Do You Need To Salt The Water When Steaming Vegetables?

Steaming your veggies is a great — and healthy — way to prepare them. Because they're not sitting in the water, with all the nutrients boiling out of them, but rather being cooked independently by the steam, they retain more of their nutritional goodness, as well as their color. Research shows that boiling your veggies directly in water can result in a loss of up to 60% to 70% of some of the nutrients in them, while steaming sits at a loss of only 9% to 15% of their vitamin C, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and other nutrients. Clearly, steamed vegetables don't deserve their bad reputation. One thing with boiling your vegetables is that you can add salt to the water, which then infuses into the veggies to give them more upfront flavor, despite the nutrient loss. 

But would this have the same effect when steaming your veggies? The general consensus is no. This is because when the hot water evaporates and becomes steam, it cannot hold the heavy solid compounds that salt is primarily made of, namely sodium chloride. So, the steam can't carry the saltiness into the veggies. This is actually how we get many of the types of salt that we use at home. Seawater or salt brines are exposed to the sun and wind, which causes the water to evaporate, leaving the solid salt compounds behind. These are then processed and packaged into what we use at our tables.

The best time to add salt to your vegetables is after the steaming is done. You can add a little salt to the whole basket of veggies to enhance the overall flavor and aroma, then each diner can add additional salt to taste. This puts control of the saltiness of their food in each diner's hands. Literally. You can also get creative with other herbs and spices to bring some pizzazz to your steamed veggies. Pop some whole sprigs of herbs such as thyme, parsley, or rosemary on top of your vegetables while they are steaming. The hot steam opens up the flavors in the herbs, much like frying or toasting your spices before adding them to a dish, and these flavors (and aromas) infuse into your veggies, giving them a subtle flavor. 

With the hardier thyme and rosemary, gently bruise the leaves with the flat side of a chef's knife before topping your veggies with them to release even more flavor. And your salt can also be complemented with other flavors, chosen to work in tandem with the main dish you're using your steamed veggies with. Try adding a little squeeze of lemon juice along with some black pepper; or, mix in a combination of olive oil, mustard, and vinegar. Garlic is also always a winner – sauté some finely chopped garlic and stir it into your steamed veggies along with your grind of salt. To begin your steaming journey, buy a steaming basket, like this one by Zocy on Amazon, and be sure to avoid these mistakes everyone makes when steaming food.