Cooking with Steam

Book excerpt: Put your electric steamer to use like never before with Cooking with Steam. This is the original cookbook on electric steaming, and 20 years later it's still the bible of low-fat, full-flavor steamed food. Its hearty, delicious recipes will open your kitchen to a world of sublime flavors and nutritious meals. Some favorite recipes include Panzanella-Stuffed Artichokes with Porcini Mushrooms; Salmon with Quick Basil Oil; Shrimp with Black Beans and Mango; Soy-Orange Marinated Chicken Cutlets; and Duck Legs Steamed on a Bed of Thyme. For dessert try the irresistible Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding Cake or the Lemon Cheesecake.But perhaps best of all is the fact that all of these astounding dishes can be prepared quickly, with no mess or hassle. Using your electric steamer is as easy as can be. Just plug it in, add your choice of ingredients, set the timer, and walk away. There's no fussy temperature gauge to monitor, no need to worry about burning your food, and since everything happens inside the steamer, you're free to focus on other tasks while your dinner cooks--perfect for today's healthy, on-the-go lifestyle. And last but not least, what's not to love about the simple clean-up? No more scrubbing and scraping at burned saucepans, or overnight-soaking of casserole dishes, just a quick clean of the steamer basket before you get on with your evening.Steaming is an exciting and innovative technique for cooking meals that are both healthy and delicious. Revealing subtle flavors in your ingredients that are often masked by other fat-heavy preparations, steaming your food will provide you with astonishingly bright, clean-tasting meals, unattainable with any other cooking method. It's also a great way to highlight and preserve the freshness of your ingredients for a broad-range of easy and fulfilling dishes. Complete with timing charts and brand comparisons, Cooking with Steam is a comprehensive guide to delicious steamed meals for all occasions.