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Bamboo steamers are great for lots of things. The only things to
remember are: always use a double layer of cheesecloth beneath the
food, and never wash the steamer (if you wipe it right after use you'll
never have problems.) You can reheat foods, steam veggies or Chinese
buns (or shiu mai) or rice. If you have foods on more than one layer,
make sure the items that take the longest to cook are on the bottom.
I found an old pot that fits right under the steamer and makes a
good seal. A frying pan might do as well.
Good luck.
JJRitz
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| I've always used mine in my wok, since no other pan would fit it. Never used
cheesecloth in it as .1 suggests, but never needed to. I've made steamed buns
and steamed dumplings (peking ravioli, shu mai, yang chow, etc.) in it with no
sticking problems by simply putting a piece of lettuce or cabbage under the
items, and placing them right on the rack. Also, I've used it for steaming
lobster by placing the lobster right on the rack. A stiff brush cleans the
little residue that sticks to it. By the way, in the wok, I always make sure
to wet the steamer first, so the edges that touch the wok don't burn.
A favorite recipe is Turbans of Sole, a light, fast meal:
Set up the steamer and and turn it on.
Place a bowl inside (a wide flattish one)
Clean and string about a dozen snow peas
Slice some large carrots so you have about a dozen snow-pea-sized
slices.
Place carrots and snow peas into the bowl and steam briefly while
preparing the sole.
Take a good sized sole fillet, and cut it lengthwise on the line.
Lightly salt and pepper each piece and roll it up (start at the thick
end, and keep the very white side out) into little turbans.
Place each turban on a slice of ginger root, on top of the veggies.
Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil on each turban.
Steam for eight minutes.
Remove the turbans and veggies to serving plates, and discard the
ginger slices.
Add a few drops of soy to the juices that formed in the bowl and
spoon over the sole.
Serve with/over rice.
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