When you’re not cooking with bamboo consider cooking in it or with it.
Many Asian cultures for example, use the empty hollow in the stalks of more sizable bamboo to cook food in. Soups can be boiled in the stalk and rice can be cooked within the hollow body. When cooking, the stalk is held directly over a flame. Tea is also sometimes brewed in stalks. Cooking in bamboo stalks gives the food a distinctive added taste—one that you might find yourself loving.
But bamboo practicality does not stop there. It’s is often used to make cooking utensils. You can cook and eat using bamboo tools. Also, bamboo leaves are often used as wrappers for steamed dumplings.
The sleek, modern and yet organic look of dark stalks of bamboo have made it a hot commodity for dining wear like napkin rings, serving platters and candle holders. And, of course, as with all things made of bamboo, these tools are an eco-friendly alternative to other manufactured cooking tools.