Festive champions: steamers

Many people don’t realise it, but a steamer isn’t just an aid for preserving vitamins when preparing vegetables. It’s a culinary strategist, a defender of flavour, and a quiet perfectionist working in the background. And by December at the latest, it transforms into a gift-maker. After all, steaming is not just cooking, but planning, preparing and preserving. It means giving back a sense of calm during the hectic Christmas period. It means respecting ingredients in their natural form and cooking them in a way that retains their colour and flavour. And it means creating little culinary treats that are ideal for preserving and giving away. In other words, a delightful promise in a jar. All without compromising on quality, plus the feeling of achieving a portion of calm at this busy time of year.

A steamer makes it possible to prepare many elements of a festive dinner in advance. Red cabbage becomes velvety when cooked in steam rather than boiled down on the stove. Vegetable, poultry or game stocks can be simmered beautifully in a steam cooker, without boiling over. Even apples or pears turn out perfect for sides: soft, flavourful and without caramelised sugar sticking to the bottom of a pan.

Best of all, these treats prepared in advance can easily be preserved after steaming. A steamer can sterilise the jars too and keep the contents bright, fresh and aromatic thanks to gentle preparation. This way, pre-prepared elements for Christmas dinner find their way into the kitchen cupboard, ready for the big day and for weeks afterwards.

Why not give away culinary Christmas treats from the steamer as presents?
These homemade preserves are particularly delicious and make for excellent gifts:
 

• Jarred red cabbage – seasonally spiced and perfectly portioned.
• Homemade stock – given away in little bottles, a favourite for all amateur cooks.
• Spiced pears or apples poached in red wine – a classic ideally suited to a steam cooker.
• Apple sauce with cinnamon or vanilla – more exquisite than any shop-bought product, a heartfelt gift.

These preserves are not only nice to look at, they also taste fantastic. And the best thing is: the steam cooker takes care of the work.

When Christmas day comes round, the steamer demonstrates its second strength: precision. Vegetables remain crisp, fish retains its shape, meat becomes juicy and desserts turn out just right every time. Anyone who has made chocolate cake in a steam cooker will know what succulent truly means.

In a nutshell, a steamer is more than just a kitchen appliance. It ensures both reliable results and calm in the kitchen. And this calm is perhaps the best present we can give ourselves in December.

When it comes to Christmas time, a steam cooker is a helper you only begin to appreciate when you use it. It frees up time, creates flavour and preserves quality. Moreover, it transforms simple ingredients into little culinary highlights that make for fantastic gifts.