Top 10 Best Food Steamer 2020 Reviews & Buying Guide

If you are a health freak, then you must be looking for a Food Steamer? Let me help you!

Food steamers are one of the most innovative and useful kitchen appliances that you could get yourselves today. A food steamer is one of the most in-demand kitchen appliances as it reduced or avoids the usage of oil, therefore, reducing the risk of any health issues.

Here are some of the top advantages of food steamers

1. A food steamer cooks the food fast and easy
2. It is really easy to use
3. A food steamer does not remove the nutrients or other human body required contents
4. A food steamer does not require oil or any fat
5. Purchasing a food steamer is a onetime investment
6. An appropriate food steamer does not deform or destroy the natural taste or odor of the food it cooks

With all these being the advantages of a food steamer, you would have understood the rise of demand for food steamers. However, make sure that the device you purchase comes from a reputed brand, and with features that could satisfy your cooking requirements. Check the list of 10 best rated food steamers available on the market today.

Best Buy Food Steamer Reviews 2020

1. Aroma Housewares 6-Cup (Cooked) Pot-Style Rice Cooker and Food Steamer

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Aroma Housewares is one of the most heard names in the food steamer section, it is one of the best-selling brands that manufacture and markets high-quality food steamer. This product comes with a 6 cup cooking capacity.

• The product is best recommended for steaming meat, vegetables, and rice cooks.
• One of the notable things about this product is that it comes with one-touch operation.
• Another notable thing about this food steamer is that it comes with an automatic keep-warm feature that would enable the user to keep the food warm for a long time.
• The tempered glass lid incorporated in this food steamer enables the user to keep track of the cooking process with ease.
• The product consumes a maximum power of 350-watts.
• This device could be used for both cooking rice and steaming rice at the same time.

2. Farberware Classic 3-Quart Covered Stack ‘n’ Steam Saucepot and Steamer

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This food steamer is a basic product and does not come with any inbuilt heating unit. The whole product is made of stainless steel and the core is made of aluminum that comes with a quality and design suitable enough to transfer heat evenly all over its surface.

• As mentioned above this food steamer has to be used with gas, electric, or halogen stove.
• One of the notable things about this product is that if you remove the steamer insert the product could be used as sauce pot.
• Another notable thing about this product are that the stainless steel exterior is polished to a mirror finish to look like classic touch.
• The product could withstand a maximum temperature of 350-degree Fahrenheit.
• The manufacturer has incorporated stylish insulated handles to provide confident grasp.
• The whole product is dishwasher safe and is guaranteed to be a combination of style and quality.

3. Oster Double Tiered Food Steamer, 5 Quart, White (CKSTSTMD5-W-015)

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This food steamer comes from the top brand Oster, and is one of the best selling food steamers available today. This food steamer is best recommended for steaming vegetables, poultry, meat, and fish

• One of the notable things about this food steamer is that it comes with multiple decks that allow the user to steam different types of food at the same time
• Another notable feature of this product is that it comes with transparent steaming bowls that helps the user keep track of the steaming process
• The food steamer has a capacity of 5-quart
• The product has automatic shut-off and water level indicators
• This food steamer also has a power indicator light and the product is dishwasher safe

4. Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer, White

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Unlike the above-listed food steamer, this product comes with a higher capacity but, comes from the same brand Oster.This product comes 2-tiered and is efficient enough to steam any food products.

• This product comes inbuilt with a heating unit that could help the device produce the adequate steam for the steaming process
• One of the notable things about this product comes with LCD display and with a timer
• The product also comes with an auto-warm feature that would help the user keep the food warm always
• This food steamer comes with a transparent reservoir and transparent steam trays that enables the user keep track of the steaming process
• This product comes incorporated with 12-hours delay cooking feature
• Since this device comes with 2 tiers, this product could help you steam two different food materials at the same time

5. Hamilton Beach Digital Food Steamer – 5.5 Quart (37530A)

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This Hamilton food steamer is one of the most attractive food steamers available today. It comes with 2-tiers that enable the user to steam more than 1 food item in this product at the same time

• The upper tier could be used to steam small quantities and the 2^nd tier could be used to steam a whole meal, on the other hand, if you need to steam large quantity of food, you just have to remove the center divider
• This product comes incorporated with LCD display and timer that could help you set time and steam the food appropriately
• The product also comes incorporated with a digital touch pad that makes using the device easy
• This product is not dishwasher safe, the user has to hand wash the product

6. BELLA 7.4 Quart 2-Tier Stackable Baskets Healthy Food Steamer

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As the products listed above, this electric product could satisfy your needs. This product comes from the brand Bella

• This product comes with a quick heating system that enables the device to produce steam within a period of 30-seconds
• This product is best recommended for steaming food like red meat, grains, vegetables, shellfish, fish, tofu, and poultry
• This product has a 2 basket system that allows the user to steam more than one type of food item at the same time
• The product has an auto-shutoff feature that makes sure the vegetables or food materials are not overcooked
• One of the notable things about this product is that it comes with a water reservoir view window and a steaming chart to make things easier
• This product is dishwasher safe

7. Aroma Housewares 20-Cup Digital Rice Cooker & Food Steamer

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This product comes from the top brand Aroma Housewares, even though, this food steamer looks compact, it comes with an attractive capacity of 20-cup

• This product is best recommended for steaming rice, meat, fish, and vegetables
• One of the notable things about this product is that it comes with easy to use programmable digital controls that make functioning easy
• This product comes with an attractive LCD display and simmer function that helps the user steam the food according to their own preferences
• This product comes incorporated with a timer function that could help the user to do a flexible meal planning
• This product is dishwasher safe
• The manufacturer offers a rice measuring cup and serving spatula with this product

8. Aroma Housewares 14-Cup Pot Style Rice Cooker and Food Steamer

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Yet another product from the brand Aroma Housewares, this product comes incorporated with several attractive features

• This product comes with a one touch operation that could make the users work and access to device settings and functioning easier
• The product comes incorporated with an attractive automatic keep-warm feature that could keep the food warm for a long time
• This food steamer is best recommended for soups, chili, and jambalaya
• One of the notable things about this food steamer is that it comes with a transparent lid that could help the user keep track of the steaming with ease
• This product comes with perfectly designed steam trays that would allow the user to cook food properly

9. Cuisinart STM-1000 CookFresh Digital Glass Steamer

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This product comes from one of the world’s top cookware and kitchen appliances manufacturer Cuisinart.

• The Cuisinart STM-1000 is a steamer that comes with a 1-liter reservoir and LCD control panel.
• The manufacturer has placed start/stop/, pause, and reheats buttons for the ease of using the device.
• The product also comes with options that allow the user to reprogram the food settings preset on the device.
• This product comes with a single tier and the trays are made of stainless steel.

10. T-fal VC1338 Balanced Living Compact 2-Tier Electric Food Steamer

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This food steamer is perhaps one of the best food steamers that could suit any kitchen settings. This product comes from the brand T-fal, which has a reputation for marketing cookwares, bakewares, and kitchen appliances.

• This product comes with a total capacity of 4-quart
• One of the special features of this product is that it comes with removable 2-tiers
• This product also has an attractive LCD display and one-touch control panels
• The product also boasts timer feature and the manufacturer offers a 1-year limited warranty on this product

 How To Choose The Best Food Steamer 

A food steamer is cheap and easy alternative for healthy cooking. Below mentioned are a few explained queries to purchase the right one-

1. What is the power of a standard food steamer?

Most steamers have a power of 850-1000 watt and for an average household,this is the power recommended.

2. What is the additional benefit of cooking in a food steamer than in a pressure cooker?

Cooking in steam keeps the nutrient value of the vegetables intact and hence is an healthy alternative. Cooking in a pressure cooker on the other hand loses the water soluble nutrients. Additionally, pressure cooker takes more fuel and time to cook as compared to a food steamer.

3. How many layers of trays are available in a food steamer?

A food steamer has 3 to 4 layers of trays depending on individual brand. If you are looking at cooking more than one dish at a time, choosing a food steamer with more than 2 layers is ideal.

4. What are the additional features one can get along with a food steamer?

Some brands come with additional features such as keep-Warm which helps in keeping the food warm for a longer period of time and also a timer that helps in pre-setting the cooking duration for a later time.

5. How does a food steamer work?

A food steamer works in the same way as the ancient chinese pottery steam cooking with the vessels placed one upon the other. The perforated base lets the steam pass through it and cooks the vegetables accordingly.

The base contains a thick wire that resists the flow of electricity which in turn generates heat. This heat results in evaporation of the water at base which upon condensation on the vegetables placed in layers, cooks them.

6. What are the different levels of fill for a reservoir?

The levels of water fill for a food steamer depend on the time needed for the food to cook.

If it takes less than 13 minutes for the food to cook, the minimum fill is recommended and it it takes between 13 mints to 60 mints for the food to cook, the maximum fill level is to be opted for.

7. How to assemble the food steamer post purchase?

Assembly is an important aspect of purchasing a food steamer. After purchasing, you can assemble the same with the help of the manual given along with it. If not, you can always choose a food steamer wherein the customer service can help you assemble or give you an already assembled one.

While assembling, you need to make sure that the trays are arranged properly, with the reservoir being at the base, the drip tray above it and then the rest of the layers for placing the evenly cut vegetables for proper cooking.

 Food Steamer Clean & Caring Instructions 

• Once cooking is done, unplug and let the steamer cool for some time.
• Remove the trays and drain the water.
• Clean with plain soapy water and wipe dry with a cloth
• Do not use harsh mode of cleaning as it may cause irreparable damage.
• Use vinegar in case there are any residues.
• Do not plug in an empty food steamer as it may lead to a possible fire.
• Do not use salt in the water bowl as it leads to residue deposition.
• Frozen meat should be defrosted before cooking in the food steamer.
• The steamer is strictly for indoor use.

 How to Use a Food Steamer Properly? 

If you are a fitness freak then a food steamer can be a perfect appliance for your kitchen. If you know the right type of food steamer for you then it can reduce your great burden. Here are some best tips that help you to learn how to use your food steamer in the best possible way to make tasty dishes.

Do not add too much water – First of all, you have to understand that water is an essential component for steam cooking and it is essential for you to add the right amount of water to make your food. If you are using the steam basket on the stove then you need to add almost one or two inches of water in the pot. Make sure that the water does not go above the steamer basket because it can ruin your meal.

Boil the water first – If you add the vegetable in the steamer at the same time when you put water and turn it on then it will not give the right taste to your meal. So, you need to first boil the water and then add your vegetable or other food items in the steamer. After then, you can close the lid and then turn the streamer on and get more tasty and delicious food.

Do not steam for a long time – It becomes tricky for people to know the right time to turn off the streamer because it is tricky to get know when your food is steamed in a proper way. You need to know that steamed vegetables take just a few minutes to cook in a proper manner. if your food cooked for a long time then it can ruin the taste of your food so, you need to turn off your steamer after few minutes and then check whether your food is properly cooked or not.

You should not leave the vegetables in the pot because it can make them soggy and make sure to keep them in a bowl filled with ice water that helps to keep the vegetables crisp and fresh for a long time.

Enhance the steam by using herbs and stocks – You can enhance the taste of your food by adding stock and herbs in the water. You can add some salt or lemon in the water before it starts boiling and it will add extra taste in your vegetables that make your existing every time when you eat your food.

Food Steamer Vs. Pressure Cooker: Which is Better?

There is a great difference between food streamer and pressure cooker. Let us try to sort out some of the basic ones from the main list. However, both are important but there exists a small difference between the two.

• There are some differences regarding the sizes of the product. It has been seen that food steamers are a great tool for cooking all types of products. On the other hand, pressure cookers are also a great tool for the people.
• Regarding the designs of the pot it has been seen that food steamers are much designer than the pressure cooker ones. On the other side, pressure cookers are quite durable and have a different look.
• The settings of the pressure cookers are much easier than the food steamers. On the other side, food steamers have very complicated settings. It makes the operation of the product much suitable for the users.
• Most of the pressure cookers are induction friendly. They can be easily used on the induction machines. But there are very few food steamers that can be used on the induction. This is a great difference that exists between the two.
• The cooking functions of the food steamers are much tougher than the pressure cookers. This makes people confused on how to deal with the process. This is a great thing.
• Apart from all this, the price of the pressure cooker is much lower than the food steamers. This makes people to afford the product very easily.

Thus it can be quite convenient from the above discussion that both food steamers and pressure cookers are a useful gadget but the main difference exists between the ways of handling. All these products are just a wonderful one in the modern world.

Conclusion

All the products listed above are the best food steamers available on the market today. You will not be able to find a more exciting food steamer today.