By Scott Nyerges on October 3, 2009 in
Electric food steamers should not be confused with rice cookers, which ConsumerSearch discusses in a separate full report. Although many rice cookers can also steam foods, their steamer baskets tend to be small, limiting the kinds of food and amounts that you can cook at one time. Dedicated electric food steamers, on the other hand, are larger (meaning you can steam an ear of corn without having to cut it in half, for example, and many of them have multiple, stackable steamer baskets (meaning you can cook an entire meal at once).
So why buy an electric food steamer? In a word, health.
"It's good for anyone on a low fat diet or who wants to eat a healthier diet," says Linda Larsen, About.com's guide for busy cooks. "Steaming also makes food that is quite flavorful, since volatile oils in the food won't leach out as they would if the food was boiled or fried. This cooking method also preserves nutrients very well."
But what's the best electric food steamer out there? Unlike rice cookers, there aren't a lot of professional reviews available. The best source we could find is a 15-steamer comparison at Choice magazine, which is Australia's answer to Consumer Reports. Only one model tested is available in the U.S., the Breville BFS600XL HealthSmart Foodsteamer, and it is one of the lowest-rated steamers in the Choice test. It receives only a couple of user reviews at Amazon.com, both of whom give it the lowest possible rating. Likewise, other usually reliable sources like Cook's Illustrated and ConusmerReports.org don't review food steamers, or haven't done so in years.
In cases like these, the best place to look is user reviews at Amazon.com. The top-selling food steamer -- and the best-reviewed -- is the Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6-Quart Food Steamer (*Est. $38). More than 220 owners comment on this two-tier steamer, and the ratings are overwhelmingly positive. Users say the Oster is easy to use and clean, produces perfectly cooked rice and vegetables, and is very affordable. On the downside, a few users say the steamer is too large, and some say they received broken or defective units. Another Oster model, the 5711, also receives very good reviews from owners.
It's worth noting that we read a few concerns from owners that some steamers may use polycarbonate plastic, which carries the marking "PC" or No. 7, and contains bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that has been linked to cancer and other diseases, according to the Environmental Working Group. Unfortunately, we couldn't find much information on which food steamers use this kind of plastic in their construction. One customer writing at an Amazon.com forum says an Oster rep told her that their steamers use polypropylene (No. 5) plastic, which is BPA-free. Still, it's worth doing your homework before buying, and visiting a store where you can scrutinize food-steamer models yourself to see what kind of plastic is used.