A few weeks ago, we talked a little about how to choose a stock pot. Today, we’re going to going to turn our attention from huge pots to small steam kettles. These are amazing devices, perfect for those who like flash in their kitchen.
The steam kettle is put to many of the same uses as the stock pot, including boiling pasta and creating savory, delicious soups. Steam kettles do, however, present a few huge advantages over the traditional stockpots.
- Better cooking times
- Increased energy efficiency
- Heightened control
The steam kettle works kind of like a double boiler. It’s a pot within a pot, allowing for conduction of heat through the entire pot instead of being focused solely on the bottom burner. Because of this heating mechanism, more heat is conducted throughout the entirety of the pot.
Because of the heating process, the steam kettle also does very well as a rethermalizer. It can generally hold a larger volume than the ‘boiler’ type rethermalizer / pasta makers that you see, so if there is a large banquet or other function which needs bulk food to be defrosted, the steam kettle might be employed.
The steam kettle makes for an interesting blend of stock pot and pasta maker. Some of them can be tilted for easy dispensing of sauces, making it easier for chefs to use them. What would you use a steam kettle for?
