Revere Ware did some big advertising on their “waterless” cooking method in the 40’s
That’s a nice plug, but it doesn’t really tell us how it works.
Waterless cooking relies on the (higher) water content of certain foods, a low heat setting, and a tight fitting lid to keep the steam generated from escaping, creating a slight pressure inside the pot. The hot steam helps cook the food faster, but with a low bottom temperature which keeps the food from burning.
So why is waterless cooking better? For a number of reasons.
- No boiling means no nutrients lost to the boil water.
- Low heat means you are using less energy / natural gas to cook
- You don’t have to add fat for cooking (although recent attitudes on fat have relaxed a little)
- It supposedly reduces cooking time
I haven’t heard much about waterless cooking in recent times, and not in respect to Revere Ware, which seems to have been one brand that made the practice popular. I’ve never tried it myself.
Before waterless cooking, pressure cooking was a popular way to accomplish much the same thing. I can’t help but think that today’s Instant Pot is a great way of achieving the same benefits as waterless cooking. My wife sure loves our instant pot, and uses it almost every day.
But I’ll have to try the waterless way one of these days.
