Steamers offer a healthy way to cook all kinds of food, from meat and vegetables to rice and eggs. Far from being the kind of thing you stick on top of a saucepan of boiling water, steamers are now much more sophisticated and easy to use. This buying guide will discuss all the important features you need to consider before you make your purchase.

steamer buying adviceSteamers work by having a compartment that can be filled with water and will then heat up to generate steam that will cook the food above it in the ‘baskets’. Most food types can be steamed, and it is a healthier way of cooking because the food does not lose as many vitamins and minerals as it would from boiling, and also does not take up any oil as it would in frying. Steamers often come with special compartments for rice or eggs.

Before you buy a steamer, you need to consider how much food you will be using it to cook, as well as what type of food so that you can make sure the one you buy will suit your needs.


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Capacity

This involves the number of steaming baskets as well as the capacity in litres. Most steamers have two or three baskets and oval ones tend to have a larger capacity than round. Where special rice baskets are provided as extras, you also need to look at the capacity of these if you plan on cooking rice (it’s a good idea to have a rice basket as then the rice doesn’t go everywhere).

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Steam

A water guage is a handy feature on steamers as you can tell during cooking if the water is about to run out and replenish it – also look out for water spouts, which make replacing water easier. Turbo steam on a steamer means that steam can be generated very quickly.

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Timers

Timers can be useful as they often have a bell to let you know when steaming has finished – some are programmable in advance as well. They range from basic ‘turn a dial’ models to electronically programmable ones. Some also have an auto turn-off function at the end of programming so that the steamer doesn’t boil dry.

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Additional features

Removable bowls are handy as they can be put in the dishwasher and removable separating discs (separating the bowls) can be handy as they allow you to use one large bowl for steaming. There are also stock containers on some steamers, which will collect food juices – these are easier to clean if they are removable. Another handy feature is a ‘keep warm’ function which will keep food warm once steaming has finished – this is useful when cooking meals so the part you’re steaming doesn’t go cold if finished first.

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