How to Steam

Steaming is another moist-heat cooking method. Common foods to be steamed are tender, delicately flavored foods such as vegetables, fish and 'light' meats, items that would be damaged by the rigors of boiling.

The liquid used in steaming can be as simple as plain water or you can add flavors and aromatics such as wine, stocks, herbs and spices. It all depends on what you'd like from your dish, of course.

To steam your food you'll need some form of steamer, essentially anything that will allow the food to set above the boiling liquid without actually coming into contact with it, being able to completely cover the food is also a plus. Here are a few ways to achieve this:

Use a store-bought steamer.
Create a style of pouch out of tin foil, place your food in the pouch then place the pouch in a pot with a small amount of water in it. You want to make sure the water can't get in the pouch with the food as it boils but as long as you have a nice lid on the pot the food will get steamed. The main drawback to this method is the lack of ability to easily get steam on all sides of the food.
Place a deep dinner plate, bowl or other raised item in a pan with water. Place your food on a dinner plate and set that plate on top of the item already in the pan. Be sure to use items that can handle the high-heat environment inside the pan without breaking. You should use a flat pan that has a good lid to keep the steam in. This method works great but it has the same drawbacks as the tin foil in that the steam can't easily circulate around all sides of the food.
A metal colander also works well as long as you can set it on something if it doesn't have a base of its own.