Eating raw food items like fruits and vegetables is always beneficial to health. When it comes to cooking, the food steaming process is one of the important ones to consider. The steamed food conveys delicious taste and there are no concerns to health. A food steamer is a perfect kitchen gadget for vegans and vegetarians. Using a decent quality food steamer, you can fulfill your desire for eating steamed fruits and vegetables. Some people assume that food steamers are the contemporary kitchen gadget but the fact is they are used for ages.
Any food steamer is capable to retain the nutrients in food and complete the cooking process quickly. If you desire to save time and eat some healthy recipes then it is a good idea to buy a food steamer. The best thing about all food steamers is they are easy to use. There is no need of cooking experience to control the steaming process. All the food steamers come with easy controls helping you to easily prepare your favorite recipes. Get familiar with the best food steamers described in the article below:
Key features to consider for the best food steamers:
Depending on your budget, you can easily choose the best food steamers after looking at the factors described below
Type of food steamer:
It is first important to know the types of food steamers and accordingly proceed with the purchase. Primarily, there are four types of food steamers available. They are electric, stainless steel/aluminum, bamboo, and microwave. The bamboo steamers are conventional and they usually take a long time to cook food. The majority of the microwave steamers are not safe to use. This is because they may be built from cheap plastic.
It is good to go for stainless steamers but they consume gas and may take a long time to cook. The best ones are electric steamers because they cook food quickly. Moreover, they are equipped with a wide range of options like timer, keep warm function, water gauge, and more.
Portability:
Some people are usually afraid of handling a food steamer in hands by assuming that it feels hot when touched. It is therefore advisable to purchase a food steamer that comes with a cool-touch handle. This type of handle does not conduct heat and this is why it feels cool to touch. Purchasing a food steamer with this type of handle ensures your fingers and wrists do not get burned off. Some food steamers are equipped with an anti-scalding handle. The built-in handle enhances portability and helps you to easily use the appliance. Furthermore, you can check the weight of the steamer unit to benefit from easy storage and transportation.
Ease of cleaning:
After every use, a food steamer gets messy and needs to be cleaned properly. If you chose a dishwasher-safe food steamer, you can easily complete the cleaning process. To get an idea of how simple the cleaning process is, you can go through the customer reviews and accordingly make a decision.
Extra features:
In addition to fundamental features, it is good to buy a food steamer with some extra features. Some manufacturers have tested and improved their food steamers to implement advanced features. Few extra features you can look for are a timer, digital delayed start, and keep-warm function. To make the food steaming process quick and convenient, it is good to choose a food steamer with any of these extra features.
List of 10 Best Food Steamers Review in 2023:
10. Secura 2 Stainless Steel Food Steamer:
Two identical steamer pots are included in this set from Secura. Each pot is built from stainless steel to offer durability. The stay-cool handles offer portability and ease of use. When you touch the handle, you will not feel the heat, so your fingers will not burn. The power rating is 800 Watts. Within 15 seconds, efficient steam output is generated that can quickly heat different food items. The steam can heat veggies, fish, chicken, grain, rice, and many other food items.
It comes with a stackable 2-tier structure for flawless streaming. Names of some other components are the non-slip lid knob and anti-scalding handle. During steaming, the nutrients are retained and there is no need for cooking oils. When there is no water, the auto shut-off feature works. The 8.5 quarts is sufficiently large for steaming large amount of vegetables, meat, fish, chicken, grains, and more.
Pros:
- The handles are cool to touch
- Easy to clean and dishwasher safe
- Quick and uniform heating
Why We Liked It?
These steamer pots can evenly cook as many food items as you want. The handles are large and sturdy enough for easy handling.
9. 400 Watt Stainless Steel Food Steamer:
Now you can improve your health by steaming food easily and quickly from this stainless steel food steamer. It can retain essential nutrients and present a healthy cooking approach. Equipped with a 4-quart capacity, this steamer can cook food for a large family. The 400 Watts of power can steam food in less than an hour. A built-in timer operation ranges from 0 to 60 minutes. The automatic shut-off feature ensures a safe steaming process.
The removable parts like lids and trays are dishwasher safe. Depending on the amount of space you require, you can steam using 1 or 2 trays.
Pros:
- Automatic shut-off feature included
- Can steam food in less time
- Removable parts are dishwasher safe
Why We Liked It?
We liked the speed and simplicity of steaming vegetables. Being lightweight, it is suitable for everyday use.
8. Secura Electric Food Steamer, 8.5 Quart:
This electric food steamer from Secura is designed to serve a healthy approach for cooking. With the help of an efficient 1200W steam mechanism, this steamer unit conveys steam from the top to down side. In this way, the food is fully surrounded by uniform heat. Within 15 seconds, this digital food steamer generates steam for fast heat up of veggies, fish, chicken, rice, grains, etc.
The built-in delay start timer can be set up to 10 hours with 1-hour increments. An anti-scalding handle is present to ensure the protection of your fingers. The parts are dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.
Pros:
- Easy to assemble
- Can warm at high temperature
- Quick and consistent heat
Why We Liked It?
It can cook food quickly and thoroughly. You can easily cook numerous types of veggies simultaneously.
7. Aicok 9.5 Quart Food Steamer:
If you are in the hunt for a food steamer that conveys health safety then go for this Aicok food steamer. It comes with BPA-free steamer baskets. These baskets are arranged in 3-tier configuration. These baskets come with excellent chemical resistance and they are capable to withstand high temperatures. The maximum food capacity is up to 9.5 quart. It is enough for veggies, meat, egg, baby food, rice, and many more.
With the help of an efficient 800W steam system, the steamer cooks quickly and uniformly. One of the finest attributes is this steamer removes the need for multiple pans and pots. So, the entire steaming process is flawless.
Pros:
- Saves time when cooking
- The timer can be adjusted when needed
- Can cook multiple food items
Why We Liked It?
Multiple food items can be cooked at once. Within a few minutes, you can prepare delicious recipes.
6. Rosewill 3-Tier Stackable Baskets:
The specialty of this Rosewill food steamer is it comes with transparent baskets. These baskets are BPA-free and they are arranged in 3-tier configuration. The 9.5 quarts helps you to prepare multiple food items for your family. Within a minute, the steamer can generate 800W power steam. When water is empty, the 60-minutes timer shuts off automatically. It is easy to refill water inside and there is a water level indicator included.
A rice bowl is included for cooking rice and small food items. Moreover, egg holders are included for boiling. The water vents available at side extends the steaming process.
Pros:
- Uniform heat distribution
- Cool to the touch
- Compact size for storage
Why We Liked It?
All the contained accessories are dishwasher safe. No need to remove the basket when adding water.
5. Aroma Housewares Pot Style Rice Cooker and Food Steamers:
This pot style food steamer can cook up to 14 cups of rice. Besides, it can automatically keep the food warm for hours. When the rice cooking process is going on, this steamer can steam meat and vegetables. The internal cooking pot comes with a non-stick coating.
After the rice gets cooked, the rice cooker switches to keep-warm setting automatically. So, no need to worry about monitoring the rice. Every included accessory is dishwasher-safe for simple cleanup.
Pros:
- All necessary accessories included
- Easy, one-touch operation
- Can steam meat and vegetables
Why We Liked It?
We liked its ability to cook other food when simultaneously cooking rice. Wherever setup, it does not take occupy much space.
4. Nostalgia Extra Large Diner-Style Steamers:
With large interior space, this steamer is capable to cook multiple food items simultaneously. It is a diner-style food steamer that can cook multiple hot dogs at once. A bun warmer can hold up to 12 buns simultaneously. All these buns stay warm for long. With the help of cooking dial, the cooking process is simplified a lot.
The water level window is easy to view and it guarantees the appropriate amount of water inside. This entire steamer unit is easy to disassemble and easy to clean.
Pros:
- Comes with a 3-position cooking dial
- Large food holding capacity
- Cool-touch handles for safety
Why We Liked It?
It is easy to cook many different food items from this diner style steamer. A concealed cord storage facility is available.
3. Hamilton Beach 37530A Digital Food Steamers:
The digital food steamer mentioned above adopts a 2-tier stackable configuration. This kind of configuration fits nicely in a kitchen cabinet. You can use one tier for small quantities and stack 2 tiers for a whole meal. You can remove the center divider to fit large food items. When food is ready, the automatic warm function activates.
A rice bowl is included for cooking rice and small foods. With the help of a digital touchpad, it is easy to set the countdown timer and a few other functions.
Pros:
- Can steam a variety of recipes
- Equipped with digital touchpad for user convenience
- The automatic warm function included
Why We Liked It?
This Hamilton Beach food steamer does not occupy extra space in the kitchen. The digital functions make it easy to use.
2. Oster Double Tiered Food Steamers:
Implied from the name, this Oster food steamer prepares in double tier configuration. This kind of design enables you to separate and cook two types of food simultaneously. It extensively uses for cooking vegetables, fish, meat, and poultry. Its steaming process retains nutrients and makes sure the cooking oils are not used excessively.
You can easily see the cooking progress through the see-through steaming bowls. An automatic 60-minute timer includes. It shuts off automatically when water is empty.
Pros:
- Can cook 2 types of food simultaneously
- Comes with power indicator light
- Transparent steaming bowl to display cooking progress
Why We Liked It?
We liked the flawless controls that are easy to use. For cooking any vegetables and meat recipes, this appliance is a good choice.
1. Cuisinart Digital Glass Steamer:
Those consumers who are looking for a healthy approach to cook vegetables and meat, this digital food steamer is a good option. Its working mechanism involves an efficient steam system that conveys steam from top to down. In this way, the food will be surrounded by uniform heat.
It comes with 5 liters capacity which is enough for family. There is the availability of 5 food settings and a 60-minute timer. You can easily see the output on the LCD control panel.
Pros:
- Comes with bright LCD control panel
- Large capacity of the cooking pot
- Includes audible alert
Why We Liked It?
The glass cooking pot helps you to easily see the cooking process inside. All the included digital controls are easy to use.
Concluding Note:
The food steamers save energy and time when it comes to steaming vegetables, meats, and other recipes. They don’t require oil during cooking, so they convey a healthy eating approach.