5 Ways To Steaming Vegetables Without a Steamer and Its Benefits

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Steaming is one of the quickest and simplest methods for preparing fresh, healthy vegetables. Steaming vegetables can save your life if you’re out of time or hungry. However, you might be wondering how to steam vegetables without a steamer?

Yes, it is possible to steam veggies without a steamer. Food preserves moisture, flavor, and nutrients by being cooked gently by steaming. Vegetables, meats, fish, dumplings, and eggs can all be prepared using this well-liked technique.

Regardless of the method you select, there are a few things to consider. Don’t ever overfill your steamer first. Steaming produces food somewhere between overcooked and almost raw. Second, wait until the water has started to boil before adding your food.

A steamer basket is helpful while preparing veggies. Steamers aren’t always necessary, even if you consume steamed food occasionally. You can steam or prepare food using a variety of other techniques.

You can make a steamer at home using a large pot, a metal bowl, and aluminum foil. So how to steam vegetables without a steamer basket? Read on to learn the ways to steam your veggies without a steamer.

What Is Steaming?

Steaming is a method of cooking that uses moist heat to evaporate water into steam. You can achieve a hot, ideal cooking environment by using a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Typically, a steamer sits on top of boiling water, keeping the food away from it.

It is one of the easier cooking methods because it accentuates the meal’s natural flavors. The options are limitless after steaming. You may add a splash of lemon juice or just a teaspoon of salt and pepper to complete your meals.

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However, you might be thinking that steaming is a healthy way of taking food. But you don’t have a steamer to make healthy and delicious food. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with different ways of steaming vegetables without a steamer in this post.

What Is a Steamer?

Steamers are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. A metal steamer basket that collapses is one example. To hold the food you are steaming, they flare out into a bowl in an almost accordion-like form.

Steamers also include steamer pots and two saucepans stacked on top. The water-containing saucepan at the bottom resembles any other saucepan in your cabinet. The upper saucepan also has holes at the bottom to allow steam to escape.

Steamers are not essentially referred to as steamer baskets. You can use other kitchen essentials as steamers. Yes, it is quite possible, steaming veggies without a steamer just by utilizing your kitchen equipment.

5 Ways To Steaming Vegetables Without A Steamer Basket?

Are you trying to find a healthy method to eat your vegetables? Vegetables can lose nutrients when prepared using a variety of cooking techniques. While pan searing, grilling, and frying can improve flavor, they do not retain nutrients well.

Vegetables can retain the majority of their nutrients by steaming them. Although most people prefer steamed vegetables to raw ones, not everyone has a steamer in their home. So, how do you steam vegetables without a steamer?

You can do it only if you have a few cooking secrets up your sleeve. Here’s how to steam vegetables without a steamer to make them juicy, tender, and delicious.

1. Using Microwave

You want your vegetables to have a steamed texture and look, but you don’t have a steamer. You may prefer steaming vegetables without a steamer. We’ve got you covered with this straightforward technique that anyone can use.

You may use your Microwave to steam your vegetables. They emerge out of the Microwave well steamed, seeming voluminous and juicy. So, how do you steam vegetables without a steamer basket for different veggies?

After wrapping them in a moist paper towel, you can put long vegetables in a microwave. You should then warm the food in the Microwave. You should put short veggies like broccoli in a microwave-safe dish with some water covering with plastic.

2. Using U.S. Kitchen Supply 3P Metal Strainer or Colander

steaming veggies without a steamer
  • Brand: U.S. Kitchen Supply
  • Material: Stainless Steel
  • Color: Silver
  • Style: Steel Mesh
  • Great For Shifting & Filtering
  • Good For Breaking Clumps
  • Great For Steaming Veggies
  • Highly Durable

This metal strainer is one of the ways of steaming veggies without a steamer. You should add water to the pot until it is about half full. Ensure enough distance between the metal strainer or colander and the hot water before inserting it.

If your filter isn’t perched on the edge of the pot, you can hold it. After the water boils and the food is arranged, lower the heat, so it barely bubbles. To prevent steam leaks, completely cover the pot with a lid.

Additionally, watch your vegetables carefully to prevent overcooking. The cooking time will vary depending on the type of vegetables you are preparing. Depending on the size and quantity, you might need to cook the food in batches.

3. Using A Cooling Wire Rack

You don’t just require a stove to steam food. Use larger cookware or an oven for steaming throughout this process, as per our recommendation. You should use a roasting pan or oven with a rack for this.

You should arrange the veggies in a single layer on the cooling wire rack. That’s how to steam vegetables without a steamer basket. And also you should place the wire rack over the poured water in the saucepan.

Wrap the entire apparatus with aluminum foil and wait until the vegetables are cooked to prevent steam leaks. After that, cheer yourself for learning how to steam veggies without a steamer.

4. Using A Foil Pie Tin

It appears that foil baking tins have other uses as well. Use a large enough saucepan to fit the pie tin inside, then fill the pan halfway with water. Make holes in the pie pan’s bottom and place it upside-down in the pot.

Additionally, if you don’t have a metal filter, there is an alternative to this technique. Large pot with water halfway filled. Now take a brief break to work on some crafts. Make three roughly identical-sized aluminum foil balls.

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Stack the foil balls on top of a heat-resistant plate. You can use a small baking rack or a splatter shield in place of a suitable dish. After arranging the food in a single layer and bringing the water to a low boil, cover the saucepan. In a few minutes, you will have your food.

What Are The Benefits Of Steaming Vegetables?

The fastest-growing trend in meal preparation is steaming meals. It is easy to do and keeps food in its healthiest state. Hot steam is used in this cooking method to transfer heat to the food.

However, the food does not come into contact with water as it would while boiling or cooking fats. You can steam food using a steamer, a piece of necessary equipment. Utilizing steam for cooking is flexible and nutritious. Here are some benefits.

A. Steaming Locks In Vitamins

Steaming is one of the best cooking techniques for ensuring food retains its goodness. Heat and water can harm water-soluble nutrients, such as vitamin C and folate (a B vitamin), abundant in many plants.

Vegetables retain more of their vitamins when they are steamed. In contrast to other cooking techniques like boiling, these vitamins seep into the cooking water while cooking. Therefore, steaming vegetables in a food steamer is good for your health.

B. Boosts Antioxidants

Foods like vegetables include cells broken down during cooking, which might boost the level of some antioxidants. Numerous studies demonstrate that steaming keeps antioxidants such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, and glucosinolates.

In contrast to boiling, there is no cooking water to leak into, and the heat is less likely to harm them. This is a crucial advantage of antioxidants: they clean out dangerous elements called free radicals in our bodies.

C. Provides Healthy Food

Steaming has other advantages that can help us consume healthier food and preserve the vitamins and antioxidants. First, it’s a fat-free cooking method, which is fantastic for waistlines. A tablespoon of oil has 11g of fat and 407kJ/100kcal.

You eliminate it from your diet every day for a year, and you will have consumed less than 4 liters of oil. In addition, salting steamed is also not very common like boiling. Having too much salt is connected to high blood pressure. Therefore, it is good to steam veggies without a steamer.

D. Lower Cholesterol

You should utilize food steamers for cooking as it helps in reducing cholesterol. This is because steaming veggies without a steamer is good. You may rely on the water or steam to prevent the food from drying out.

Since no oil is used when cooking, you don’t consume extra fat or saturated fats, which raise cholesterol and blood pressure. As a result, it is the most organic approach to preparing your meals.

E. Brings Out Flavors

A wall oven that uses steam cooking guarantees that your vegetables will always be flavorful and fresh. Additionally, the moisture in the steam brings out the color just as it does the flavor.

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A wide variety of colored vegetables should be a part of your diet, say, nutritionists, because specific colors connect to specific nutrients. Utilize the magic of steam cooking to make your vegetables seem even more mouthwatering.

Notes & Tips For Steam Vegetables Without a Steamer

  • The cooking process will stop or be delayed if insufficient water is in the saucepan.
  • You should pair vegetables with the same or a similar cooking time together.
  • Steaming time for root vegetables, such as potatoes, yams, cassava, and breadfruit, will be longer (15 to 30 minutes), so steam those separately.
  • Use whichever steaming technique suits you best.
  • Before steaming the vegetables, wash, scrape, or otherwise prepare them. To get rid of any dirt, bacteria, or pesticides, rinse them in a colander or scrub tougher veggies like potatoes if necessary.
  • If at all feasible, chop the vegetables simultaneously; some, like tiny carrots, will already be bite-sized.

Top FAQs Connected Steam Vegetables Without a Steamer?

What’s The Best Way To Steam Vegetables?

The simplest approach is to steam veggies on the stovetop in a steamer basket. Vegetables don’t get soggy since the steamer basket raises them off the pan’s bottom. If you don’t have a steamer basket, you can steam veggies in a parchment paper pouch in the oven or, in an emergency, in the Microwave.

How Do You Steam Vegetables Without A Steamer Basket?

Bring a big pot of 12 to 1-inch water to a simmer, add the vegetables, and cook according to the periods listed below. Since the vegetables are submerged in water, you should monitor them carefully and evaluate them for doneness to avoid overcooking.

How Long Should I Steam Vegetables?

Regardless of the method, the secret to steaming veggies is to prevent overcooking. Everything here is based on the vegetable: Vegetables that are thicker and more delicate, like green beans, will take longer to cook than carrots and sweet potatoes. To ensure that your vegetables cook simultaneously, chop them into consistent pieces.

Is Steaming Vegetables In The Microwave Healthy?

Healthy vegetable cooking methods that preserve nutrients include steaming and microwave heating. Water-soluble vitamins, including vitamins C and B, are preserved by cooking without adding water.

The rapid cooking durations of steam-in-the-bag veggies help to reduce the number of nutrients because these vitamins are also heat-sensitive. When prepared without added salt or saturated fat, vegetables have the greatest health advantages.

How Do You Steam Carrots Without A Steamer?

The Microwave comes in quite helpful for quickly heating carrots and other vegetables. Clean off the carrots and cut them into the appropriate shape. After that, put them with about 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave-safe bowl covered with a lid, then heat it for 4 to 6 minutes on high.

When done, the carrots must be soft (again, test with a fork). Finish by adding your preferred ingredients, then serve. You wouldn’t believe how much more a microwave can do!

What Veggies Are Good To Steam Without A Steamer?

Because they are harder and won’t mush up too quickly, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, and green beans make excellent selections. Chinese broccoli, baby bok choy, and spinach are leafy greens that steam well but more quickly.

You can also try steaming some radishes or quartered fresh potatoes if you want to branch out.

Final Thoughts

Steaming is one of the quickest and simplest methods for preparing fresh, healthy vegetables. If you’re pressed for time or hungry, steaming vegetables could save your life. A steamer basket is helpful while preparing veggies.

However, if you hardly ever steam meals or suddenly realize that you need one, you shouldn’t run out and get one. In this article, we’ve covered different techniques and equipment you can use as a steamer basket. 

Therefore, you don’t have to worry about how to steam vegetables without a steamer! These methods will make the need for a steamer basket go away. Hence, you have healthy and delicious food for yourself.

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