Bamboo steamers are excellent appliances that you can cook to use. When you want to cook dumplings, dim sums, and several related recipes, a bamboo steamer is the best cooking appliance that you can use. With it, you can make sure that your dish is steamed correctly.
Bamboo steamers are not only easy to use even by first-timers, but they are also relatively low-maintenance. If you want to keep your bamboo steamer usable for a long time, there are steps on how to clean bamboo steamer that you can use.
With this guide, you will be able to clean your bamboo steamers without any fuss or difficulty.
Importance of Cleaning Your Bamboo Steamer Regularly
When you own a bamboo steamer, it is essential that you can keep it clean regularly. There are multiple benefits that you can get when you clean it immediately after use. Aside from letting it get a longer shelf life, you also prevent it from getting molds, breakages, and the like. Here are some benefits that you can get with regular cleaning of your bamboo streamer.
- You prevent it from having breakages on its surface.
- You keep away foul odor from your bamboo steamer.
- With proper cleaning, you can also prevent mold and mildews.
- You can also prevent food bits from being too hard to scrape off when you rinse immediately.
Step-By-Step Guide to Clean Bamboo Steamers
When you clean your bamboo steamer, there are several steps that you can take to make sure that it can be free of food odors or food bits. Here is a detailed step-by-step process on how to clean bamboo steamer.
Step 1: Rinse it with warm water.
The first thing that you can do is to use warm water. In this step, you do not need to submerge your bamboo steamer in the water. Instead, let water from the sink run through it. In this step, you can use dishwashing liquid. However, you should make sure that you are only using a mild dishwashing liquid. Otherwise, its formula might damage the bamboo steamer.
Usually, rinsing with warm water will be enough to clean it. However, if there are food chunks or a foul odor, you can proceed to the next steps. If you choose to stop at this step, you can immediately move on to the fifth step of this guide.
Step 2: Scrape off chunks and bits.
When rinsing is not enough, and you find that chunks and bits are sticking on your steamer, you can scrape it off. You can use a wooden chopstick to pick off the pieces away. You can also use a brush.
However, make sure that it is made up of soft nylon. Otherwise, it might damage the bamboo. When you are scraping off food residues, ensure that you are doing it gently. Too forceful movements might harm your bamboo steamer.
Step 3: Eliminate Odor
If you want to remove unpleasant odor from your bamboo steamer, there are several things that you can do. You only need to pick one of the options presented here because all of them will work.
- Lemon slices – You can rub lemon slices on the surface of the bamboo steamer. Ensure that you are not rubbing it too harshly. This will give your bamboo steamer a pleasant lemon smell afterward.
- White vinegar and water mix – You can also create your odor minimizing solution with white vinegar and water. Mix the two and wipe the mixture on your steamer. Afterward, make sure to steam your steamer so that the smell of vinegar will not remain.
- Baking soda – You can also use baking soda to eliminate the unpleasant smell. To do this, use a generous amount of baking soda and dust it on your steamer. Let it sit on your steamer for a few hours for better effect.
Step 4: Rinse with water again.
If you proceed with the second or the third step, you will need to rinse your bamboo steamer with water again. When you do this, make sure that you are not using too much water. Only use enough so that the things you placed on the steamer can be removed.
Step 5: Let your bamboo steamer air dry.
Once you are done washing your bamboo steamer, you can now let it dry out. While you can use a dry cloth to dry off your item, it is best to let it air dry if it is too wet. This way, you will not end up breaking off parts of its surface. It might take half an hour to several hours to completely dry out your bamboo steamer. Make sure that no surface is wet before you store it away.
Soaking Bamboo Steamers
Another alternative method on how to clean bamboo steamer is by soaking it. However, this method is not recommended because not all bamboo steamers can handle being soaked in water. If you want to try this out, you should look for your item’s instruction manual and see if it is explicitly allowed or disallowed.
When you choose to soak it, only use warm water to do so. You can let it stay overnight to clean your steamer thoroughly. Ensure that you do not pour dishwashing liquid into the water because it might harm your bamboo steamer.
Bamboo Steamer Maintenance Tips
Aside from cleaning your bamboo steamer, there are other things that you can do to maintain it. If you want to keep your bamboo steamer away from molds, breakages, and mildews, here are some tips that you can follow.
- Store your bamboo steamer in a clean and dry spot. Make sure that the location has a cool temperature to prevent molds.
- Keep it hydrated with regular cleaning and use.
- When drying off your bamboo steamer, choose to air dry. You can pat water off but do it sparingly.
- Do not store your bamboo steamer unless it has already completely dried out.
- Do not place heavy objects on the top of your bamboo steamer.
- When cooking with it, make sure that you do not place ingredients directly. Instead, use parchments or foil in the middle.
