Can I steam-cook food in a distiller?
I have a counter-top water distiller which I have been using to make distilled water, and it's been working fine for this purpose. Recently, my artichoke plant has produced artichokes ready for harvest, and I had the idea I could use the distiller to steam-cook them.
The possible advantages I can think of are:
Distiller would automatically shutoff when the water is boiled away.
I could set the cooking time by how much water I put in.
No steam escaping into the environment. (I live in a small room, and it gets damp in here too easily.)
Producing distilled water at the same time.
However, the possible disadvantages I can think of are:
Contaminants from the water might splash up and ruin the food.
Difficulty finding a stand to keep the artichoke out of the water.
The particles of artichoke might contaminate the steam, causing the distiller's charcoal filter or even the inside of its pipes to clog.
Anyone actually try this or know of probable problems I haven't thought of?
Here is the distiller I have: http://www.amazon.com/Water-Distiller-Countertop-Enamel-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_i
Best Answer
I did it a few times and it worked great! My artichoke plant makes rather small artichokes, so I put one stem down in a teacup in the bottom of the distiller. I filled the distiller with 1-2 cups of water, estimating that would get me enough cooking time to cook that size artichoke. After it distilled that water and automatically shutoff, I waited until it was cool, opened it up, and found my nicely cooked artichoke. :)
For a larger artichoke I might try to find a metal stand of some sort and lay the artichoke on its side.
Yes, artichokes produce a smell when being steamed. Will this adversely affect the innards of the distiller? I'm no chemistry expert, but I kind of doubt it, hence my willingness to try this experiment. Probably it is a volatile gas, not a solid, that gets absorbed by the distiller's carbon filter with the rest of the volatile gases in the water. Solids should remain in the distiller's "tank" with the rest of the crud and scale that builds up like normal.
So in the end, if you're living by yourself in a small space, just want to steam one artichoke at a time, and don't want to waste space with a regular steam cooker, this seems like a good alternative. Plus, you get to keep humidity down and get clean drinking water to boot.
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Can you cook with distilled?
According to The Spruce Eats, for a number of reasons, you should steer clear of distilled water when cooking unless you have no alternative. As Food Network explains, most of the recommended uses for distilled water have nothing to do with consuming it.Can you boil food in distilled water?
All fresh vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, and so on should also be cooked or steamed in distilled water. Soups that call for water will be safer made with pure, distilled water. You will find that distilled water will come to a boil at a slightly lower temperature than tap water.Can you steam food with dirty water?
This isn't an issue as long as you drink the water, in the form of soup. If you don't want to do this, then steaming is better. Note, however, that you need to clean veggies better when you steam them, because any grit won't be washed away by boiling water.Can you make oatmeal with distilled water?
The hardness minerals were removed in the distillation process, so you don't have to worry! Hot cereals, such as oatmeal, should also always be prepared with distilled water. Because all these foods tend to absorb more water when the water is distilled, they have a fuller texture and more natural flavor.Steam Cooking Is The Best Way To Cook Food, Here's Why.
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Answer 2
Steaming foods tends to contaminate steamer water with drippings heavily: Steam some broccoli or asparagus and get green water. Some of the compounds - especially aroma bearing ones! - will be easily vaporized and condensed together with the water in the distiller.
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