Steaming with AMC – why it's gentle, healthy and especially simple

Joël Mink
2022-02-09T10:56:00+01:00

Full steam ahead! To find out why it’s worthwhile steaming your food more frequently, read on in our latest blog post. You’ll also learn why the EasyQuick from AMC is the perfect steamer and pick up some direct inspiration from our delicious AMC recipes!

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Full steam ahead! To find out why it’s worthwhile steaming your food more frequently, read on in our latest blog post. You’ll also learn why the EasyQuick from AMC is the perfect steamer and pick up some direct inspiration from our delicious AMC recipes!

So, you want to prepare your food so that it’s healthier and preserves those vital nutrients? In that case, you should definitely use the steaming method more often. And here’s our insider tip: With AMC’s steaming lid EasyQuick , steaming is even healthier and easier on those important vitamins and minerals. Read on to discover the other benefits you’ll enjoy with the EasyQuick!

Steaming or stewing – what’s the difference?

First of all, a little cooking method 1x1: Both cooking methods are distinguished by the gentle way they preserve the nutrients in your food, especially with vegetables, fish, or meat. But the big difference is that stewed food is cooked in its own juices or other liquids, such as water, wine, or stock. The food is then stewed in the pot over a medium heat. With steaming it’s different – the food is heated up and cooked solely by the action of steam. As the name suggests, in fact.

With steaming, the food is neither in its own juice nor in the added water, but in a sieve insert. Compared to stewing, there is no danger of the food burning because of the use of a sieve insert.

In steaming, the liquid is heated up to 100 degrees Celsius so that water evaporates, condenses under the lid and the food is cooked in a closed steam circuit.

Why steaming is so healthy

Steaming is one of the healthiest ways of cooking there is. But why is steaming your food so good for you? The main reason is that steaming preserves important vitamins. Because this cooking method involves hardly any additional water, the minerals and vitamins in your food are almost completely preserved. And since you don’t have to add any fat when you steam, this cooking method also reduces your calorific intake.

Here’s a little tip: Saving water when using a steamer is not only rewarded with more nutrients, but also with more flavour. Especially if you use stock, wine and fresh herbs instead of just water for flavouring.

EasyQuick – the steamer from AMC

The steamer lid EasyQuick from AMC makes steaming particularly easy. With the EasyQuick, not only can you prepare healthy meals in a gentle way but you can also steam them fast. When you cook with AMC, the steam cooks the food at between 97 °C and 99 °C. These low temperatures ensure that the nutrients and minerals are preserved, alongside the vitamins and the flavor of your ingredients. Steaming with AMC isn’t just healthy and gentle on nutrients but will also save you energy. It can take up to 50% less time than conventional cooking methods. Depending on the recipe, you can also select a shorter cooking time, since, due to the residual heat in the capsule base, the dish will continue to cook for a very long time. The quicker the food is cooked, the less energy is consumed. It follows that these features also make this cooking method sustainable. Not only that, but the steaming lid fits two different sizes of pot thanks to its two sealing rings of different sizes. It’s this feature that makes the EasyQuick so flexible and space-saving. You can cook your food with or without an insert in the pot.

Thanks to the AMC Visiotherm, you also know what the temperature is inside. If you also use the AMC Audiotherm, an acoustic signal will call you when you need to adjust the temperature or when the cooking time is over. This way, you'll succeed with any recipe.

Steaming with AMC is especially good for fish, seafood, vegetables that take longer to cook, or stuffed vegetables. If you read on you’ll find a great selection of delicious fish dishes that you can quickly and easily cook with the AMC steaming lid.

Alongside the EasyQuick, AMC is now also offering the Oval EasyQuick steaming lid. This steamer, at 38 cm in length, is especially suitable for big chunks of fish or meat, asparagus, spaghetti, and other larger quantities of food.

Steaming with AMC isn’t just healthy and gentle on nutrients but will also save you energy. It can take up to 50% less time than conventional cooking methods. Depending on the recipe, you can also select a shorter cooking time, since, due to the residual heat in the capsule base, the dish will continue to cook for a very long time. The quicker the food is cooked, the less energy is consumed. It follows that these features also make this cooking method sustainable.

The advantages of steaming with AMC at a glance:

Uses less energy and also heats up more quickly than conventional steamers, as the cooking area is much smaller and less water is required.

Any AMC pot with a diameter of 20 or 24 cm can be used as a steam cooker.

One lid for two pot sizes

Gentle preparation: This results in, for example*:

◾ 30 % more chlorophyll in broccoli¹
◾ 50 % more bioactive plant substances in broccoli1,2
◾ Up to 30 % more beta-carotene (provitamin A) in carrots1,3

*Compared to conventional cooking of vegetables in water. Sources: 1 “Effects of different cooking methods on health-promoting compounds of broccoli” (2009), Zhejiang University Science B 2 “Evaluation of Different Cooking Conditions on Broccoli to Improve the Nutritional Value and Consumer Acceptance” (2014), Radhika Bongoni, Ruud Verkerk, Bea Steenbekkers, Matthijs Dekker & Markus Stieger 3 “Sensory and health properties of steamed and boiled carrots” (2014), Radhika Bongoni, Markus Stieger, Matthijs Dekker, Bea Steenbekkers & Ruud Verkerk