Steam Cooking Equipment – The Staple Of a Healthy Diet

Steam cooking equipment is designed to cook vegetables, seafood, rice, meat, or other ingredients with steam power contacting food with moisture. Commercial steamers rely on moist heat cooking, renown for a healthier way of cooking than dry-heat methods like grilling, baking, or frying. They feature an easy-to-use construction to remove the guesswork. Built-in boilers generate steam, which is then transferred to the cooking cabinet. This heat transfer happens gently and at lower temperatures, minimizing the risk of overcooking.  

Benefits Of Steam Cooking Equipment

Using steamers for cooking offers several nutritional and operational advantages:

• Commercial steam cooking equipment applies gentler heat, resulting in more delicate and digestible dishes. 
• The moisture from food steamers helps soften and break down the fiber in ingredients. It also removes fats from proteins. 
• Because the food does not contact with hot water or direct heat, the natural flavor, texture, and color of ingredients are retained. The result is menus rich in nutrients, vitamins, and taste but lower in cholesterol and calories.
• Food shrinkage and burning are less likely in steam cooking.
• Steam cooking equipment can also increase profitability by reducing cook times and improving consistency and flexibility. 
• Commercial restaurant steamers allow cooking different items in the same unit without flavor transfer. 
• Digital or manual programmable controls and timers allow chefs to set cook times and steam volumes independently for different batches. 
• Steam cooking equipment does not require extra oils in the cooking process, leaving no mess to clean up.
• Commercial kitchen steamers lock in the pressure and prevent steam loss. Therefore, they consume less energy to retain cooking temperatures and add heat to your kitchen ambiance.  

Types Of Steam Cooking Equipment

Steam cooking equipment varies according to its size and steam generation method. The size is often based on the number and size of pans steamers can accommodate in their cooking compartments. While some models produce steam through enclosed boilers, some utilize separate steam generators. You can also prefer steam-jacketed kettles for a gentler heat transfer to food items. Depending on your available space, cooking volume needs, and menu items, you can choose from the types of commercial steam equipment.

1. Pressure streamers utilize steam generated at 5 to 15 psi (pounds per square inch). The high pressure sealed inside the cooking cabinet can heat up to 250°F, cooking tough items quickly. They are larger and perfect for high-output applications. Convection steamers apply the convective flow of steam rather than pressure and cook more slowly at 212 °F but more evenly. You can use them to steam, poach, or stew delicate food items. Finally, dim sum steamers feature various bamboo steamer holes for cooking dim sum, dumplings, or other Chinese meals.
2. Countertop steamers ensure the same cooking time and consistency as full-size steamers. Only, they do not occupy your valuable floor space. These compact food steamers house a removable water reservoir used by high-pressure jets to inject steam, usually from above, and this creates quick bursts of hot moisture. They are particularly suitable for smaller facilities for reheating baked products without drying them or meeting low-volume steamed meal demands.
3. Steam kettles are a versatile type of steam cooking equipment. Steam kettles, or steam-jacketed kettles, are large deep pots with an inner and outer stainless steel wall. The superheated pressurized steam running in this jacket cooks products inside the pot quickly and evenly without direct contact. You can prepare large quantities of soups, sauces, pasta, or rice. Built-in mixers remove the need for stirring the ingredients constantly. With tilting models, pouring the products into containers for serving is easier and safer.
4. Tilt skillets & braising pans are also very functional steam cooking equipment that can be used for steaming, grilling, frying, boiling, sauteing, or braising in large batches. They work like flat-top grills, but you can cook your items on the bottom and the sides of their rectangular, round, or square pans. These commercial steamers feature a manually or automatically operated mechanism to tilt the braising pan for hassle-free transfer of finished products into serving utensils.
5. Steam generators are large containers that use electricity or gas to boil water and convert it into steam. If your restaurant does not have boilers, you may need one of these stand-alone units. They will provide the moisture necessary for your food warmers, steam kettles, or other steam cooking equipment. 

Steam cooking equipment is available in various features, including size, capacity, power, or the number of compartments and pans. You will have to attend to different points based on your choice of type. Browse the large selection at Chef's Deal from top-rated manufacturers, Accutemp, Cleveland, Groen, and more.