#36: Don’t let them touch!
There’s a big difference between steaming food and frying. If items are too close together, the excess moisture and lack of heated surroundings can result in steamed food lacking the extra-yum we call the Maillard reaction. It’s also known as the browning reaction, but that’s only one small part of it.

The Maillard reaction is the process of breaking down the fats and sugars on the outside of the meat, creating all those yummy aromas, and adding that extra char that wows at the dinner table. While there’s a lot of science behind how it happens, for us non-specialists, it’s just important THAT it happens, and we’re thankful!