If you have already been utilizing a crock-pot, you probably don’t need anyone pointing out the immense benefits that they offer as compared to traditional cooking methods. Not only are they more economical, but they are user-friendly, simplify the entire process of cooking, and make clean up a snap. Simply put, the instant-pot is the way to go for any aspiring or up and coming chef. They work great for the average Joe as well. All that being said, you’ve also likely noticed that the instant-pot comes along with a lot of accessories. Accessories that only promise to make things even easier, but accessories that promise to do wonders. One such accessory is the steamer baskets.
What Exactly Is A Steamer Baskets
If you look at the name of the product, you’ll pretty much already have a good idea of what the product is. It is a basket that sits inside your instant-pot and allows you to steam vegetables. Water goes underneath the basket, where it is heated, and produces steam. That steam then naturally rises and steams or heats or vegetables of food items to the desired temperature. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, it’s not actually that simple. Well, it is simple, but it is entirely possible that you might not be getting the most out of the product. If you want to make the best tasting dishes possible, you’ll take advantage of the following tips and information.
Adding The Right Amount Of Water
When you want to get a steamer basket they’ll be plenty of options available to you. You can shop online or you can visit your local box store and pick one up. These items are pretty common and readily available with different styles and designs, but they all have one thing in common. That common factor is water. Water is the main ingredient or component in making this device effective. Of course, the instant-pot does the heating of the water, but it is the water that actually produces the steam. That being said, putting in just the right amount of water is key.
Water can bubble and rise throughout the process, and once that water touches your food, you have likely ruined your meal. You’ll only want to start with about one or two inches of water. Water it and see if this produces enough steam. If not, you always have the option of lifting out the basket and adding more water. It might take more time for the water to heat back up, but at least you won’t have ruined your entire meal. Just add slow and carefully.
Boil Water First
The nice thing about an instant pot is that you can load in all of the ingredients at once, set the temperature, and let the device cook its heart out. Unfortunately, this is something that you’ll want to avoid with steamer baskets. This trick is to get all the food on the table at the same time. If you throw in the vegetables with the water, it is likely that they will get done before the rest of the meal. This is especially true if you start the vegetables at the same time as your entree. You might want to wait until the entree is halfway done before throwing in the vegetables. You can let the water steam and get hot in the meantime so that it’ll be ready.
