Choose your food steamer
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Food steamers made of bamboo are very traditional, like the small stackable bamboo steamers used to make Cantonese dim sum dishes.
Bamboo steamers cannot be used over direct heat but over a wok or pot, they are light and products made of top-quality bamboo can bring a unique bamboo aroma to the food as well.
Food steamers made of stainless steel are very efficient and easy to clean. They can accomplish heavy duty steaming tasks like making dozens of steamed buns at a time or cooking whole chicken and fish.
You can also turn your pot into a steamer by using a metal insert designed for the purpose. The expandable and adjustable tool, like the Stabil steamer insert sold in IKEA, can fit pots of different sizes conveniently.
Electric steamers, usually made of stainless steel, are popular nowadays because they are easy to use and worry-free. Most models automatically shut off if the water boils dry to prevent accidents.
Many electric steamers are multi-functional, where one can stew or boil food with them as well.
Different settings such as fish, bone-in meat, vegetables and buns are available on the control panels. Some steamers can also defrost food.
If you are furnishing a new kitchen and have a higher budget, then a steam oven is a more advanced option.
It’s the same size as traditional ovens and can solve a lot of problems of traditional food steamers such as the large amount of vapor surrounding the kitchen, too much moisture which results in water dripping down from the lid or overcooking the food.
Specific temperatures can be set to cook different foods with precision, like 100 degrees Celsius for making steamed buns and 95 degrees for fish and vegetables.
With their large capacity and digital technology, the average price of a steam oven is 4,000 to 6,000 yuan (US$583 to 875).
An egg cooker, a cheap appliance designed to boil eggs efficiently, is also a mini steamer that can accomplish the tasks of cooking or warming up smaller portions of food in minutes.
Egg cookers usually have one to three heating plates and can cook different dishes at the same time.
The appliance can be plastic or stainless steel. It’s highly efficient, only a small amount of water is needed to steam food for up to 30 minutes. Most models automatically shut off when water boils dry, and they are easy to clean after use. Egg cookers are generally under 100 yuan.
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