This appliance promises that you can prepare and enjoy steamed foods. Steaming is one of the healthiest cooking techniques, but requires a proper steamer and careful attention to preparation. Done in the wrong cookware or with improper technique, everything becomes so bad – mushy, tasteless. In the photo you can see my professional Japanese stainless steel steamer.
It is very heavy. The bottom part can contain more than 16 quarts of water that promises strong steam production for many long hours. Even though this is “the best” steamer, wehn I want to do a small daily quantity of steaming, it is a pain to set it up, boiling lots of water, cleaning after use and disassembling to put it away. Now with this Zojirushi skillet – using the deep skillet and the ingredients platform – I can do small portion steaming so easily and any time. The design of the skillet including the structure of the lid, the provision a little space between lid and skillet to allow some steam to escape, etc. makes the cooking results perfect. I have used this cookware to prepare steamed fish, vegetables and made the famous Japanese savory egg custard, chawanmushi. I plan to challenge the delicious Western-style dessert, sweet egg custard, next weekend.
Perfectly steamed veges like this is a piece of cake
The “convenient part” also includes easy set up and cleaning. Oh, and another feature is that the deep skillet (NOT the shallow skillet!) can go directly over the flame of a gas stove, so you can prepare a dish that is partially cooked in the kitchen, then brought out to the table and finished it while the diners watch and enjoy the aroma. Such dish as fish stews (for example, bouillabaisse) and Japanese hot pot dishes are perfect in the deep skillet and this technique of partial cooking in the kitchen and finishing at the table save time, confusion and some of the mess that can be associated with at-the-table cooking. I am going to try more delicious preparations using this new cookware and post the recipes here. Check out Hiroko’s Amazon Store to purchase the Zojirushi Gourmet d”Expert Electric Skillet.