Steaming is a process very similar to boiling, for it is cooking in
the heated vapor of water. This practice as a means of cookery is
largely adopted in hotels, clubs, schools and hospitals, and other
large institutions; also frequently applied in ordinary home cookery
for particular articles of food requiring a very slow process of
cooking. An ordinary kitchen steamer, with a close-fitting lid is
generally all that is required for simple household cookery on a small
scale. The articles of food which are to be steamed are prepared in
exactly the same manner as for boiling. Many puddings, some meats, and
some vegetables are considered better if cooked by steam, and inasmuch
as the process of cooking is a very slow one, there is no fear of
the food being destroyed by too fierce a heat, as the temperature in
steaming never reaches beyond 212° F. Fish, meat and poultry cooked by
steam are as a rule tender, full of gravy and digestible. By steaming,
watery vegetables are made drier; tough meats are softened and made
tender; while farinaceous mixtures and puddings develop a totally
different flavor when baked or fried.