What is the Difference between Steamed and Raw Vegetables?
Steaming is the process of cooking over hot water. The vegetables are often placed in a metal basket that is then placed over a pan of boiling water. The steam from the boiling water heats the vegetables in the basket, cooking them. Steaming a vegetable has many advantages over the more traditional vegetable preparation method of boiling. Steamed and raw vegetables both retain many more of their vitamins and minerals than vegetables that are boiled. When people boil vegetables, they typically cook them for an extended period of time. They drain the water from the vegetables, rinsing away most of the nutrients as well. The short period of time that a vegetable is steamed, as well as the fact that it is not immersed in water, allows it to retain most of its vitamins and minerals. Compare a plate of steamed green beans to a plate of boiled green beans. The steamed beans will be vibrantly green and crisp-tender, while the boiled beans will be a pale shade of green and very limp. It is easy
