The benefits of steaming food

Steaming is a process of cooking food using steam. It works by boiling water vaporizes with steam. During the cooking process, food is not in direct contact with boiling water and therefore won’t overcook.

Benefits of steaming food including:
*It preserves the nutritional value of food
As there is no direct contact with water, the nutritional substances in food are not lost. It maintains the fiber, color, texture and flavor of vegetables. The steaming method sustains 90% of the antioxidants present in fresh vegetables.

*Preserve purest flavor
There’s no cross flavor and steamed foods retain their own genuine flavor. This due to food remains separate form hot water. Steam cooking also reduces the unpleasant smells typical of some foods.

*Texture
Food moist and tender while retain its shape, color, structure and texture.

*Healthier dishes
The resulting dishes are healthier and gentle on the palate. Steaming does not require oil and when cooking fish and chicken, the steam dissolves the fat, making food lower in calories and more easily digestible. The method of steaming lowers the cholesterol.

*Save time and cheaper
It is a delicate process and there’s no agitation involved. Steam cooking is a quick way to prepare dishes and allows to cook several different foods at the same time while saving time.
The benefits of steaming food

Heating in food processing

Heating is one of the most essential methods for food preservation mechanism that applied by the food processor to render food products commercial sterile – that is free from pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms likely to grow during the normal distribution and shelf-life of the product.

Conventional heating methods sue external heat sources including hot water and steam. Heat may be transferred by one or more of the three mechanisms of conduction, convection and radiation.

Most industrial heat transfer operations involve a combination of these but it is often the case that one mechanism is dominant.

Heat sterilization of food in containers is an old technology largely attributed to the work of Nicholas’s Appert in the 1800s.

As introduced and developed in the initial stages, the primary focus of canning was safety and shelf stability. The application of heat processes to containers requires not only the ability to heat and cool the container contents efficiently but also the ability to do so while minimizing the stresses imposed upon the container.

Whether electrical or conventional, heating may be broadly classified as unit operations in blanching, cooking, drying, pasteurization, sterilization and thawing and involve raising the product to some final temperature that depends on the particular objective of the process.
Heating in food processing