Steamed!

This is no time for rebellion (are you listening Sylvia?). Adding steaming to your toolbox of cooking methods will be good for everything from the pragmatic: your pocket book and waistline (if that is a concern), to the cosmic: time. Nothing is simpler, healthier, faster and tastier than steamed vegetables.

Today’s illustration has two types of steamers. The silver one is metal and easily expands inside your pan. The green one is made of flexible silicon and comes in a few sizes. They both have little legs to raise them above the water at the bottom of the pan. There are other sorts of steamers, but let’s start with these.

Place a steamer in a pan with water enough to be just below the floor of the steamer. Place your washed and prepared vegetable (try to keep the sizes as consistent as you can so that everything cooks at the same rate) and put it on the stove.

Turn on the heat and cover the pan. When the water heats up and creates steam, it’s the steam that cooks the vegetables. Different vegetables cook at different rates. Carrots will take longer than say, asparagus. Once the water is really creating steam, and it's had a bit of time (say 5 minutes or so) carefully pick up the lid (don’t have your face too close and wear a mitt, the steam is going to escape!) and check out what’s going on. Color is usually a good indication. Broccoli will turn bright green when it’s done. You want to take it off the heat before it gets dull and over-cooked. A thin, sharp knife inserted into one of your veg pieces will let you know how cooked it is. If it goes in easily, it’s done. Maybe you like a bit of crunch and want to feel a little resistance… that’s good too. This is all about how you like it, cook it for as little or as much as you wish, but try to avoid overcooking. You'll lose nutrients and flavor. Also, don't let your pan boil dry.

Dish your beautiful vegetables up with a splash of soy sauce or hot sauce or anything else you fancy. And the bonus? Very, very easy clean up. That’s both practical and cosmic if you ask me.