You work all day. You come home, you're hungry for dinner.
How many of us still have the energy to do anything more than pluck a cardboard box from the freezer and toss its contents into the microwave?
You made that new year's resolution to eat healthier. And sure, if you had a personal chef, you too could enjoy a restaurant-quality meal at home every night. Maybe a nice filet of salmon and a compliment of fresh-from-the-farmstand veggies. But who has time to deal with "real" foods during the work week?
You do! Haven't you ever thought about steaming?
Kim hates to cook, especially after a busy day. And in an effort to eat "better", she found herself relying on low-fat frozen meals. The problem was, they left her dissatisfied. "They taste like the box they came in," she said. "And the portions leave me starving."
We challenged Kim to prepare a healthy dinner employing fresh, whole foods -- and with minimal effort. To help her out, we gave her a Nesco 5 Quart Steamer with Rice Bowl.
So what did Kim whip up for dinner?
"A swordfish steak, zuccini and rice," she told us. Sounds intimidating!
So what kind of work was involved? Here are Kim's steps to preparing her meal:
1. "I stuck the reservoir under the tap and filled it with water." (OK. So far, we can handle this. But surely it gets more complicated.)
2. "I unwrapped a filet of fish from the supermarket and put it inside the steamer tray with slices of zuccini." (Unwrapping and putting. Still with you, Kim.)
3. "I poured some water and rice into the rice bowl." (Poured...OK, still in the game...)
4. "I put the rice bowl into the second steamer tray, and then stacked the trays on top of each other and put on the lid."
5. "I plugged in the steamer, turned the timer dial. Later I took the food out of the steamer and ate it."
You're kidding. That's it?
Well, OK, but how was the food?
"Perfect!" Kim raved. "I wasn't sure how steamed swordfish was going to turn out. I don't know, I just had this prejudice in my head that if it was steamed, it was going to turn out soggy and gross. But it was delicious. It was flaky and tender. The rice was perfect. The vegetables were a little softer than I like them, but next time I'll know to set the timer for less time so they're a little crisp. Then if I'm cooking them with something else that needs more time, I can just re-set the timer to continue cooking the other thing. Or, add the zuccini in later."
We were impressed that the Nesco steamer was able to cook a complete meal all together.
So how was clean-up?
"Very easy. The product manual says the plastic trays are dishwasher-safe, but I don't have a dishwasher. So I tossed them in the sink with some warm soapy water while I ate, and half an hour later I was able to rinse them clean right under the tap. The food doesn't really stick to the plastic surface that much. The inside of the water reservoir wiped clean with a soapy sponge, then I just rinsed it out with a slosh of water."
Will Kim use the steamer on a regular basis?
"No doubt! I didn't know you could get something like this. I'm going to buy a lot more fresh food from now on. This is awesome!"
The Nesco steamer works with a wide variety of foods including grains, vegetables, fruits, eggs, seafood, meat and poultry. It comes with a 60 minute timer and is equipped with an automatic shut-off when it's out of water.
And this beautifully simple little appliance costs only $29.95.
For more information, visit www.nesco.com.
