What are the common misunderstandings about steaming and simmering (nimono)?
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Steaming (mushi, 蒸し) and simmering (nimono, 煮物) are the basic cooking methods of Japanese food, yet many people avoid them as "slow" or "difficult". Many households abroad do not own a steamer, and we are often asked how steaming differs from the microwave. Here is how the heat works, and where the food-safety line sits.
Steaming
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Equipment | A steamer, or a pot + a heatproof plate raised on a stand (a small dish or a ring of foil) + a lid. A frying pan with 1 cm of water and a lid also works |
| How it works | Steam at 100°C (212°F); nothing leaches into the water. No oil needed |
| Suited to | Vegetables (broccoli, kabocha squash, sweet potato), fish, chicken, shūmai dumplings, chawanmushi (savoury egg custard), steamed buns |
| Time guide | Broccoli 3–4 min, kabocha (2 cm cubes) 8–10 min, chicken breast (200 g) 12–15 min, fish fillet 8–10 min |
| Versus the microwave | The microwave heats by vibrating the water inside the food (uneven, tends to dry out); steam heats evenly from outside and keeps food moist |
| Safety | Steam can scald when you lift the lid. Open the lid tilted away from you |
Simmering
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Principle | Simmer briefly in dashi stock and seasonings, turn off the heat, and the flavour goes in as it cools ("the flavour soaks in as it cools") |
| Otoshibuta (drop lid) | A lid that sits directly on the food, so even a small amount of liquid reaches everything and the pieces do not break up (baking parchment or foil works too) |
| Order of seasoning | "Sa-shi-su-se-so" (sugar → salt → vinegar → soy sauce → miso) is a rule of thumb: sugar, with its large molecules, goes in first; strongly aromatic seasonings go in last |
| Time | Root vegetables 15–20 min; leafy greens and tofu a few minutes. Long cooking breaks food up and leaches out vitamins |
| Storage | Simmered dishes hold a lot of liquid and spoil easily. Eat the same day or the next, refrigerated. Reheat until the whole dish is boiling (see our Clostridium perfringens article) |
[Verify] Cooking times are guides that vary with the size of the ingredients and the pot. Check the food-poisoning prevention temperature against Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) materials.
Misunderstanding 1｜You cannot steam without a steamer
A pot, a plate, water and a lid are enough. 1 cm of water in a frying pan, a plate on top, lid on also works. So do the steam setting on a microwave, or a silicone steamer.
Misunderstanding 2｜Warming in the microwave is the same as steaming
The microwave heats from the inside and tends to give uneven, dry results; steam heats evenly from outside and keeps food moist. The colour and texture of broccoli show the difference.
Misunderstanding 3｜The longer a nimono simmers, the more flavour goes in
The flavour goes in as the dish cools. The basic method is to cook through quickly, turn off the heat and leave it. Long cooking breaks the food up and leaches out nutrients.
Misunderstanding 4｜Simmered dishes keep well
They hold a lot of liquid, and leaving them at room temperature causes food poisoning. Refrigerate and eat the same day or the next; reheat until the whole dish is boiling.
Misunderstanding 5｜Ignore "sa-shi-su-se-so" and the dish fails
It is a rule of thumb. There is a scientific reason to add sugar first (large molecules penetrate slowly), but many cookery writers say strict order makes little difference. The practical point is to add soy sauce and miso last so their aroma survives.
---
Sources
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), "Six points for preventing food poisoning at home" [家庭でできる食中毒予防の6つのポイント] (heating temperatures)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/www1/houdou/0903/h0331-1.html
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "The basics of washoku (dashi and simmered dishes)" [和食の基本（だし・煮物）] (Japanese food culture)
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), "Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th revised edition), 2023 supplement" [日本食品標準成分表（八訂）増補2023年] (changes in composition through cooking)
https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/syokuhinseibun/mext_00001.html
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
About this article
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
Some ingredients need thorough cooking. Eat raw only foods that are sold for raw consumption. If you have allergies, check the ingredients.
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