Burning question: Is making steamers hard?

Is it hard to make steamers at home?

Emphatically: no. One night last week, I was strolling around Whole Foods, looking for inspiration, when I noticed a few pounds of soft-shell clams (steamers) in the seafood case. I bought all 2 1/2 pounds and, when I got home, I poked around the Internet and some cookbooks and found a lot of recipes calling for minced shallots, crushed garlic, chopped parsley, white wine -- not to mention prolonged soaking in salt water and vigorous scrubbing.

Here's what I did instead. I put the clams in a big bowl of cold water and swished them around. I lifted them out of the water so that any grit fell to the bottom of the bowl. I put the clams in a 12-inch skillet -- they fit in one layer -- and added about 1/4 cup of water. I laid a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil on top of the skillet, and the lid on top of that (for a tight seal), turned the heat to medium-high and let the clams cook for about 7 minutes, until they opened and firmed up ever so slightly.

I couldn't be bothered to melt butter, so I dipped my clams in some good olive oil. That was a very fine dinner.