Food steamer
A small appliance for cooking food with steam heat.
A food steamer is a compact kitchen appliance that cooks food by trapping steam inside a sealed container. This technique is known as steaming.
People have steamed food for thousands of years. In ancient China, cooks used pottery steamers. Archaeologists have found vessels called *yan* steamers, which consisted of two parts: a *zeng* (a pot with a perforated bottom) placed on top of a tripod-based cauldron, with a lid. The oldest known *yan* steamer, dating to around 5000 BC, was discovered at the Banpo site. In the lower Yangzi River region, *zeng* pots appeared during the Hemudu culture (5000–4500 BC) and the Liangzhu culture (3200–2000 BC), where they were used to steam rice. *Yan* steamers have also been found at several Liangzhu sites, including three at the Chuodun and Luodun sites in southern Jiangsu. At the Longshan culture (3000–2000 BC) site at Tianwang in western Shandong, three large *yan* steamers were uncovered.
Most steam cookers include a juice catchment, allowing nutrients that would otherwise escape as steam to be saved. In other cooking methods, like boiling, these nutrients are often discarded with the cooking water. Because they require no oil, food steamers are popular in health-focused diets such as cuisine minceur, certain raw food plans, the Okinawa diet, macrobiotic eating, and the CRON-diet. They also release less heat into the kitchen, which helps keep the room cooler during warm weather.
- type
- Kitchen appliance
- earliest_known_use
- About 5000 BC
- earliest_known_site
- Banpo site (China)
- related_ancient_cultures
- Hemudu, Liangzhu, Longshan
- cooking_method
- Steaming
Lore & Background
In the lower Yangzi River, zeng pots first appeared in the Hemudu culture (5000–4500 BC) and Liangzhu culture (3200–2000 BC) and were used to steam rice; yan steamers were also unearthed in several Liangzhu sites, including three found at the Chuodun and Luodun sites in southern Jiangsu. In the Longshan culture (3000–2000 BC) site at Tianwang in western Shandong, three large yan steamers were discovered.
Reader's Guide
The food steamer's significance lies in its long history and health benefits. Used for millennia, as evidenced by ancient Chinese pottery steamers dating to about 5000 BC, it represents one of the earliest cooking technologies. Modern steam cookers often feature a juice catchment that retains nutrients otherwise lost as steam, unlike boiling where nutrients are discarded. Due to cooking without oil, food steamers are used extensively in health-oriented diets such as cuisine minceur, some raw food diets, the Okinawa diet, a macrobiotic diet, or the CRON-diet. Additionally, they release less heat to the kitchen environment, helping keep the kitchen cool during hot summers. The appliance's legacy is tied to both ancient culinary practices and contemporary health-conscious cooking.
Did You Know?
- The earliest yan steamer dates from about 5000 BC and was unearthed at the Banpo site.
- In the Hemudu culture (5000–4500 BC), zeng pots were used to steam rice.
- Three large yan steamers were discovered at the Longshan culture site at Tianwang in western Shandong.
- Most steam cookers feature a juice catchment that allows nutrients otherwise lost as steam to be consumed.
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