Steamer inserts in the pan

Steam cooking allows you to save maximum vitamins in your food. In addition, products processed in this way are dietary and retain their color and shape. Not every housewife has a place in the kitchen for a double boiler, but a special insert in the pan will be an excellent replacement for such a kitchen unit. What are they like? What to focus on when choosing and how to use?

The choice of such designs is very rich, and you can find a device for cooking steamed for every taste and budget. There are even folding options that take up little space in the kitchen. We will analyze each of them individually.

Glass is environmentally friendly material, besides not subject to corrosion. The glass insert-steamers in the pan resemble the shape of a bowl with handles, only low and having many holes in the bottom for the passage of steam. From above, such a device is usually covered with a lid.

It’s convenient that glass heats up quickly and does not emit harmful substances under the influence of high temperatures. Therefore, in a glass insert, a double boiler, you can safely cook food for children and not worry about their health.

Usually they are made of stainless steel. You can often find an aluminum double boiler, it is cheaper, but not too durable and is not suitable for cooking children. The most beautiful option is enameled insert in a steaming pot. It is durable and easy to use, but enamel is often damaged when dropped and hit.

The design of the metal double boiler is a grid on a stand, the height of which will be a guide for the level of boiling water.

The minus of the metal insert is a double boiler that it begins to oxidize sooner or later and release harmful compounds. Cooking with this appliance not suitable for children and people with poor health.

Such material for the manufacture of kitchen utensils has been used for a long time. It is convenient to wash it, food does not stick to it, besides it is flexible, it will not break when dropped and hit.

Silicone nozzles on the pan allow you to cook any food steamed, like other double boiler, and their assortment is very large.

Glass inserts in a pan are usually a small bowl or pan. They are kept in weight thanks to the side handles or rim. The diameter and height are selected based on the size of the pan in which the food will be cooked.

Metal and silicone steam inserts can be of folding design, which is very convenient. They are also called petal. They can change their diameter thanks to these petals, changing their opening angle.

Double or triple insert doubles are very popular. They allow you to cook several products at the same time, without mixing them together. Thus, it is easy to cook food with a different shelf life. Multilevel structures are made of different materials: glass, metal, silicone.

In order for the products prepared with this appliance to be truly healthy and tasty, It is necessary to take into account several nuances of using a double boiler insert.

• Water should not touch its bottom. The distance between the surface of boiling water and the bottom of the double boiler should be at least a few centimeters.
• To speed up the cooking process, boil water in advance. For example, while chopping vegetables.
• Slices of products should be approximately the same. Then the result will be evenly cooked food without raw areas.
• Products should not be too tight. Otherwise, steam will not be able to penetrate and properly act on pieces of food.
• In a two-level double boiler insert, pay attention to the cooking time. Meat, fish, potatoes must be installed on the first tier, and vegetables on the second. When vegetables are cooked, they will be easy to pull out, and other products will continue to be steamed.

For how to steam without a double boiler, see the next video.