My s
teamer is pretty much the best gadget I have. It steams vegetables, grains (including rice), and just about anything else - it even makes hard cooked eggs for you non-vegans in the crowd. Best of all, it can be left alone with the responsibility of cooking for you. Unlike many rice cookers, whose heating element sits close to the metal bowl that holds the rice, this steamer steams the rice in a bowl held away from the heating element so that it never burns. This is also more convenient post-eating, since it makes the steamer easier to clean.As you can see in the picture to the left, my steamer is a double decker steamer that can steam multiple things at a time. I paid an extra $10 for this feature, and now regret it since the only time I want to steam things separately is if they take different amounts of time to cook - and then trying to add one basket mid-steam generally leads to burns and other unpleasantness.
This appliance is named the Black and Decker Flavor Scenter Steamer, because it allegedly has a place that you can put herbs so that they will flavour the food as it steams. I have never tried this since I generally plan to do something with the steamed vegetables post-cooking, but it sounds lovely.
In Canada, the Flavor Scenter Steamer is generally available for $30 - $40 depending on size and number of tiers. I recommend it highly.
3 comments:
How long does it take to steam, say, some broccoli? This thing looks neat!
I have the same steamer, and I also love it! I've tried the herb thing, but I find it's mostly hard to clean, and I like to mix stuff right in, and not just make the place smell like herbs and then not be able to taste them.
When I lived in a dorm-like setting with a shared kitchen, I did some meals only in the steamer (right in the dorm). I steamed my veggie dogs, threw in some broccoli and small pasta, and I didn't have to use the dirty kitchen that always smelled like fish. Not great eating, but it sure made me happy.
Hey Jessica,
It only takes about 15 minutes to steam almost any veggies, but it depends on the amount that you are making. A cup of brown rice takes 56 minutes and a cup of white rice takes 37 minutes.
Emily
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