a tight fitting lid.
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