What Is the Best Way to Steam Vegetables in a Pan?

Rate this post

Steamed veggies are a nutritious complement to your diet. They are not only healthy, but also rather simple to prepare.

Steaming them may be accomplished in a variety of ways. What’s particularly amazing about this cooking method is that no extra equipment is required.

You just need a covered pan, a steamer, or a microwave bowl to make this delectable delicacy. Nevertheless, the most of this comprehensive advice concentrates on how to steam veggies in a pan.

So, let’s get started.

Contents

Using a Pan to Steam Vegetables
Last Thoughts

Using a Pan to Steam Vegetables

Whichever technique you choose to steam your veggies, there are a few preparations you must do before they reach the pan.

You must first choose whatever veggies you wish to prepare. You will then need to thoroughly prepare them. Below are the steps for steaming vegetables.

Step 1: Choose Your Vegetables

Most veggies can be steamed in a pan. Some steam, however, do better than others.

Large vegetables, such as potatoes, should be avoided while steaming. They will take longer to cook. But, if you want them there, you may chop them into little pieces.

Some of the greatest vegetables to steam in a pan include asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, and artichokes.

Here’s an estimate of how long it will take to cook certain veggies.

Brocolli: the florets need about 5 to 7 minutes, while stalks require approximately 8 to 12 minutes.
Asparagus: these require 7 to 13 minutes, but you can reduce the time to 4 to 7 minutes by cutting up the spears in small pieces.
Carrots: these require 7 to 12 minutes, but may vary based on the size of the carrots.
Green beans: these need approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
Cauliflower: these need about 5 to 10 minutes.
Whole artichoke: this requires 25 to 35 minutes.
Sliced potatoes: these need about 8 to 12 minutes.
Spinach and other leafy greens: these need about 5 minutes to cook.
Brussel sprouts: these need 8 to 10 minutes.

If you want to steam more than one variety of vegetable at a time, ensure sure they all cook at the same time.

Step 2: Wash the Vegetables

When you’ve decided the veggies to cook, you must clean them.

As a result, you must rinse them to eliminate any dirt that may still be on them.

Washing the vegetables will help eliminate any pesticide residue. All of your veggies should be washed in cold water. Following that, blot them dry using a paper towel.

Consider soaking some vegetables in water.

Vegetables with multiple grooves, such as cabbage and cauliflower, may conceal dirt and pathogens.

As a result, it is preferable to soak such vegetables in cold water for a minute or two. Following that, rinse them well before cooking.

Clean Thick-Skinned Vegetables with a Brush

To clean vegetables with thick skins, you could also try using a vegetable brush.

Carrots and potatoes are two examples of such vegetables. But, before using the brush, be sure to properly rinse it.

Step 3: Chop Your Veggies

It is entirely up to you whether or not to chop your veggies up. Your selection will be based on how you want your meal to look and how long you want to cook the vegetables.

This is very helpful for steaming huge vegetables.

Slicing and trimming the veggies might help you save time in the kitchen. Carrots and potatoes, for example, cook more quicker when sliced (as that increases the surface area where steam can work).

Moreover, some vegetables include leaves, seeds, or stems that must be removed before cooking.

Properly Prepare Some Vegetables

Certain veggies need further preparation. If you’re steaming asparagus, for example, you’ll need to remove the rough ends of the stalks.

Before cooking, you should also peel the thicker stalks. This will guarantee that the stalk is much more sensitive when it arrives on your dish.

It’s preferable to avoid peeling all veggies before tossing them into the pan. The skins of the majority of vegetables are high in fiber. Hence, just remove thick skins from non-edible vegetables.

Step 4: Sort your vegetables by cook time.

When placing your vegetables in the pan, split them according to their cook time. Vegetables that cook in the same length of time should be steamed together.

You must prepare vegetables with different cook times individually.

If you cook them all simultaneously, some will be raw and crisp while others will be mushy and overdone. To decide how to split your vegetables, go to the list of cook times in Step 1 of this article.

If you don’t have time to prepare each veggie individually, chop the bigger ones into little pieces.

This manner, it will cook at a comparable rate to the other vegetables you are cooking.

Step 5: For the Steaming Procedure, Choose a Deep Pan

When you’ve washed and prepared your vegetables, it’s time to start steaming them. The first thing you must do is choose your pan.

Choose one that is deep enough to hold both water and your vegetables. Additionally, if you want to properly steam the food, your pan should have a cover.

You may steam veggies in a nonstick pan, cast iron skillet, or stainless steel pan.

It is preferable if your pot is big enough to leave roughly a fourth of its capacity unfilled after you have filled it with everything.

This area will enable the steam from the top to condense beneath the lid. Again, a big pan is usually preferable for this.

If you’re simply steaming little veggies like asparagus, a smaller one will suffice.

Step 6: Combine the Ingredients in the Pan

Place your chosen pan on the stovetop but do not turn on the heat just yet. After that, add the vegetables to the pan.

Add about half an inch of water to the pan immediately after that. This quantity of water will enough to produce a steaming effect on the pan.

A half-inch layer of water will help keep the nutrients from boiling out of the veggies. Also, it prevents the vegetables from burning at the bottom of the pan.

But, if the pan’s lid does not seal firmly, you may need to add more water. Experiment a little to determine what works best for you.

Step 7: Preheat the stove to high heat and begin cooking.

Shut the cover and set the heat to medium. Check that the lid is securely fastened.

You don’t want the steam from the pot to escape.

If it occurs, the cooking time will be thrown off. Also, it may alter the texture of the vegetables.

While the food is cooking, do not remove the lid.

At all costs, avoid removing the lid. This will let the steam to escape, perhaps destroying your finished product.

Instead, you may verify the temperature by putting your fingertips on the lid. If the water is too hot to touch, it is boiling.

If you want to prevent burning your fingertips, choose a pan with a glass cover. This way, you can see what’s in the pan as it’s cooking.

Step 8: As the water begins to boil, reduce the heat.

Reduce the heat to low as soon as the water in the pan begins to boil. Make a note of the time after that.

Starting at this point, you should cook your vegetables for the necessary period of time. Do not begin timing the cook time as soon as the heat is turned on.

If you want to be precise with your timing, utilize a timer. After the specified time has passed, remove the cover and check to see whether the vegetables are done.

To test if the vegetables are done, pierce them with a knife. The vegetables should be soft but still have some chew to them.

If it seems raw, close the cover and simmer for another minute or two.

Step 9: Serve your vegetables

That’s all there is to it in terms of cooking. All that remains is to take the vegetables from the heat and begin plating.

If you’re preparing veggies with varied cooking times, save the ones that are done first. Put the veggies in a covered container to keep them warm.

To transfer the veggies from the skillet to the dish, use a slotted spoon or a set of tongs. You might even flip the whole pot into your container or dish.

But, to protect yourself, be sure to use oven mitts.

Last Thoughts

Like with any culinary technique, experience will greatly alter how the finished meal smells, looks, and, most importantly, tastes.

You may now try your hand at this easy but effective cooking technique now that you know how to steam veggies.

Likewise, don’t be hesitant to try out new culinary utensils since experimenting will ultimately lead to discoveries.