Looking to eliminate the ever evil fats and oils from your diet? There’s a simple way to do it and start eating healthier now.
Start steaming.
Using a 3 tier steamer retains the flavors sometimes lost in boiling and rids the need for cooking with things like butters or canola oil. Simple solution, right?
The question now is: Which is the best food steamer for you?
With an endless variety of steamer pans on the market, we’re making your search easy by providing 5 essentials the perfect steamer pan must have in order to suit your all your needs.
1. The Right Quantity
Hate leftovers? Avoid contributing to the 27 million tons of food thrown away each year in the U.S. by choosing a stainless steel steamer with the right portion size for you.
Consumers who tend to cook smaller portions or who are most often “cooking for one,” may wrongly assume that a bamboo steamer is their best option.
After all, is anyone really going to eat 6 heads of broccoli in one sitting? (Not unless they’re a masochist).
A 3 tier steamer provides you with the option of having an entire balanced meal ready in one pan or pot.
It’s time to branch out and steam more than just veggies.
3 tiers allow you to steam a myriad of other foods at the same time as your vegetables including:
- Meat
- Fish/Seafood
- Dumplings
- Rice
- Eggs
- Bananas
…the list is endless. No longer is there a need to wash three separate pots for your rice, carrots, and asparagus.
That being said, the next important thing to consider when choosing a steamer for cooking is…
2. The Cleanup
Rust sucks.
Who wants to spend time and effort, (not to mention cash), choosing the perfect steamer for cooking, only to discover it’s rusted after 5 uses?
No one.
Luckily, a stainless steel steamer should not rust. However, if you tend toward the extremely lazy side and proper cleanup is not your priority after a meal, (who hasn’t left dishes overnight, right?) there are effective ways of removing rust from stainless steel.
Of course, much of your cleanup concerns can be eliminated by verifying that all parts of your steamer pan of choice are dishwasher safe.
Not all 3 tier steamers are created equal when it comes to how much space they take up either.
If you’d like to avoid having one more appliance out on our counter, you’ll want to think about whether the size of your steamer will inhibit your ability to put it out of sight when you’re cooking is through.
Fortunately, steamer pans create fewer messes generally when cooking as you no longer need to worry about multiple pots or skillets to scrub, no oil to deal with, and no smoke smells to rid yourself of.
While your focus may initially be on the actual cooking potential of a steamer when deciding which to buy, cleanup is a key element in selecting the pan that will best serve your total needs.
3. Ease of Use
Manual-schmanual. How often do you really read through an appliance’s entire manual anyway?
Some 3 tier steamers may look intimidating at first with their lights and buttons. However, you can find many that offer simple features to maximize the steaming process for you.
Some useful features to consider in a stainless steel steamer include:
- Automatic shut-off when water is empty
- Power light indicators
- A “keep warm” mode
- Reheat option
- LCD timers and alarms
- Oven safe
- Dishwasher safe
- Stackable/collapsable
- Transparent steam bowls
While bamboo or silicon steamers may seem less complex, they also inherently present the problem of not being able to see what you’re steaming.
You can find a great variety of stainless steel steamers with transparent steam bowls or glass lids. This allows you to avoid having to rely entirely on a timer or risk ruining the steaming process by lifting the lid.
…Yet another perk of a stainless steel steamer.
4. What are you Steaming?
Ever considered steaming as one of the ways to remove cooking smells from your home?
Unfortunately, some of the most flavorful dishes to steam are also some of the most potent. If you’ve been steaming a dish with lots of garlic or onions, the scent may linger a little longer than desired afterward.
With a stainless steel steamer, you can try branching out from just steaming food for consumption and throw in other items for a little stovetop potpourri. Try steaming items such as:
- Orange slices
- Cinnamon sticks
- Cranberries
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
Of course, if you do prefer to reserve your steamer pan for foods you plan to eat, but are still looking to eliminate the leftover food smell, there is always the option of the right oil warmer to freshen up your kitchen after steaming.
You may have also heard of folks using stovetop steamer pans to simply increase the humidity in their living area.
If you are a frequent sufferer of nosebleeds, or just dryness in general, and don’t own a quality humidifier, you can even use your stainless steel steamer to give your home a little boost of moisture.
Warding off nosebleeds is a perk you’re only likely to enjoy with a stainless steel steamer as opposed to steamers made of any other material.
5. The Right Price
Myth: Bamboo or silicon steamers are cheaper.
Wrong.
While there are the definite high-end steamers on the market, did you know that many stainless steel steamers can be just as cost-efficient as a bamboo or silicon steamer?
You can find some stainless steel steamers priced as low as $30. When it comes to pricing, avoid missing out on helpful features found only in 3 tier stainless steel steamers while still taking it easy on your wallet.
When it comes to cost, some steamers may be less expensive than others, but you don’t want to sacrifice quality for cost. A less expensive steamer may leave you with more cash on hand, but it may not work as well or last as long as a higher quality version.
As the saying goes, “buy nice or buy twice.” Sometimes buying a nice steamer once is more cost efficient than buying several cheap ones over a lifetime.
The Question of Glass, Plastic, Silicon, or Bamboo
If you’re still uncertain about whether a stainless steel steamer is really the best option for you, consider the glass, plastic, silicon, or bamboo options.
Plastic
While plastic steamers may tend to be slightly less expensive generally, they also have a few downsides.
Plastic steamers can sometimes retain the color or smell of things you are cooking. If you’re cooking an especially colorful vegetable or using strong smelling herbs, plastic as a material is much more likely to stain and absorb smells and colors.
One of the arguments for purchasing a plastic steamer may also be the ease of washing. Just throw it in the dishwasher, right? Well, that argument doesn’t carry much weight anymore as most stainless steel steamers are now dishwasher safe.
Glass
As far as glass goes, it may be a desirable option to avoid color and odor retention. Many glass lids have stainless steel trim to ensure a tight fit when steaming. They are also often dishwasher safe and easy to clean.
Glass lids offer the benefit of seeing what you’re steaming but they may also present a possible danger of breakage. If you do decide to go for a stainless steel and glass combo, just be sure to check that the glass is shatter-resistant.
Silicon
Silicon steamers are great if you want something smaller. They are also usually dishwasher safe.
Silicon steamers pans can usually fit into a pot you already own. Some are also able to fit inside other devices you may already have in your kitchen like an Instant Pot, multi-cooker, rice cooker, or other electric pressure cookers.
Of course, with silicon, you again run into the potential danger of lack of longevity and durability. While they are smaller, they are also limited in their steaming abilities and quantities.
Bamboo
Bamboo was the original way to steam.
It is water resistant and you can always be sure your food won’t stick to the bottom when cooking.
If you’re a serious foodie and like to get into the cultural experience of a meal, bamboo is a fun choice. You can get the feel of cooking legitimate Chinese cuisine with bamboo.
Just be sure that sturdiness, longevity, ease of cleaning, helpful gadgets (like timers, etc.), are not a high priority for you…
Why Steaming Food is the Healthiest Option
Healthier Meats
We’ve already mentioned how using a steamer pan eliminates the needs for cooking with oils and fats. But did you know that it even improves the healthiness of the meats you cook?
If you’re cooking something like pork or lamb, steaming separates the fat so it can easily be removed. Whereas, if you’re grilling, frying, or baking, you’re cooking that fat right into the meat… which then goes straight into your belly.
Steaming your meats reduces the cholesterol in your meal.
Healthier Vegetables
Steaming your vegetables is a better option as well as it keeps them as close to their natural, fiber-filled state as possible.
Steamers keep your vegetables from turning into a mushy mess and enable them to retain their color and flavors better than other methods of cooking. You can also add some delicious flavor to steamed veggies by throwing herbs and spices to the water.
Vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals, you knew that of course. But did you know that sadly, when vegetables are cooked in many of the conventional ways, they lose most of those nutritious components?
Steaming keeps vitamins such as vitamin B, riboflavin, niacin, B12, biotin, thiamine, pantothenic acid, and vitamin C in your foods.
Not to mention important minerals like calcium, potassium, zinc, and phosphorus are retained much better when steaming
Healthier Grains
Eating whole grains is always going to be healthier than eating ultra-refined grains, regardless of how you cook them.
However, a 3 tier stainless steel steamer allows you to cook such healthy options as brown rice at the same time as your vegetables and meat so you’re balanced healthy meal is ready faster.
Adding healthy grains like brown rice to your 3 tier steamer meal will add even more minerals to your diet including phosphorus, calcium, iron, vitamin E, potassium and the B-complex vitamins.
Steaming your meats, vegetables, and grains can help protect you from future health problems as well.
Cooking via this method greatly preserves the fiber in foods and separates out the fat, two factors that are important in avoiding type 2 diabetes.
More fiber from more steamed foods may lower your blood insulin levels. This is just another great reason to invest in a 3 tier stainless steel steamer–more space for more foods cooked in an optimal way for the greatest health benefits.
The Best Food Steamer for You
At the end of the day, deciding whether a 3 tier stainless steel steamer is the best food steamer for your home may come down to quite a few factors.
However, sticking to these basic five considerations of:
1. The Quantity
2. The Cleanup
3. Ease of use
4. What you are steaming
5. The Right Price will help you narrow your search and choose well.
If at this point you’re still uncertain about which steamer pan to purchase, consider finding other products that could improve the comfort and quality of your home.
What’s the good of enjoying a well-cooked …ahem, we mean well-steamed, meal if your pet needs to be fed and is begging at your feet?
After all, cooking nutritious meals are just a start to having a more pleasant home. You can create an entire appealing ambiance with fresh air, ultra-clean floors, and beautiful table settings.
Find more ideas on helpful products to improve the comfort of your home check out our blog: https://www.unhumid.com
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