Stainless Steel Vegetable Steamer

[Shel_B]

Looking for recommendations for a well-built, well-designed, stainless steel vegetable steamer.  Thanks!

[Porthos]

Are you asking about an insert or a 3-piece steamer (pan, steamer basket, lid)? Outside of a 3-piece steamer that is a leftover from an old cookware set the smallest I have is an 8 quart. I don't know if that large a steamer is what you are looking for.

[Shel_B]

Are you asking about an insert or a 3-piece steamer (pan, steamer basket, lid)? Outside of a 3-piece steamer that is a leftover from an old cookware set the smallest I have is an 8 quart. I don't know if that large a steamer is what you are looking for.

 

What I'm looking for is something like this, of this general style:  https://www.google.com/search?q=vegetable+steamer+basket&biw=1079&bih=502&tbm=isch&imgil=xaoYN5ew1HKfXM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQ7n6O-olTsVZvtnpP-wOQNXpKeOEknCwUpWFlpFvFRyuFldcnX%253B406%253B235%253B2z18_Cq1MBG8ZM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.texmex.net%25252Fproducts%25252Fcooking.htm&source=iu&usg=__XZRSuLKBnFrghCMnTHBG-x9LhCo%3D&sa=X&ei=QNYpU9aCNYXB0AG35oGQBA&ved=0CF4Q9QEwAg#facrc=_&imgrc=xaoYN5ew1HKfXM%253A%3B2z18_Cq1MBG8ZM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.texmex.net%252FGraphics%252Fsteamerbasket.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.texmex.net%252Fproducts%252Fcooking.htm%3B406%3B235

 

I wasn't clear in my original post - sorry.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[boudin noir]

I've got a cheap one. Don't know who made it. Lasted for years. They all do the same thing.

[Porthos]

Sorry, can't help. I had poor luck with them. I like the 3-piece because you can EASILY remove the steaming basket when the food (for me it's veggies) is done and thus immediately halt the steaming.

 

edited to add: When not in use for steaming the pan makes a handy smaller-sized stock pot.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Porthos (log)

[Shel_B]

Sorry, can't help. I had poor luck with them. I like the 3-piece because you can EASILY remove the steaming basket when the food (for me it's veggies) is done and thus immediately halt the steaming.

 

edited to add: When not in use for steaming the pan makes a handy smaller-sized stock pot.

 

I already have a stock pot with a steamer insert.  It's nice for many reasons, but it's sometimes a PITA to use.  The little steamer basket should be a good, quick alternative in many instances.

[DesertTinker]

I've had this one from IKEA for 3 years now, sturdy enough and a nice size. 

[gfweb]

What I'm looking for is something like this, of this general style:  https://www.google.com/search?q=vegetable+steamer+basket&biw=1079&bih=502&tbm=isch&imgil=xaoYN5ew1HKfXM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQ7n6O-olTsVZvtnpP-wOQNXpKeOEknCwUpWFlpFvFRyuFldcnX%253B406%253B235%253B2z18_Cq1MBG8ZM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.texmex.net%25252Fproducts%25252Fcooking.htm&source=iu&usg=__XZRSuLKBnFrghCMnTHBG-x9LhCo%3D&sa=X&ei=QNYpU9aCNYXB0AG35oGQBA&ved=0CF4Q9QEwAg#facrc=_&imgrc=xaoYN5ew1HKfXM%253A%3B2z18_Cq1MBG8ZM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.texmex.net%252FGraphics%252Fsteamerbasket.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.texmex.net%252Fproducts%252Fcooking.htm%3B406%3B235

 

I wasn't clear in my original post - sorry.

Why not get that one?

[annabelle]

Better get two of those stainless steel guys.  The fins tend to work loose.

[Smithy]

I have two: the cheapo kind that cost only a few bucks at your basic Oriental grocery store, and one that I picked up at, er, Sur La Table (I think) or Crate & Barrel many years ago. I picked up the second one because it was more sturdily built and slightly larger, so it would accommodate more material without spillage when being removed from the pan. They both work the same way, and work satisfactorily. The cheap one has lost a flap (fin?) and allows the occasional brussels sprout to fall through the resulting crevice. I still find myself using that one more often than the other, sturdier fold-up steamer because of size considerations. As it turns out, the larger basket is about an inch larger in diameter than my most-used pot, and the telescoping handle, when collapsed, is still about an inch too high to fit under the lid on the second-most-used pot. Make sure you measure the diameter and depth of the pots you'll be using before you make your purchase.

[Lisa Shock]

I hate the metal ones, all of them. I find that they do quite a bit of cooking via conduction of heat through the metal and get a lot hotter than the temperature of steam. So, items wind up cooking unevenly since the parts touching the basket get exposed to a lot more heat than items or parts of items surrounded by just steam. I have a couple sizes of bamboo steamer and find these to work much better and more accurately for me.

[Porthos]

I hate the metal ones, all of them. I find that they do quite a bit of cooking via conduction of heat through the metal and get a lot hotter than the temperature of steam. So, items wind up cooking unevenly since the parts touching the basket get exposed to a lot more heat than items or parts of items surrounded by just steam.

I don't seem to have had that experience with my 3-piece steamers.

[Shel_B]

I don't seem to have had that experience with my 3-piece steamers.

 

Nor I, with any of the metal steamers I've used ....

[Lisa Shock]

Really, I used to have issues pulling out broccoli with cooked marks on it from where it touched the steamer. I took the temperature of the metal and found it much hotter than steam, and gave away the metal steamer right away. Been happy with bamboo ever since. Added bonus: the bamboo steamer is constructed so that you can place a cup of sauce in it to heat, and it has sides high enough to make steamed buns.

[Shel_B]

Why not get that one?

 

Because I don't know about the quality, and the diameter is a bit less than I would prefer.  A lot of the steamers I looked at had quality issues, such as fins coming loose or falling off, legs that weren't well secured, and poor quality stainless steel that rusted.  Some had design flaws that were unacceptable to me, such as handles that were too long to fit inside the pots I'd be using. That's why I asked here, where people do a lot of cooking and may have had a lot more experience with these things than I.  I subscribe to the idea that "the more you know, the better your luck."

[Porthos]

In the spring and in the fall in my ren faire kitchen I regularly steam (in separate batches) 10 lb of potatoes, 5 pounds of carrots, 3-4 pounds of broccoli,3-4 pounds of beets, 3 lbs of green beans, and other veggies as I am inspired. I use 8 qt and 12 qt 3-piece steamers and have never seen marks on the food from the steamer basket. I start each pot with a high flame and when it begins to steam I lower the flame to keep the steam going without over-vigorously boiling the water. It seems to work for me.

 

Kim, do the steamers you have had the bad experiences touch the bottom of the vessel or are the baskets suspended from the top of the pot?
 

Edited March 20, 2014 by Porthos (log)

[Porthos]

Shel_B, what is the (rough estimate fine) volume that you want to be steaming - 1 qt, 2 qt, etc?

Edited March 20, 2014 by Porthos (log)

[annabelle]

I had (until I used it up) a small metal mesh colander that fit inside a pot and hung by the handles.  Lids didn't fit tight on it, but that wasn't an issue for me.  It was easy to pick up and set in the sink. 

 

My problem with the collapsing steamers is that they tip, come apart and in general are a PITA.

 

Now, I have a Cuisinart steamer basket that sits on top of the lip of a pot and fits the lids to one of my sets of cookware.  It can double as a colander for easily bruised fruits, such as strawberries, for rinsing as well.

[Shel_B]

Now, I have a Cuisinart steamer basket that sits on top of the lip of a pot and fits the lids to one of my sets of cookware.  It can double as a colander for easily bruised fruits, such as strawberries, for rinsing as well.

 

Bingo!  I have a strainer that fits perfectly inside my 4-quart All-Clad saucepan, and the lid covers it quite nicely.  I bet that will work just fine as a steamer basket, and eliminate the need to buy any additional vegetable steaming gear.  I can also set a small plate inside the strainer, allowing me to steam fish or poultry, albeit not large amounts.  Thanks for mentioning your steamer basket.

 

[Shel_B]

Shel_B, what is the (rough estimate fine) volume that you want to be steaming - 1 qt, 2 qt, etc?

 

Probably not much more than a quart at a time, if that much.  For example, a head of broccoli, a couple of diced zucchini, two medium chicken breasts, 1/2 to 1 small head of cauliflower ... like that.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I had (until I used it up) a small metal mesh colander that fit inside a pot and hung by the handles.  Lids didn't fit tight on it, but that wasn't an issue for me.  It was easy to pick up and set in the sink. 

 

My problem with the collapsing steamers is that they tip, come apart and in general are a PITA.

 

Now, I have a Cuisinart steamer basket that sits on top of the lip of a pot and fits the lids to one of my sets of cookware.  It can double as a colander for easily bruised fruits, such as strawberries, for rinsing as well.

 

I have an ancient Cuisinart chicken steamer that works very well for vegetables.

[Mjx]

Cook's Illustrated spoke highly of the OXO 10".

[weinoo]

I like to use an old tuna fish can, on top of which I set a heat proof plate.  Saves me $$, and saves the analysis paralysis of figuring out which $6 steamer is the best.