Smoke on the water: Swetha Sivakumar on the science of steaming

What makes this such a powerful yet gentle way to cook? The lid comes off the steamer, in this week’s Sound Bites column.

Imagine setting an oven to 100 degrees Celsius, in order to bake a loaf. The heat would barely alter the dough. Yet the same temperature in a steamer is enough to not just cook food, but also destroy any bacteria present. Despite this, we consider this a relatively gentle form of cooking, and we place delicate food in delicate leaf packets in our steamers.

Why this paradox? Let’s take a look at the science of steaming.

Once water reaches boiling