Any food heated by direct contact with the steam generated by boiling water has been steamed. Cooked vegetables are at their best when steamed, because this method helps to retain texture, color, taste and nutrients.
A common method for steaming is to place food in a rack or steamer basket above boiling water and to cover the pot or pan with a lid in order to trap the steam. An indirect technique, called en papillote (on pap-ee-yote), is to wrap the food in foil or parchment paper before it is baked or grilled. Then, in an oven or over the grill, the food cooks by the steam of its own juices, which are trapped in the packet. In a microwave oven, covering foods with plastic wrap facilitates steaming. Pressure cookers heat food by holding steam in an enclosed container under pressure. The temperature increases with increasing pounds of pressure per square inch.
