The Difference Between Steam Frying And Steam Roasting

Oil and water famously don't mix — unless, of course, you're steam frying or steam roasting. As Bon Appétit points out, these two cooking concepts might sound like contradictions. After all, the end result of frying or roasting is supposed to be crisp and brown. Water doesn't help you toward either of these goals. Still, a little water goes a long way to ensure that your dish is fully cooked, whether fried or roasted. 

Take, for example, the sunny-side-up egg. Sometimes, the egg is done on the bottom but still raw on top. To avoid this, you could follow the advice of French chef Fernana Point and baste the top of your egg in warm butter (via What's Cooking America). A solution involving no extra fat and cholesterol would be to add a little bit of water — either at the start, when the pan is still cold, or right at the end, to finish off the cooking after the bottom side has browned. Either way, you want to cover the frying pan with a lid to trap the water and let the steam do its work. If you go with the water-first method, just remember to remove the lid to cook off the excess water and allow the oil to do its browning work.

The sunny-side-up egg is one case where steam frying works well. It's also a good approach with fried dumplings or with thicker vegetables such as broccoli, which might not cook through from frying alone.

The difference between steam frying and steam roasting boils down to this: While steam frying happens on the stove top, steam roasting happens inside the oven. Steam roasting is a way to make sure your thick-cut potatoes or whole carrots come out of the oven soft and moist rather than tough and dry, according to Bon Appétit. As with frying, you're still doing a dance with water and oil to pull off a successful steam roast. 

One option is to add a little water with the ingredients on your baking pan, cover with foil, then bake until the steam trapped inside the foil softens things up. Finish the roast by tossing your ingredients with oil and spices, then returning the uncovered pan to the oven. Or, add oil and water both at the start, and cover the baking pan with foil for the duration. The first approach is the way to go if you want your roasted potatoes or beets (or whatever it is) to come out not just caramelized but crispy.

Whether you're steam frying or steam roasting, the goal is the same: to get the brown you want while also making sure everything cooks through.