I have always wondered whether boiling is a better cooking method that steaming or vice versa.
In this article, we will look at what boiling and steaming is, their effects on nutrients in food and some foods that suit either of these methods.
Hope you have a wonderful and insightful time reading this article.
Boiling and steaming: what are they
Boiling is basically the cooking of food that has been immersed in liquid especially water which has reached near its boiling point which is 100°C. This is an efficient and even method of cooking several foods. It is widely used because it is simple and also versatile.
Steaming on the other hand is a cooking method that employs the use of hot steam to transfer heat to food without immersing in a boiling liquid. Steaming is said to be a fast and a healthier way of cooking food.
Are there types of boiling and steaming?
Yes, we have types of boiling and steaming. When it comes to boiling, we have simmer, light boil and rapid boil. Simmer occurs when few bubbles start appearing in the liquid and most of the bubbles appear at the bottom area and at this stage the heat is medium. Light boil is when the bubbles appearing are more violent but the bubbles are still small and the heat is high. Rapid boil which is most likely the common form of boiling that many of us know, occurs when the entire surface of the liquid is covered in large and more violent bubbles.
With steaming, we have high pressure steaming and low pressure steaming. For high pressure steaming, equipment prevent steam from escaping from food is used and this leads to a more intense steaming process. Low pressure steaming however uses atmospheric of surrounding moisture to directly or indirectly steam food.
Effects of boiling and steaming on food
I have always thought that boiling reduces the nutritional composition of food especially vegetables and I’m sure most of you did as well. However this isn’t actually true. A research that was done by (Pellegrini et al., 2009) showed that boiling had a rather positive effect on the total antioxidant activity of vegetables including carrots, artichoke and broccoli. The total antioxidant activity of these vegetables increased when boiled due to the softening and disruption of cellular components. This led to the availability of antioxidants contributing to total antioxidant activity. The boiling of broccoli for instance increases the release of beta carotene. Also for legumes specifically peas, boiling is said to be the best method to retain folate (Fabbri and Crosby, 2016) and also serves as a good method for reducing anti nutrients in food.
Steaming as a cooking method is also an effective way of cooking foods which contain sensitive nutrients like vitamin C which is present in vegetables like spinach. Potatoes are also good sources of vitamin C and so is best cooked when steaming as method is used (Danowska-Oziewicz, Karpińska-Tymoszczyk and Borowski, 2007)
Foods suitable for boiling and steaming
There are certain foods that boiling is suitable for and some include rice, meat, eggs, seafood, broccoli, peas, green beans, pasta and corn. For steaming, most foods which contain sensitive nutrients are cooked by this method and examples of such foods are vegetables such as spinach, potatoes and dumplings.
So which method is the best?
Both boiling and steaming are good methods of cooking and both have their benefits. I will say that you have to know the type of food and the nutrients it contains to be able to decide the best method for you to use. I hope from we have all learnt that boiling is not an unhealthy way of cooking as some of us think it is. To make sure that you retain your nutrients when boiling, it is advisable to use minimal amount of water and cook for a shorter time.
References
Danowska-Oziewicz, M., Karpińska-Tymoszczyk, M. and Borowski, J. (2007) ‘The effect of cooking in a steam-convection oven on the quality of selected dishes’, Journal of Foodservice, 18(5), pp. 187–197. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4506.2007.00065.x.
Fabbri, A.D.T. and Crosby, G.A. (2016) ‘A review of the impact of preparation and cooking on the nutritional quality of vegetables and legumes’, International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 3, pp. 2–11. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2015.11.001.
Pellegrini, N. et al. (2009) ‘Effect of domestic cooking methods on the total antioxidant capacity of vegetables’, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 60(SUPPL. 2), pp. 12–22. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/09637480802175212.
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