First of all, we should mention that “waterless cookware” is something of a misnomer. In most cases, there is still a very small amount of water that is used to cook vegetables even if you are working with so called waterless cookware.
Still, so many of us are used to boiling and steaming our vegetables in normal cookware. However, if you have recently converted to waterless cookware, you may be scratching your head as to how to cook vegetables in waterless cookware.
The process is probably a lot easier than you think and in the following article, we are going to teach you how to do it. We will also be highlighting some of the aspects that make waterless cookware unique and some of the advantages of waterless cooking.
Why Would you Want to Cook Waterless?
There is really only one major reason that people opt for waterless cooking. The fact is that when you cook with water, you risk losing out on a lot of vitamin and nutrients. When fruits and vegetables come into contact with water and are then heated to a high temperature, many nutrients seep out of the food itself. This is especially true of delicate vitamins like B’s and C’s.
In essence, waterless cooking is a way to keep as many nutrients in your food as possible. Waterless cookware is also use din greaseless and fatless cooking. Obviously, the advantage here is to cut out a lot of the calories you would normally get by using grease or fat to cook your food. The overall goal though is to make the food you eat healthier and more nutritious.
What Sets Waterless Cookware Apart?
In order for it to properly cook your food, waterless cookware has to be able to transfer a high amount of heat from the source to the inside of the vessel. The point is to convert a very small amount of water inside the vessel into steam and to form a vapor layer. This vapor layer is essentially what cooks your food. In order for any kind of cookware to do this, it needs to be capable of 2 things:
- Retaining As Much Heat As Possible – Waterless cookware can’t afford to lose any heat or steam from inside the vessel or else it will not be able to properly cook your food. Since this type of cookware relies on only a very small amount of moisture, it needs to be able to completely seal it in while cooking.
- Distribute Heat Evenly – Again, since very little moisture is used in this type of cooking, waterless cookware needs to be able to heat the food evenly. This usually requires multi-layer bases with copper or aluminum surfaces. Sometimes, higher-end waterless cookware will feature surgical stainless steel.
Cooking Vegetables in Waterless Cookware
Luckily, waterless cookware makes it pretty easy to cook vegetables. Here is the best way we know to cook vegetables in waterless cookware:
- Fill the Vessel – Fill the waterless cookware vessel with your vegetables of choice and then rinse them with water. Make sure the vessel is ¾ full to full.
- Drain – Now you are going to want to carefully pour the excess water out of the vessel so that there is no pooled water at the bottom.
- Cover and Cook – Place the cover on the vessel and cook the vegetables over medium-high heat.
- Check for Vapor Barrier – When the lid is able to spin on the rim of the vessel, the vapor barrier has formed. That’s how you know that the cookware is doing it’s job.
- Don’t Open! – This point can’t be stressed enough. It’s very important that once you place the lid on the vessel, you do not lift it off again until cooking is completed. This can cause you to lose precious moisture needed to properly cook the vegetables.
Bonus Tip:
The method we described above was for fresh vegetables but if you want to cook frozen vegetables the process is exactly the same. The only additional instruction for frozen vegetables is to not let them thaw. Rinse them and cook them just as you would with fresh vegetables while they are still frozen.
Cooking vegetables in waterless cookware is a great way to make the food you and your family eat healthier and more nutritious. Cooking waterless even makes the food look more presentable. We hope you have found out guide useful and that you use it to enjoy more healthy meals.
