I always questioned the point of a steamer. Another appliance to sit in the kitchen cupboard. Used once and replaced by another equally pointless appliance-du-jour. After all, you can steam using a regular saucepan with a steamer pan sitting inside it. Or even one of those bamboo things you get from Asian supermarkets. Or those metal flower like things that sit in a pan of water. All of which I have, all of which sit unused in my kitchen cupboard.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. I have had my steamer for a month and it has spent all of one day in a cupboard. The rest of the time it has sat stove-side, looking smugly at my now underused microwave. It really is very simple to use – the timer shut off means, once you have your timings down, you can walk away and wait for the ping!
While this is a review of the particular Tefal model (which I got on special at Argos for £18), I suspect most are pretty good. Below are some things to check when you see a steamer on special.
I was surprised at how easy they seem to use. I never thought they would be a tricky appliance. But being able to switch on the timer and not have to constantly check the food, means you can do something else while it is going.
I haven't been able to check it out thoroughly, but they don't seem to use up vast amounts of electricity as I had feared.
How it works For those that don't know, steamers are pretty simple. The base is the bit that plugs in. It has the timer, water level indicator and water reservoir. A solid tray sits on top to collect the condensed steam. Then your trays (that have holes in the bottom) sit on top of that, with a lid sitting on the top tray. Most come with three trays, although some only have two. On all steamers you don't have to use all the trays all the time, although on compact models like this Tefal, where the trays pack into one another (see What to look for in a steamer, below), you have to use the trays in the correct order – not tricky as they are numbered.
You put your food to be steamed in the trays (if your food has different timings, you put the tray that needs the longest on first, then add the other trays when their time comes). Switch the timer on. Voila! On this model, steam starts instantly (no, I don't understand how it does either).
When you cook rice, you wash the rice, put it in the rice bowl (if you have one, see What to look for in a steamer, below), add boiling water and then steam! Booklets with the steamer tell you how much rice/water and how long. They also give you timings for vegetables and other foods.
The food? Fantastic. Vegetables retain all their flavour and a slight crispness (unless you over steam). Much better than boiling (nutritionally and taste-wise), better than microwaving (you are far less likely to burn yourself on a steamer than on a bowl that has been in the microwave), and even better than stove top steamers (they seem less water-logged). Because they retain so much flavour, you don't need butter or anything else on them to add flavour – fresh is best!
Rice is cooked to perfection. I have tried both white and brown basmati rice – it comes out restaurant quality. Perfect texture and lightly sticking together if you plan on using chopsticks. Chinese restaurants all use steamers to cook their rice (albeit large industrial ones). You CANNOT ever (well at least not consistently) get your rice to come out like this on the stove. I have always found rice on the stove a hassle, checking it all the time, desperately trying to get the measure of rice v water correct, smelling that burnt-on rice smell, swearing blindly at it, having to add more water because it is still crunchier than is humanly possible to eat etc etc. I have never had this problem with the steamer. It is far more forgiving in terms of water to rice ratio. I have even ordered a Thai takeaway and saved myself a few quid by cooking my own rice while waiting for it to be delivered (it really is pressure free cooking, even when you're treating yourself to an effortless night away from the kitchen, it isn't a burden to whack on your steamer for some rice).
I have also steamed fish and chicken, and again both come out perfectly. There are indentations in the trays to let you steam whole eggs, but I'm not convinced – maybe one day.
You can apparently also cook puddings and make soups etc, I'm sure you can, but mine gets enough of a workout cooking vegetables.
When it's done When you hear the ping, the steamer switches itself off. Despite people's warnings, I have never come close to burning myself (although keep small children away from it). Leave it 30 seconds or so after the steam has stopped and use an oven glove to lift the lid off (lift the lid towards you to block the steam). The lids have vent holes in the, so their isn't a massive build up of steam.
Washing up Steamers are very simple to wash, usually they just need a quick wash up, unless you have oversteamed in which case you may be pushing bits of over cooked squash out of the holes in the tray for days! If you are cooking fish or chicken, you can put oven greaseproof paper under the piece of fish/chicken so it doesn't cause too much of a mess (just make sure you don't cover too many of the holes in the tray).
One tip, wash it up last! While it is simple to wash up, and while it is fairly compact when you pack it all up, when you wash up it takes up a massive amount of space (unless you are a person that actually dries your washing up using a tea towel rather than leaving it to drip dry?!). As well as the food trays, you also need to wash the water catchment, and dry the base unit.
Do your plates, and your cutlery and anything else you have. Then in a fresh sink of water (so you don't get any food floaty bits from the water clogging up your lovely steamer), wash it then leave it scattered across your kitchen to dry.
What to look for in a steamer As I said, I suspect most steamers do a pretty good job, so find one at a good price. Here are some things to look out for:
1. Can you fill it up while it is switched on (most you can, but some cheap ones you cannot)? The Tefal has a small drawer-like thing that pulls open that you pour water into while it is switched on.
2. Is there a water level indicator? Best not to try boiling your steamer dry, and a kettle-like indicator on them is probably better than waiting for the burnt out smell!
3. Related to above, does it automatically switch off if you haven't bothered to fill it up?
4. Do the trays pack into one another? The Tefal declares itself as compact, and it is. The trays are all slightly different sizes so they pack into one another (when you are steaming, the bottom tray is the smallest, and the bigger ones sit on top; when you pack it up, the top tray holds the other two trays). If it doesn't pack up, you are looking at one rather large appliance sitting on your counter (or occasionally in your cupboard).
5. Do the tray bottoms “pop” out? This makes for easier cleaning.
6. What is the maximum time for the timer? An hour is plenty.
7. Does it include a rice bowl? Rice bowls aren't anything very special, but it is best to get one with it so you know it is heat proof and is the right size.
8. How many trays? Some only have two. If you are steaming things with different timings, the more the better!
9. Some specifically tell you they have a juice collector or some such. You are supposed to be able to use the juice for vegetable stock. A. I'm not sure I could be bothered (have you heard of stock cubes). B. I imagine they all have one (the condensed steam has to go somewhere), just some makers obviously also think stock cubes are a simpler solution.
Finally.... Get one! Any one. You will need a bigger one than you think, and looks are important, because it won't be spending much time in your cupboard!
(I have marked durability as Satisfactory, it hasn't broken yet, but who knows!)
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Cleaning & Maintenance
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Safe
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18
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