Food cooked in a double boiler has useful properties, no matter who says about its taste. There are many recipes for healthy and delicious food. For a better understanding of the steam cooking process, this article will cover a number of questions regarding how the steam cooker works, and a number of nuances regarding its proper operation.
The main element of the device is a housing with a water tank and equipped with electronics to control power and operating modes. There is a sensor on the body that shows the water level in the device. In addition to light, some models also provide a sound signal announcing a lack of water. If necessary, top it up.
Pallets are used to collect condensing moisture and to protect the generator from getting water into it. There is such a rule for cooking in a double boiler - the number of pallets should correspond to the number of bowls, otherwise the smells of the dishes are mixed together, and as a result, it will not be possible to cook, for example, fish and vegetables, since they will completely smell of fish. At the same time, in such cases it is possible to cook either one single dish in several bowls at once, or such products, the smell of which will not spoil the neighboring dish being cooked in a double boiler.
Bowls are made of metal or plastic. In favor of metal bowls says their durability, strength and reliability, while plastic is lighter. Some types of plastic can be painted during operation in the color of the product, for example, beets.
The package may differ from the standard, which includes bowls, and contain elements such as a wire rack, additional trays for condensate, containers for liquid and bulk products, a dipstick for checking the readiness of a dish, and a brochure-collection of recipes.
When power is applied, the process of heating the water occurs, which is brought to a boil. The steam from the water tank through the holes enters the basket with the products being prepared in it, due to which the cooking process takes place. In order to save energy, a special ring has been thought out, which serves to accelerate the movement of steam and is part of the heating element. Thus, food is cooked exclusively on steam, which helps to keep a noticeably greater amount of nutrients in it. Another plus is the lack of the need to add oil during cooking.
The device consumes quite a lot of electricity, there are models for 2 or more kilowatts. As a rule, a model for three bowls consumes within 1 kW, which is quite enough for normal cooking. It makes no sense to buy more energy-intensive double boiler, although cooking will be faster, energy costs and load on the power supply network will increase significantly, which is especially noticeable in winter.
Management options
There are two types of steamer control systems - mechanical and electronic.
The principle of operation of the mechanical system is simple - a timer is manually set by rotating the existing time relay knob, on which the appropriate divisions are applied. After a certain time, the device turns off. This system is simple and reliable, and the device starts up much faster.
The electronic control system implies the presence of a panel with buttons and a panel on which the selected operating mode is displayed. The number of operating modes for such a device is an order of magnitude greater; it is possible to turn on a double boiler after a certain time, turn on the heating mode after cooking, and some other useful functions. The downside of electronics is its sensitivity to power drops in the network, as well as the need to configure the device for a long time before starting.
Steam basket
The sizes of steam baskets vary from one and a half to three liters, if we are talking about a container for rice and similar dishes - it is 0.5-2 liters. The kit may include both the same size and different containers. If the baskets are the same, then the dishes can be freely interchanged in the double boiler, if not, this possibility disappears. As a rule, baskets are made transparent so that it is possible to observe the progress of cooking. However, during the cooking process, the container can become so foggy that it becomes unclear what is happening in it. In addition to plastic and metal, sometimes baskets are made of special glass. It is believed that such containers produce the least amount of any substance when heated, although manufacturers claim that plastic also does not release anything when heated.
Important! The double boiler should be located on a strictly horizontal plane, not afraid of heating. The arrangement of furniture should be such that nothing stands in the radius of 20 cm with the appliance, nothing should be above it at a height of less than a meter, since the water vapor released during operation can ruin the interior. Do not cover the appliance from above. If there are small children at home, it is necessary to take security measures to exclude their access to a working double boiler.
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