I like steamed spinach. How do I get it so it's not runny and wet. In
restuarants, it's always chopped fine and dry, it seems. How can I do
this? What do I need? Special chooper? Cheesecloth? What do I do?

Nick wrote:
> I like steamed spinach. How do I get it so it's not runny and wet. In
> restuarants, it's always chopped fine and dry, it seems. How can I do
> this? What do I need? Special chooper? Cheesecloth? What do I do?

I use a collapsible steamer basket; it's easy to press the water out of the
spinach after it is steamed.

Jill

On 21 Dec 2003 07:39:46 -0800, (Nick) wrote:

>I like steamed spinach. How do I get it so it's not runny and wet. In
>restuarants, it's always chopped fine and dry, it seems. How can I do
>this? What do I need? Special chooper? Cheesecloth? What do I do?

You need to drain it in a sieve.

"Nick" > wrote in message
om...
> I like steamed spinach. How do I get it so it's not runny and wet. In
> restuarants, it's always chopped fine and dry, it seems. How can I do
> this? What do I need? Special chooper? Cheesecloth? What do I do?

Collapsible vegetable steamer. Available in stupidmarkets, or kitchen gadget
stores.

On 21 Dec 2003 07:39:46 -0800, (Nick) wrote:

>I like steamed spinach. How do I get it so it's not runny and wet. In
>restuarants, it's always chopped fine and dry, it seems. How can I do
>this? What do I need? Special chooper? Cheesecloth? What do I do?

It is usually recommended that spinach be briefly cooked with only
"the water clinging to the leaves" after washing (and draining).
Recommendations for frozen are to thaw and squeeze out most of the
water before using in recipes. I can't imagine "chopped fine and dry"
spinach unless it's the raw green. Cooking spinach, like cooking
lettuce. will release beaucoup water.

No special chopper. Press in a sieve, a veg steamer (as others have
suggested), or for super-dry, wring in a dishtowel.

On 21 Dec 2003 07:39:46 -0800, (Nick) wrote:

>I like steamed spinach. How do I get it so it's not runny and wet. In
>restuarants, it's always chopped fine and dry, it seems. How can I do
>this? What do I need? Special chooper? Cheesecloth? What do I do?

Nick,

You'll need a frying pan with a lid, or with something that will serve
as a lid -- such as another pan the same size.

Heat a little oil, maybe a tablespoon's worth, in the pan. Have some
chopped garlic ready.

While you are heating the oil, wash the spinach but don't drain it.

When the oil is hot, toss in the garlic, wait a few seconds and toss
in the spinach. Give everything a stir and cover the pan.

The spinach will steam in the available water and will cook in a short
time -- less than a minute, usually.

A little freshly ground nutmeg and salt will finish it off nicely.

David

Frogleg > writes:

>(Nick) wrote:
>
>>I like steamed spinach. How do I get it so it's not runny and wet. In
>>restuarants, it's always chopped fine and dry, it seems. How can I do
>>this? What do I need? Special chooper? Cheesecloth? What do I do?
>
>It is usually recommended that spinach be briefly cooked with only
>"the water clinging to the leaves" after washing (and draining).
>Recommendations for frozen are to thaw and squeeze out most of the
>water before using in recipes. I can't imagine "chopped fine and dry"
>spinach unless it's the raw green. Cooking spinach, like cooking
>lettuce. will release beaucoup water.
>
>No special chopper. Press in a sieve, a veg steamer (as others have
>suggested), or for super-dry, wring in a dishtowel.

Chinese bamboo steamer/chop-chop, just to threaten.

or

Saute w/butter at med heat/1 min.

Cooked longer or so water can be wrung out may as well use canned.




---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

Nick wrote:
>
> I like steamed spinach. How do I get it so it's not runny and wet. In
> restuarants, it's always chopped fine and dry, it seems. How can I do
> this? What do I need? Special chooper? Cheesecloth? What do I do?



Unfortunately if you wash spinach well enough to remove the grit,
it holds a lot of water. I suppose you could dry the leaves in a
salad spinner before steaming over (not in) simmering water.
My dad used to press the batch of spinach over the sink between
two plates and squeeze hard to remove much of the water.
You could also chop it finely and dry it out in a skillet over
low heat to evaporate the water.

gloria p

In article >,
(Nick) wrote:

> I like steamed spinach. How do I get it so it's not runny and wet. In
> restuarants, it's always chopped fine and dry, it seems. How can I do
> this? What do I need? Special chooper? Cheesecloth? What do I do?

Someone here (Dimitri?) suggested using a potato ricer. I use my hands
to squeeze thawed, drained chopped spinach.
--
-Barb
12-17-03: Melba Does Manhattan pix in entirety have been
added to my site: <www.jamlady.eboard.com>
"If you're ever in a jam, here I am."

Nick wrote:

> I like steamed spinach. How do I get it so it's not runny and wet. In
> restuarants, it's always chopped fine and dry, it seems. How can I do
> this? What do I need? Special chooper? Cheesecloth? What do I do?

Try cooking it the way my wife does. I am not much of a cooked spinach
fan but hers is pretty good. She puts a heavy bottomed pan on high heat,
rinses spinach under running water, shakes it off to remove dirt, gives
it another rinse and tosses it into the pot without rinsing and puts a
top on it. After one minute she takes it off the heat, stirs it around
and serves it.