I always think that steaming is an under-appreciated and so often under-utilized cooking technique.

I think people fear that steamed foods will turn out bland, mushy, almost hospital-like sterile in nature.

But when done right, steaming is a gentle way of cooking that preserves moisture and flavor.

Case in point: fish.

I love grilling fish or sauteeing it, especially to get the skin crisp. But being Chinese-American, I also adore steamed fish. There’s nothing like a whole steamed fish brought to the table at a banquet meal. The flesh falls apart with impossible tenderness. Its texture is rendered beyond silky. And there’s just a lovely delicacy to it, no matter how small or large the fish.

Patricia Wells knows fully well the merits of steaming. In fact, the five-time James Beard Award-winning writer and cooking teacher devotes an entire chapter to steaming in her new cookbook, “My Master Recipes: 165 Recipes to Inspire Confidence In the Kitchen” (William Morrow), of which I received a review copy.

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