Steaming is one of the best cooking methods for maximizing taste and color, while retaining the most nutrients in vegetables and fish. Especially when the vegetables themselves have so much flavor, simply steaming them and finishing with fresh herbs, lemon and olive oil, can produce a very satisfying and delicious dish. Healthy steaming can also be done in just one pot with very little mess and clean up required.

My healthy way of steaming allows you to preserve your vegetables' nutrients, bring out their color and enhance their flavor. Steaming for a minimal amount of time, so your vegetables emerge "al dente," crisp inside and tender outside, is an ideal way to maximize their nutritional value. Vegetables are typically steamed for much too long, which causes them to turn drab in color, leaches nutrients into the cooking water, and results in a mushy texture and greatly diminished flavor.

Be sure to stick to the brief times we have for steaming in our recipes and stay on guard; a distracting phone call or brief moment out of the kitchen can mean several minutes of unwanted cooking time-enough to ruin your vegetables!

Also, because temperatures vary on stoves, you'll initially want double check to make sure our times are appropriate for your stovetop. Your vegetables should be brightly colored and still a little crisp in the center when you remove them from the heat.

How To Steam

Make sure the water is at a rapid boil before adding your vegetables to the steamer basket. This ensures that the heat is consistent throughout cooking time. Steaming cooks the vegetables with the even moist heat of the vapors.

Once your water is rapidly boiling, turn the heat to a moderate temperature and place your vegetables in the steamer basket. You want to make sure the steamer has a tight fitting lid. If you are steaming more than one vegetable at a time, place the vegetables in the steamer basket in layers.

Two Ways of Steaming

You can simply place all the vegetables in the steamer basket at once, putting the denser vegetables that need more heat, such as carrots, on the bottom, then layering the lighter vegetables, such as greens, on top.

Or, you can place the denser vegetables that take longer to cook, like small chunks of squash, in the steamer basket, cook with the lid on for 2-4 minutes, and then add another layer of vegetables that take less time to cook, and continue to steam. This can be done in several layers, ending up with all of your vegetables perfectly "al dente" at the end of cooking time.

Our Steamed Vegetable Medley is a good example of steaming more than one vegetable, timing it so all are done at the same time. This will give you an idea of how to do it. For a quick and easy meal, try this with a variety of vegetables-whatever you have on hand.

Steaming Vegetables and Fish Together

You can easily steam a variety of vegetables with a nice piece of salmon or other fish on top. This is a perfect way to make a simple, clean, healthy meal in one pot in a very short amount of time.

You can make a simple dressing or sauce and drizzle it over everything when done. Try our Steamed Salmon and Asparagus with Mustard Dill Sauce-a delicious example of steaming your whole meal in layers in the same pot.

Remember that steam can be deceiving. It is still very hot and can burn you easily, so it is important to remember to open the lid on your steamer facing away from your body. This will prevent the steam from burning your face or arms as you lift the lid.

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