Steaming Hot

One of the easiest ways to cook for those who hate cooking is steaming. At temperatures that are at the boiling point, steam does wonders in a short time and doesn't boil away flavour or many nutrients. The trick is to get a little steamer device that sits in the bottom of your pot with the lid. Fill the pot with enough water to come almost to the bottom of your steamer and set it on the stove. Pop in just about any vegetable or hunk of meat, fish or seafood, even tofu, and your dinner will be cooked in no time. The best part of steaming is that the flavours of each item in the steamer don't transfer to the others. Steaming is practical for use while camping, boating or at home. It's quick and simple and easy to clean up. I do even meats this way and it never comes out dry. It can be colourless however, therefore, if you want your chicken breast or steak to have some nice brownish colour, try brushing it with  your favorite barbecue sauce or other condiment and sprinkling on an herb or two. I've been known to pop into the steamer a couple of eggs for use later as well. You can get away with just about anything steaming. One of the steamers I used had space for a little container of rice and water. It came out perfectly with the right  timing. You can get a tiny, inexpensive  rice cooker with a tray above to hold some vegetables or bits of meats or seafood. A dash of plum sauce after the cooking,  makes the whole thing delightful. When you finish with the rice cooker, you have an entire meal before you, to savour. Cooking is the easiest thing in the world. Don't let the word "gourmet cook" frighten you. All that means, for most folks, is paying for expensive ingredients. You do not have to do that. "Fancy" doesn't mean better nutrition. When you buy the junk food all done up for you, make sure you read the inch of additives first. You are far better off doing it yourself. Turn to the vegetable section next time in the super market, and not the aisle with pizza and little boxed dinners. It takes about the same amount of time to chop a few veggies and pop them into your steamer. And you are so much further ahead nutritionally. Besides it's fun and rewarding to prep your own dinners. For those who hate cooking, find yourself some gourmet sauces to slap on to those steamer meals and voila, you have become a very good cook. For example a bit of marmalade on that chicken breast equals ChickenA L'Orange! The little jars of butter chicken sauce, tomato spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce and others, will make your dinners exotic. I cheat a bit and put water and pasta in my rice cooker bottom compartment instead of rice and with chicken and any veggies or shrimp in the top section it comes out just fine. By adding the spaghetti sauce later, it becomes, with imagination and a nice red wine,  an elegant kind of meal. After a bit, you'll begin to experiment and come up with your own originals. "Bon apetit" as unforgettable JC would say!