A steamer basket is a great way to cook a single vegetable or several of them at once by cooking them over boiling water. But to do this correctly, you need to have a good idea of vegetable steaming times.
One of the joys of summer is cooking fresh vegetables from my vegetable garden. The flavor is amazing and there are so many ways to cook fresh veggies.
If you are looking for a nutritious and quick option for a side dish for any meal, you can’t go past steamed veggies.
When you steam a vegetable, you retain its color, flavor, texture and, best of all, its nutritional content.
Onions are domestically prepared by many different cooking techniques, such as frying, sautéing, blanching, microwaving, baking, grilling and steaming.
Boiled vegetables vs steamed vegetables
Why not just place the vegetable in a pot and cover them with water and boil them? Boiling can destroy up to half of the vegetables’ nutrients.
Steaming veggies is a much gentler heat source and your vegetables won’t lose water.
Unlike boiling, which destroys up to 50% of vegetables’ nutrients, steaming doesn’t involve any water loss.
The goal of steamed vegetables is to cook the vegetables with a gentle heat until they are no longer raw, but still bright in color with a crisp texture. You don’t get this with boiled vegetables.
Think of the limp vegetables in a buffet style all you can eat fast food place, and those perfectly cooked in a fine restaurant that are full of their original color and texture. They are miles apart in taste!
And you get that difference in taste by perfectly steamed vegetables, cooked for just the right amount of time.
Shorter Vegetable Steaming Times
Get dinner on the table quickly with these vegetables. They have shorter steaming times.
Whole artichokes take longer. Steam them for 25 to 35 minutes depending on their size. To serve, season with some lemon zest and drizzle with some olive oil.
This delicate vegetable can vary in size from very thin spears to those thicker than your middle finger. Steam them for 5-10 minutes depending on their size.
Serve with drizzled olive oil, salt and pepper and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.
Both yellow beans and green beans are very nice steamed. Top and tail them and steam them for 5-8 minutes. Nice served with butter and tossed with pine nuts or garlic.
Beets can be quite messy. Wear plastic gloves when working with them. Pinch the peels off after steaming them whole for 15-20 minutes.
Serve whole beets seasoned with fresh herbs as a side dish, or slice them and use them in salads.
You can steam both stalks of broccoli, entire crowns, or just the florets. The fastest ways to steam them is the smaller pieces. Steam these for 4-7 minutes or longer for the larger pieces.
Broccoli is great with a cheese sauce, drizzled with olive oil or butter or tossed with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.
Steam whole Brussels sprouts for 8-15 minutes or cut them in half and they’ll be done in 6-8 minutes. They have a mild cabbage flavor and are wonderful drizzled in butter.
Slicing carrots into pieces and steaming them allows them to cook quickly. Steam this size piece, or baby carrots, for about 6 minutes, or steam whole carrots for 10-12 minutes.
Carrots are lovely served with a drizzle of brown sugar and butter mixture.
It’s easier and faster to steam cabbage when you slice it into wedges. This allows you to steam the pieces in about 6-10 minutes depending on how large you cut them.
Serve cabbage with lime or lemon zest and butter.
Florets cook the fastest but you can even steam a whole head of cauliflower in a basket steamer. Stem florets for 6 minutes or a small head for 8-10 minutes.
Cauliflower is great served with a cheese sauce over the top. (You can make one while the vegetable is steaming.)
Cut celery stalks in half or pieces and steam them for 4-9 minutes, depending on the size. Season with salt and pepper and some sesame or pumpkin seeds for a nice crunchy texture.
Boil your onions, you’ll thank you
FAQ
Can you boil or steam onions?
Why is my onion steaming?
Does cooking onions destroy quercetin?