Steam cookers for a gas stove: how to choose and use?

The cuisine of the world is represented by various dishes, while recipes that require the use of steamers are often found. These devices allow you to cook healthy food, preserving all vitamins, essential oils and nutrients in the products. On the market you can find models of different designs, from classic simple to universal multi-storey. At the same time, steam cookers designed for use on a gas stove are very popular with hostesses.

A double boiler for a gas stove is a modern and multifunctional kitchen appliance that provides quick cooking at high temperature.

Although the double boiler is intended for cooking products on a gas stove, there is a list of products that the appliance will not be able to cook properly. These include:

• mushrooms, they turn out tough;
• pasta, after cooking, it turns out on the way out of the dough;
• legumes, they require a constant supply of water for 4 hours.

In order to properly and quickly cook this or that dish, the hostess must have certain skills in operating the device and know how to combine, position the products in it. Since this kitchen accessory is characterized by an average price level, everyone who wants it can afford to have a healthy lifestyle.

Today, there are many types of thermal cooking: smoking, baking, frying, stewing and cooking. At the same time, steaming is especially popular among housewives, during which the products do not lose their natural color and taste. The advantages of the double boiler also include the ability to cook various dishes with minimal use of oil.

This is especially important for people suffering from diseases of the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract. They need a special diet, and with the help of gas steamers you can quickly cook meatballs, fish cakes, vegetable stews, scrambled eggs and pudding.

As for the shortcomings, they are few. In such pots you cannot cook large pieces of meat, as they do not boil. In addition, steaming is not recommended to cook products, which require a large amount of water.

Steam cookers are available in various types, on sale you can find electric models and kitchen appliances designed for use on gas. They differ not only in price, but also in other parameters.

• Appearance. Devices for use on gas are similar to a conventional pan, which is placed on a gas stove. Electric steamers, however, look like an ordinary electric kettle that is plugged into an outlet.
• Design. Gas appliances are simple in design, electrical ones have special heating elements that heat water and are powered by an electric network.
• Autonomy. For cooking with electric steamers, only a source of electricity and water are required, for gas appliances you need a stove.
• Functionality. The operation of electrical models is fully controlled by electronics: they have different cooking modes and a timer. Setting the desired temperature on electric devices is much easier than constantly adjusting the gas supply on the stove.

Electric steamers are most often purchased for cooking if there is no gas stove in the house. In addition, they can be used in summer cottages during summer harvesting.

Steam cookers, irrespective of the model range, are produced as a “steam bath” and consist of a lid, a container and a perforated bowl designed for folding products. In this case, the double boiler for gas may differ from each other in the volume of the water tank (from 0.8 to 4.5 l) and in diameter (from 13 to 24 cm). The most common types can be combined into one list.

• Steam pan consisting of several containers. This model is convenient in operation, because it allows you to cook several dishes at the same time. Externally, the steam structure looks like a turret assembled from small pots with handles. The bottom of the bottom pan is solid and the rest perforated. In such a double boiler you can lay out four tiers.

• Multi-tier double boiler. The main feature of this type of pots is that they provide free access to each laid out row of products. For example, to take food out of the second tier, it is enough to hold on to the handles of the third tier and take out the two upper pans. Disassemble the entire structure is not necessary.

• Double boiler-mantovark with special inserts. A similar model first appeared in Japan, where rice cakes were cooked with its help. A little later, this device found application in the cooking of manti in Buryatia.This kitchen accessory is a high pan with a pallets inside. This model is folding, which allows you to quickly lay a tier behind a tier, the lid is covered from above, it is dense and prevents the steam from escaping out.

In addition to the above types of steamers on sale, you can find models in the form of cauldrons, ducklings and camping bowlers. As for the material of manufacture, the pan can be steel, iron and aluminum.

Today the market is represented by a chic assortment of gas steamers. They are produced by both domestic and foreign manufacturers. Here is a list of the most popular steamed kitchen utensils.

• Steamer-frying pan (wok) "The power of granite". The product has sloping edges and a removable grill. This appliance is perfect for cooking products on any type of stove, as it is equipped with a magnetic inductor. In addition, in such a double boiler you can cook dishes with minimal use of fat, its surface is coated with non-stick coating Granitex.

• Set of double boiler pans "Dobrynya". It consists of three containers with a perforated bottom, while the volume of the lowest saucepan is 3.5 liters. She is the most running.

• Enameled double boiler "Provence". It features high quality and original design. The pan has a delicate floral ornament, comes with a perforated easy-to-detach liner and a glass lid.

• Total Kitchen Goods. This model was introduced by Japanese manufacturers, so it is made of anodized aluminum in an oriental style. The double boiler is multifunctional and equipped with two inserts.

Steam cookers for a gas stove are presented in a huge variety of models, so it is difficult to make the right choice in favor of a particular product. To make a kitchen accessory reliably last a long time, before choosing it, you need to consider certain parameters.

• Sizes. The diameter of the double boiler directly depends on the diameter of the burners on the gas stove. In the event that a large burner is provided in the design of the stove, it is advisable to buy pots with a maximum diameter and lay out the products in it in one layer. On each model, the upper and lower diameter of the product is indicated.
• Volume. Most often, manufacturers indicate in liters only the total volume of all pans, there are models in which the capacity of all containers is known.
• The material of manufacture. Since the double boiler is bulky, tall and has several tiers, they are usually produced for easy use from light metals (sheet aluminum or stainless steel). Such products quickly heat up, and water, poured into the lower tank, instantly boils. In addition, aluminum is not afraid of sudden temperature changes and is resistant to corrosion. Models with a protective anodized layer have also proven themselves, they serve a long time. Stainless steel products are also considered an excellent choice, since this material is inert when interacting with products, does not absorb fat and odors.
• Bottom thickness. For gas stoves, it is best to purchase a double boiler with a not very thin and even bottom. Thus, the heat will be evenly distributed over the entire surface of the lower tank and provide quick cooking of products for a couple.

To make steaming foods safer, Install the device correctly and follow important operating recommendations.

• The surface of the gas stove on which the device is planned to be installed must not be inclined. In the presence of irregularities, a displacement of products may occur, which will negatively affect their preparation.
• It is undesirable to install a double boiler next to other appliances. In this case, the kitchen appliances can heat up and quickly fail. The device must also not be allowed to hang on the countertop from the working side of the stove. This is especially dangerous if there are children in the house. Little fidgets can hook a steam boiler and pull it along. This is fraught with burns.
• Since in the process of cooking a lot of wet steam is released in a double boiler, it is not recommended to place it under hinged cabinets. If this is neglected, then deformation will appear on the kitchen set. This also applies to the installation of the device on the stove next to the walls covered with wallpaper. Decorative finish peels off.

As for the process of cooking on a double boiler, it requires the following rules:

• water poured into the lower pan should not boil;
• Food placed on the wire rack must not touch water.

Stepping in stages is as follows.

• First of all, you need to pour water into the lower tank to the indicated mark. Moreover, many housewives immediately pour hot water, bringing it to a boil on gas. It is worth noting that in some recipes, pre-heating of water is not provided.
• Then you should install the perforated tier in the pan and place the products on it loosely in one layer. Thus, the steam will circulate freely and move up. If necessary, then on top you can optionally install a second tier and fill it with similar products.
• After that, the topmost container is covered with a lid, which is sold in a set for a double boiler. For a short time, you need to add heat, so the steam will process the contents faster. Next, the gas burner is tightened, reducing the intensity of heating the stove. Boiling should be weak, but at the same time sufficient for the formation of hot steam. The speed of cooking depends on the ingredients. For example, vegetables are cooked no more than 20 minutes, and meat takes from 40 to 50 minutes.

In the case when cooking for a couple is carried out by the hostess for the first time, the readiness of dishes can be determined based on recipes or use a thermal probe (it shows the temperature inside the product). When preparing several dishes, on the lowest level you need to lay those products that require long cooking.

See the next video for an overview of the double boiler.