How to Steam Kale: 12 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook kale using the steaming method? ›

Wash thoroughly in cold water and spin dry. Place the kale into the steamer basket. Place the basket over the simmering water. Cover with a lid and let steam until tender and cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Put the kale into a big pot with a little bit of water, about an inch. Cover, bring the water to a boil. Cook it as long as you'd usually steam kale, about five minutes. You can also steam kale using the same method in a microwave-safe dish with a lid.

Boiling reduces kale's bitterness and allows its natural sweetness to shine, so keep the seasoning light and fresh. Boiled kale is like a blank canvas for flavor, so it's great to add into other dishes, without overpowering other ingredients.

To make the steamed kale, fill a large saucepan a quarter of the way up with water and bring to the boil. Put the kale in a steamer, colander or sieve and place over the boiling water. Cover and simmer for 4 minutes.

Raw kale can be hard to digest. Kale's fibrous cell walls may prevent your body from absorbing nutrients, but cooking kale can reduce its antioxidant content. Nutrition experts say steaming kale is a good way to make it easier to digest while preserving most of the nutrients.

Instead, after you've washed the leaves, leave them damp. The water that clings to the leaves will create steam when you toss them in the hot skillet. As the kale cooks, you'll cover the skillet for a few minutes; that steam will help wilt and break down the kale perfectly.

While raw kale may boast the highest nutrient content, the study found that steaming retained the most antioxidants and minerals, compared with other cooking methods ( 7 ).

Cut the kale as you want to serve it, set it in a colander or steamer over a pot of boiling shallow water, cover and cook until the kale is tender (about 5 to 10 minutes). Allow the kale to cool until you can handle it, then squeeze out as much water as you can.

To boil kale, add either whole leaves or chopped leaves to a saucepan and pour over cold water until the leaves are just covered. Bring to the boil and season, then simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the kale is nicely wilted. Drain thoroughly, and leave to air dry for a few minutes.

“You can get plenty of nutrients in just 1-2 cups of raw kale,” Giles says. “There's not really a limit. However, it's best to get a variety of veggies throughout the day.” If you're on blood thinners or anticoagulant medication, you can still enjoy kale, but do it in a consistent manner.

How do you make kale soft and not bitter? ›

Massaging kale for salad makes the vegetable more palatable by releasing its bitter compounds and—as a result—making the kale less bitter. This simple process breaks down the vegetable's fibrous texture, making it more tender, easier to chew, and more digestible.

As far as greens go, kale gets a bad rap. It's hearty and tough, for one, but it also boasts a bittersweet pungency that some find off-putting. In cooked applications (like our Roasted Kale with Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Lemon) that assertive flavor is no big deal—kale's flavor mellows significantly with cooking.

Fill a medium pan with around 2 inches of water and bring to the boil. Add the veg, cover and cook until tender, following the below timings for guidance. Top up with a splash more water if the pan boils dry.

Like all produce, kale's shelf-life depends on how you store it. Raw kale will last up to a week in the refrigerator and about six months in the freezer. Cooked kale, meanwhile, will only keep for three to five days in the fridge.