Is it safe to reuse steamer water?
My youngest is a fussy eater, and we have problems getting him to eat vegetables. Recently we've tried using a wide steamer and he likes it, because its wide enough to keep all the carrots from touching while cooking (yes - that's his reasoning)
However he also only eats carrots and broccoli when there's a trace of sugar in the steaming water - a teaspoon or so.
My wife is happy to leave the water in the bottom pot and let it cool, then reheat it the next evening. I feel this is a bad idea but can't put my finger on why.... The water boils so it reaches temperatures that should kill anything bad.
What have we missed ?
Best Answer
Your wife probably thinks "It's just water and thoroughly boiled, so all is well.". Unfortunately, it is not.
If you look into your pot after the first use, you'll notice that the water contains traces of the vegetable, meaning it technically falls under the "food that becomes unsafe after 2/4 hours at 40-140 °F (4-60 °C)" category and should be refrigerated quickly or discarded. More on this on our canonical post on the topic.
Perhaps you argue that cooking will kill any "nasties" that might have grown since the day before, but while this may be true for most bacteria and fungi, it does not work for some of the toxins they produce. Boiling does not make unsafe food safe.
Weighing the cost of a bit of water and sugar agains the the risk of a child's health, I'd dump it and clean the pot every time. You could put the pot in the refrigerator, but must heat and cool it as quickly as possible (keep in mind that the time is cumulative) - which sounds to me like a lot of excess effort and takes up a lot of refrigerator space.
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Quick Answer about "Is it safe to reuse steamer water?"
Unfortunately, it is not. If you look into your pot after the first use, you'll notice that the water contains traces of the vegetable, meaning it technically falls under the "food that becomes unsafe after 2/4 hours at 40-140 °F (4-60 °C)" category and should be refrigerated quickly or discarded.Should you reuse steamed veggie water?
Saving vegetable water to repurpose for preparing other dishes is a popular practice among home cooks and professional chefs alike. Besides containing trace nutrients that leach out from the cooked vegetables into the pan water, this liquid essence can be used for cooking dishes such as pasta, rice, soups and stews.Can I reuse water I boiled corn in?
No, it is not safe; what you would have left in the pot would have the same <2-4 hours worth of safety at room temperature as anything else. What you would have in the pot after steaming corn is sweetened corn broth; it will mold and it will grow bacteria.What are the disadvantages of steamer?
Disadvantages of Steaming- It is a slow process of cooking and only easy to cook foods can be prepared by this method.
- If sufficient amount of water is not there in the lower container, it might evaporate completely and the container starts burning even before the food is cooked.
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.Is Cooking Sous Vide with Plastic Bags Safe? | Joe Rogan
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