A Beginner’s Guide to Lining a Bamboo Steamer

Bamboo steamers are great, functional kitchen gadgets that make delicate cooking almost effortless. But just like a cake stuck to a pan, food stuck to bamboo is a special kind of grief. To use your bamboo steamer effectively, you need to know how to level it.

Steamer basket liners create a barrier between food and bamboo so it can be easily removed after it’s done. The liner retains juice and keeps soft dough intact, allowing steam to pass between and around food for even cooking. Most of the common options are affordable and readily available, and there are a few modern reusable options as well.

Food safe paper

Parchment paper is a common material for lining bamboo steamer baskets. It is cut out in a circle to fit the diameter of the inner compartment, much like you cut out a cake pan liner . Parchment paper is semi-porous, so it’s technically fine, but you can increase airflow by cutting a few holes in the paper. When you cut the folded parchment wedge to form a round lining, stop before unrolling it. Cut out a few small triangles from the folded side, as if you were making a boring snowflake. When you unfold it, it will have several evenly spaced holes through which the steam air will pass. Insert it into the steamer and load the food directly from the top.

For smaller items or when parchment paper is not available, paper cupcake liners can be used. Place one under each piece of food or flatten them out and cover with the inside of the liner. Put food on top and steam.

Plants

In any case, plants are the original paper. Cabbage leaves, kale leaves, banana leaves, corn husks (fresh or dried), cauliflower leaf ribs that you always throw away are all great bamboo steamer liners. These dense plant leaves are ideal because they’re thin so they don’t take up valuable vertical space and they’re strong so they don’t fall apart during periods of damp heat and – look, I love leaves, but – they’re relatively tasteless so they won’t add their own flavor. contribution to your food. Place your chosen leaves in a steamer basket, side by side or bend them slightly, cutting off any excess length. Leaves should lie at the bottom of the basket, they do not need to curl.

reusable

Those who regularly use their steamer may want to consider a more permanent addition to their bamboo basket. You can buy a silicone liner equivalent to perforated parchment paper, steamer cloth, or regular cheesecloth . Silicone is easy to clean along with other utensils, while woven options can usually be washed by hand.

If you don’t have anything to line your bamboo steamer with, you can always use a heat-resistant plate. Cooking can be a little uneven because there won’t be any air circulating underneath, but on the other hand, plates are better at trapping delicious juices, depending on what you’re steaming. With any of the above liners, but especially plates as they retain heat, be careful when removing food. It’s hot there.