Frozen peas in a steamer???

iwannanicerlife

I have been given a pan steamer - you know one of these that you use above a pan of boiling water. I have been cooking pasta in the bottom pan, with carrots and green beans in the top pan (there are three divided sections). Can I cook peas in there too? What else can I use it for? It has sat in my cupboard for nearly a year, so now I've got it out, I want to make the most of it!

Many thanks.

Pink.

Hi iwannanicerlife,

Yes you can cook peas in there too providing the holes are big enough and the peas won't slip through to the pan below.

I use my steamer for everything...potatoes, pasta, all kind of veg, fish etc. It saves a fortune using one ring on the hob rather than three for each meal.

These earlier threads (although not all hob steamers) may give you some ideas to help you get started:

Help - cooking with steamer

Food steamer

Pink

CLB70

I cook peas in my steamer with no problem.

polydorus

I cook pretty much all fresh and frozen veg in my steamer.

I don't use it for potatoes as I find it makes them too dry and fluffy (but some people love them like that! so do give it a go). You can't really steam things like mushrooms and aubergines, but other than that there's so much you can do:

A quick list of steam-able things:

broccoli; spinach; cauliflower; courgettes; asparagus; green beans; broad beans; runner beans (you get the picture); artichokes; kale; spring greens; pak choi; chinese leaf; squashes of all sorts, pumpkins etc; sweetcorn (either fresh on the cob, or from the tin or frozen); sprouts; all kinds of cabbage; leeks; fennel; celeriac; turnips; swede....

Often I make entire dinners in the steamer: potatoes boiling in the water at the bottom; salmon with lime squeezed over in the middle; green beans, peas & broccoli in the top. Healthy and cheap (except the salmon.. but I got a whole load of it half price at Sainsbury's last week and froze it!) Also really useful for sunday lunch when you never seem to have enough hotplates for all the various bits and bobs!

Also, if you're stuck for a side dish, you can make something that tastes really lovely just by mixing some butter with some appropriate herbs and melting it over the steamed veggies.

Enjoy your steaming