Steaming food with your Cooking Chef XL

Thanks to its unique induction heating technology and intuitive features, you can use your Cooking Chef XL in so many more ways beyond your average stand mixer- including to cook whole meals from scratch.

The Cooking Chef XL comes with a steamer basket as standard, and also has a simple to use ‘steam’ preset which you can adjust according to your recipe. Steaming food is not just a great way to retain its flavour and texture- it’s one of the healthiest ways to cook, too. This is because it helps to lock in antioxidants and nutrients, especially water soluble vitamins like B and C which can be found in vegetables such as kale and broccoli. It’s also a fat-free cooking method, so it's a good option if you are trying to follow a low-fat diet.

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In this guide we’ll show you how to use your Cooking Chef to steam your food to perfection. We’ll also share a couple of different recipes, including this one for a deliciously fragrant Seafood Pho..

And if once you’ve mastered steaming you’re looking for some inspiration for your next dish, remember you can search the Kenwood World app for a recipe and just send the cooking instructions directly to your mixer. It really is as simple as that.

Preparing the steamer basket

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Your Cooking Chef XL comes with a steamer basket. Here’s how to fit it ready for use:

1. Place the removable tray on a flat surface, making sure the handles are folded inwards.
2. Fit the supporting ring onto the tray. The handle supports on the ring need to fit next to the v-shaped cut outs in the tray.
3. Fold out the handles and clip onto the handle supports and fit the bowl to the stand mixer.
4. Place the food to be cooked onto the tray. Wash any vegetables thoroughly first and peel if required.
5. Add the required amount of water to the bowl, according to your recipe.
6. Place the assembled steamer into the bowl.
7. Fit the heatshield to the mixer head.
8. Fit the steamer basket to the stand mixer.
9. Lower the mixer head before fitting the splashguard.

How the steam preset works

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Once your steamer basket is assembled and in place, here’s how to use the steam preset:

1. Select the steam pre-set and adjust the cooking time, as per the recipe. Press the control dial to start.
2. After cooking for the required time, remove the splashguard.
3. Lift the mixer head.
4. Lift out the steamer basket by the handles, taking care to prevent them folding inwards.
5. Place the steamer basket on a plate or board.
6. Unclip the handles and fold in towards the centre. Lift off the supporting ring and fold out the handles again.
7. Remove your steamed food.

Watch this video to take you through these steps. You can also use the steamer basket without setting the preset.

Our top tips

Here are our tips for successful steaming:

Food will cook best laid out in a single layer, with some gaps in between. This allows the steam to circulate freely and everything to cook at the same rate. If this isn’t possible, stir or turn the food occasionally.
To add seasoning and fragrance to your food, try adding slices of ginger, lemon or garlic, or sprigs of rosemary or thyme to the water below, or in the steamer basket with the food.
When steaming food like potatoes which take longer to cook, keep an eye on the water level and top up if necessary.
Remember that the steam created will continue to cook your food, even after your mixer switches off. Remove the steamer tray from the bowl immediately.
If your food isn't cooked enough, just reset the time. Check the water level as you may need to top up.
It sounds obvious, but steaming food creates a lot of, well, steam. Position your Cooking Chef XL away from walls and cabinetry as steam can damage wood and paintwork.

Be inspired by our delicious recipes

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From fish, shellfish and chicken, vegetables like asparagus, green beans and pak choi to gyoza and dumplings, there’s a wide variety of foods that you can steam using your Cooking Chef XL. Here are some of our favourite recipes to get you going:

How about these soft bao buns, filled with sticky marinated pork belly and pickled vegetables and topped with crushed peanuts and fresh coriander? Use your Cooking Chef XL to cook every element of the dish, before steaming the dough for the bao buns and filling them. For a vegetarian alternative, try these orange and pink steamed vegan dumplings, served with a sesame dipping sauce. Both dishes are perfect for entertaining.

Another fish favourite is this Fish Wellington, made with steamed salmon. It’s served with a creamy white wine sauce that you cook in your Cooking Chef XL while the salmon rests.