For those who can’t quite stand the heat of the stovetop – but are not quite ready to get out of the kitchen, a food steamer may be just the kind of kitchen appliance needed. Whether you choose to steam your food as a matter of taste, nutrition, convenience, or even adherence to tradition, you’ll find an uncomplicated and dependable offering among the brands of steamers listed here.
Image Credit: Cornell
The appliance maker Cornell offers a food steamer designed to take after the stereotypical working person’s stackable lunchbox. The dishwasher-safe polypropylene containers are secured to each other with specially-designed clips when stacked, and a convenient carrying handle enables the transportation and eventual serving of food without comprising the sanctity of the contents after steaming. The lightweight base features a useful water level gauge on the front face and a slot to the side permitting refills of the reservoir without disrupting operations.
Image Credit: Faber
Faber brings to the countertop the kind of quality and aesthetics expected of refined Italian kitchens with a food steamer composed almost entirely of stainless steel, updated for the 21st century with a digital display and a touch-button interface. While the design is apparently aimed at culinary professionals, with the lack of an external refill port and a gratuitous viewing window, this steamer provides the ease and convenience of steaming your food while bolstering the image of a competent chef.
Edibles not included. Image Credit: Hesstar
Starting out as a distributor of commercial-grade kitchen appliances from non-Chaebol South Korean manufacturers, the homegrown brand of Hesstar brings affordable quality to the home kitchen with a food steamer that sports a durable stainless steel housing, a “keep-warm” function, and a voluminous total capacity of 14 litres – adequate for a hearty three-course meal for one.
Image Credit: Pensonic
Penang’s own Pensonic brings us the two-tier PSM-1600S, which is capable of holding a respectable 12 litres of food inside of a completely stainless steel body. While the opaque sides diverge from a norm some consider appealing, a glass top cover enables the attentive chef to monitor progress, while the metallic composition makes it capable of stewing and boiling in addition to steaming. In a testament to Pensonic’s attention to safety, this steamer will not operate when the water reservoir is empty, and it will automatically shut off after the 60-minute timer runs out. For those among us who get butter-fingered when handling hot objects, the handles are designed with anti-slip curves and molded from heat-resistant plastic
Image Credit: Philips
Philips’ own 10-litre, 900W food steamer may appear like any other from afar, even beyond the fact that the expected rotary dial is instead replaced with a slick digital display and embossed buttons with tight tolerances – the truly unique aspect of this steamer lies in the small compartment located at the bottom of the stack. When filled with herbs and spices of your choice, the aromas waft upwards and infuse your food with flavours that are largely unattainable with any other steamer.
* Brands are listed alphabetically
