Potato is a vegetable that is consumed by everyone in a variety of forms. Very few people in the world can claim to dislike this vegetable. Boiled, mashed or, everyone’s favourite, fried potatoes are a luxury dish that has a regular appearance in our life. Apart from being popular for its taste, it is, like all other vegetables, highly beneficial for health, too.
However, there is a new way to cook this vegetable and it gives an equally crispy and delicious output as all the other methods. In this article, we will teach you the ways to steam potatoes and discover an amazing dish you had been missing out on for so long.
Most Useful Tips on How to Steam Potatoes
How to Steam Potatoes in a Steamer?
Get your steamer ready by pouring water in the bottom part of it until it is half full. Bring this water to a boil.
Wash the potatoes properly and chop them according to your liking. If they are small, you can cut them from the middle and if they are bigger, you can make four parts of it. There is no need to peel the potatoes. Place these in the steamer basket.
Put the basket inside the steamer, over the boiling water. Cover the steamer with its lid and turn it on. Cook for ten to fifteen minutes until the potatoes are tender.
This is an easy guide on how you can steam potatoes in a steamer. Next, just take them out and toss them gently in salt, pepper, oil, and parsley and serve the delicious dish while it is hot.
How to Steam Potatoes Without a Steamer?
There is more than one way to steam potatoes without a steamer. These are as quick and easily done as the method done with the steamer.
Scrub and clean the potatoes. It is not recommended to soak the potatoes in a bowl since it makes it lose some of its nutrients. Instead, do it under running water. Get a saucepan and pour enough water to cover the bottom of it. We only need water to create moisture for steam. Add salt to water if you want flavour in your steamed potatoes. Next, get three equal-sized balls of aluminium foil and place them in the water. These will act as support for the plate you put on top of it. On these plates, place the potatoes. Cover the saucepan with a lid and cook it for ten to fifteen minutes.
Another method is to steam potatoes in a microwave. Add enough water in a microwave-safe bowl to cover one-eighth of the potatoes. After cleaning the potatoes, put them in the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Put it in the microwave and cook for five minutes. Check it every few minutes to make sure they are cooking to your liking.
You can also steam it in a large pot using a steamer basket. Pour water into the pot until it is half full. Bring it to a boil. Place the potatoes in the steamer basket and fit it into the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and let it cook for ten to fifteen minutes. Check for tenderness and cook a few more minutes if it is still not soft.
Which is better – Steam Potatoes vs. Boiled Potatoes
Now, let us compare the common form of potatoes we use often to this new way we have just learned. In other words, we will do a competition of steam potatoes vs. boiled potatoes. Which is less time consuming, healthier and easier?
For boiled potatoes, you fill a saucepan with cold water and put potatoes inside it. There should be some space above the water and potatoes. The cold water helps potatoes boil more evenly. Add some salt in it and stir it until dissolved. Next, you put it over medium heat and bring it to a boil. After the water has boiled, bring the heat down to a minimum. Do not cover the pan because it will make the potatoes turn squishy. The bigger the potatoes are, the more time they will take. On average, they will be done in twenty to thirty minutes. After they are done, take them out and drain them.
To steam potatoes, on average, the time taken is ten to fifteen minutes. The steps include putting water in a pot or bowl, adding potatoes in a steamer basket in some cases, fitting the steamer basket inside the pot and leaving it to cook.
We can see that in terms of time-consuming, steamed potatoes are quicker.
There is only a bit of water that needs to be boiled for steamed potatoes as opposed to a whole pot of water needing to be boiled for boiled potatoes. As for easiness, both methods have almost an equal number of steps. But which one is healthier? As studies point out, steamed potatoes have all the benefits that boiled potatoes have. The nutrients in both are equally beneficial.
So, if steamed potatoes promise you the same perks as boiled potatoes in almost half the time, it is surely the better choice.
Steaming Potatoes for Mashing
After steaming the potatoes by using either of the methods mentioned above, we can use it to make mashed potatoes. Take a small saucepan. Add milk and butter in it and heat it over medium heat until the butter has melted. Take the steaming hot potatoes from the steamer basket or microwave and rice them into a bowl. Gently mix the butter mixture and add seasonings. And your creamy rich mashed potatoes are ready to be served.
This is one method of how we can use steam potatoes for mashing.
Conclusion
We all know potato is one of the favourites among all the other vegetables. It is enjoyed for its flavoursome taste and texture. However, in almost all the ways we consume potatoes, the cooking time is tiresome. Yes, all good things have to wait but it is about time we introduced a way which lets us cook it and relish it without standing by for an hour.
Therefore, we introduce you to ways in which you can steam potatoes. A speedy method that will get you exactly what you want, if not better, in half the time. There is no harm in giving one of the recipes above a try and decide for yourself if it is truly worth it.
