Tefal Steam Cuisine 1000 Turbo Diffusion Steamer

Have you ever bought something, and then wondered what you ever did without it?

This is now my second steamer (the timer button fell off the first). I have been using Tefal steamers now for about 3 1/2 years, and I love them.

I am one of those people who just hate it when the pan boils over. It drives me mad. I also hate having to watch for the pan boiling in order to turn it down. The other thing that annoys me is having to put different veggies on to boil at different times.

I first discovered steamers when I visited my aunt for dinner. She’d just bought hers, and was telling me about all the things you can do with one. My first thought was that it would be one of those contraptions you buy, use once, and then spends the next 5 years in the cupboard before you have the heart to throw it out.

Once dinner was ready, it struck me how little time my aunt had spent in the kitchen. She had put on the potatoes, carrots, broccoli and cabbage all at once.

The dinner was fantastic. The vegetables seemed to have a lot more flavour. I was coming round to the idea of having one of these.

Searching around Powerhouse, I found the Tefal for around £30. I know that you can now pick up steamers from around £17, so the prices have come down, making them really affordable.

***The first attempt***

I was quite nervous about getting the cooking of the veggies just right, so I tried this out when there was just me and my husband. I added the water to the base up to the max mark. The ring goes around the heating element, juice tray on top. There are 3 containers for the veggies, so I put the potatoes in the bottom, just like my aunt. Carrots on the next level, the cauliflower in the top, with some cabbage laid over the top. I set the timer for 30 minutes, and just left it.

***The food***

I have to say, the vegetables still tasted much better. It was very noticeable how watery the boiled vegetables must have been when I used to cook them in a pan. Since that day, there has been no going back. I cannot remember the last time I used a pan for vegetables. I also use the steamer for fish, and have also used it for chicken. They also taste great.

***Likes***

The food tastes much better then when boiled.
No more watery food
All veg can be cooked at once, so no more timing it.
Can cook chicken, veg, fish, apples, pears, rice, pasta. If you are a little more adventurous, try rabbit, pork, shellfish, and maybe you'll have some ideas of your own.
Comes with a get started recipe book.
Saves the water from steaming to make gravy, sauces etc.
Doesn't boil over like a pan does.
Easy to clean.
Bases can be removed to cook larger items such as whole chickens, lobster etc.

***Dislikes***

The removable bases need to be treated with care as they can crack.
You cannot add any seasoning to the food whilst cooking.

***Ease of use***

This is so easy to use. The water goes in first, the ring goes over the heating element, juice tray next, then it is just a case of stacking the containers, and putting on the lid. Once plugged in, you turn the dial to the time required, and off it goes. You can add bowls part way through if you something which just needs to be heated through, but I normally just put everything in together, and then I don't have to think about it any more.

The timer goes PING when it has finished cooking.

You can use the steamer to cook eggs, but they tend to take longer than using a pan. This is about the only thing I use pans for these days.

If I had to pick one portable item in the kitchen to keep, this would be it. I don't know what I ever did before.

I have never used another make of steamer, so I couldn't comment on how much better or worse they are than others.

For anyone without a steamer - you don't know what you're missing!