cooking vegetables at the boiling point, but
without the necessity of heating a whole pot
of water, exposing the food directly to
turbulent water, and leaching out flavor or
color or nutrients. It doesn’t allow the cook to
control saltiness, calcium cross-linking, or
acidity (steam itself is a slightly acid pH 6,
and plant cells and vacuoles are also more
acid than is ideal for chlorophyll); and
evenness of cooking requires that the pieces
be arranged in a single layer, or that the pile
be very loose to allow the steam access to all
food surfaces. Steaming leaves the food
tasting exclusively of its cooked self, though
the steam can also be aromatized by the
inclusion of herbs and spices.
Pressure Cooking Pressure cooking is
sometimes applied to vegetables, especially in
the canning of low-acid foods. It is essentially
cooking by a combination of boiling water
and steam, except that both are at about