Adding steamed vegetables to your diet is an extremely healthy step you can take for your body. Vegetables are not only rich in nutrients; they also help our body grow stronger against serious diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
However, cooking these vegetables has to be some with care as the more you cut and cook them, the more of its nutrients and, in turn, its health benefits are lost. One of the best ways of cooking vegetables that ensures no loss of vitamins or minerals is steaming vegetables.
The further section talks about the methods of how you can steam spinach. There are also answers to some common questions about steaming spinach.
Top 5 Questions on How to Steam Spinach Answered
How to Steam Spinach in a Rice Cooker?
It is time to use your rice cooker for something other than just boiling rice. As you might have noticed, your rice cooker comes with a steamer basket or a steam bowl that fits perfectly within its pot. We will use this to teach you how you can steam spinach in a rice cooker.
Add water in the bottom stock pot until it is half-full. After removing the spinach stalks, wash it properly and place it in the steamer basket. Fit the steamer basket in its place and close the rice cooker’s lid. Press the button used for steaming from the menu options on the rice cooker. Leave it for fifteen to twenty minutes to steam. Viola, your dish is ready!
How long to Steam Frozen Spinach?
An amazing benefit of making steamed spinach is that you do not have to eat it all in one sitting. Instead, you can zip lock it in a bag and freeze it to be used even a week later. It would still taste fresh even after all that time.
However, it is important to know how long you can steam frozen spinach because doing it for too long can destroy its nutrients. The way to go about it is to get a microwave-safe bowl and place it in that. Cook it for a minute or two on medium heat of the microwave. After the timer has rung, take out the bowl and mix the spinach with a spoon. If there are still some frozen parts left, put it back in the microwave and let it steam for a few more minutes.
After it has been completely deferred, make sure to pour the water that is left in the bowl on top of it. On a steaming, spinach releases a liquid that is very high in minerals and vitamins. This liquid should not be thrown away as it is very beneficial for health.
How to Steam Spinach in a Pan?
Out of all the other ways to steam spinach, doing it in a pan is one of the best because spinach is a vegetable with a high quantity of water in it which is best handled over a stovetop.
Now, to steam spinach in a pan, you only need a bit of moisture to create steam around the spinach you placed inside the pan. This is why you only add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. After doing that, cut and wash the spinach and place it inside. Cover the lid and leave it on medium-low heat for ten to fifteen minutes. Leave it for more time if it has not cooked to your preference.
And that is a quick and easy method to get you exactly what you want.
Steaming Spinach in the Microwave
As mentioned previously, microwave can be of good use when it comes to steaming or defrosting the spinach. One way to steam spinach in the microwave is to place the spinach in a microwave-safe bowl after adding a small amount of water in it. Then cover the bowl with a plastic wrap or place a plate on top. It needs to be airtight to the steam stays inside to cook the spinach.
After covering it, place it inside the microwave and only cook it for one to two minutes. When the spinach starts to wilt, that means your perfect steamed spinach is ready!
How to Use Steamed Spinach for Baby Food?
Of course, with all these nutrients and healthy perks, you should add spinach to your child’s diet from an early age. This will develop their physical as well as mental capabilities. However, some nutrients are not good for babies so completely fresh spinach is not recommended in this case.
So, now, let’s talk about how you can use steamed spinach for baby food.
After you steam spinach using any of the above methods, let it cool for five minutes or more. Next, use a grinder or blender to grind the steamed spinach to a puree it. Add water or milk to get it as runny or thick as you want for your baby. You can mix this spinach puree with chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes and more.
This spinach puree can be locked in an airtight container and stored in your fridge to be used for up to three days. You can also freeze them in which case they remain edible for almost three months.
Conclusion
For a balanced diet as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, having vegetables is an important element. However, it may not seem as appetizing as all the other foods like steaks, burgers, etc. The solution is to try recipes which make vegetables as delicious as all the other foods. An example of such a solution is given above which is the different ways to steam spinach.
The other foods are only good in taste but this food promises health benefits along with good taste. If would not hurt to give it a try since it will neither prove to be an interference in your time nor your budget. So, what are you waiting for this? Give this dish a try!
