What to buy Electric Steamer or Steamer Pan

morganlefay

I've got a single pan steamer with lid. It is stainless steel , about 9inches across the top. I've had it for years and remember it being 'expensive' (dk what that means now !). It just fits over one of my saucepans and I use it every day for our veggies. It is simple to wash and store and tho I did buy an electric one a while back I haven't even got it out of the box as the simple one is so good (and we have very hard water round here so anything electrical needing water furs up in no time).

cady

Sorry to go a bit off topic but if i have a 3 tir pan steamer a friend has given me another one excatly the same as mine can i just add an extra tier or 2 on top or should i use two seperatly if i need to just thinking about saving on the gas thats all

EssexHebridean

One important thing to think of if considering an electric one is the size of your kitchen and your worktop space - if it's not out on the side ready for use you'll never bother to use it - so that's worth thought.

larmy16

I have an electric one bought from the charity shop. It does not have a knob on the top (Tefal) and I am constantly burning myself lifting the lid off. Tesco do a basics one which is very good - my partner has one and he uses it constantly.

I can barely believe I gave my metal one away on freecycle to someone begging for one. Now I want one due to the credit crunch!!! (When will I ever learn?:rolleyes:)

May pick one up at a boot fair as the season starts again here soon.

SuiDreams

anniehanlon wrote: »

i have an electic steamer and wouldnt be without it. its healther, the colour of the foods stays, the electricity savings mus be phenominal.
A whole meal cooked,in steamer for half an hour,
chicken legs on the bottom, then potatoes, then veg in a steamer as apposed to using 3 or 4 hob rings . We use ours on a daily basis.
you can even boil eggs in them. Wouldnt be without mine

Can I ask which one you have? There seems to be 2 types of electric ones the stacked ones and the ones where the baskets/bowls are side by side. It seems that some people prefer the electric ones and some prefer the hob ones. So still a bit confussed. Based on using a gas hob which doe you think would be the cheapest to run? Sorry for the extra questions.

Also are there things you can cook in the electric one and not in the pan one and vise versa.

I definately like the idea of cooking everything together and we're also trying to be healthier.

I'm not sure about the pressure cooker thing, still have memories of sloppy veg from when I was little. Mind you I remember the realy only style one with the variable weights being better than the more modern one with a single weight in the late eighties early ninties

SuiDreams

Sorry should add I've got a couple of Argos Vouchers and some Nectar points, so hoping to get one from Agros at no extra cost.

Also other half does all the cooking and he has a habit of leaving pans to boil over (he gets distracted by football) so I'm leaning towards an electric one at the moment.

One silly question when doing roast dinners is it ok to steam the veg then roast in the oven (instead of boiling first)?

Magentasue

I have an electric steamer. Loved it for a while but since house move, have no room to leave it out and so don't use it because the faff of getting it down from top of cupboard combined with the washing up gets me reaching for saucepans. Advantage is that you can switch on and forget. Disadvantage is tray of potatoes, another of veg takes longer than pressure cooker or saucepans.

Pressure cooker is another thing that has to be got down (no worktops or kitchen units) but no need for sloppy veg once you suss the timings.

My steamer is similar to this one which may be a bit big for you but I'd recommend it over a hob one for convenience.

Magentasue

Forgot to add, I used my plug in energy monitor on the steamer and it used half a kwh over half an hour. Don't know how that compares to using hob.

Jolaaled

Magentasue wrote: »

Forgot to add, I used my plug in energy monitor on the steamer and it used half a kwh over half an hour. Don't know how that compares to using hob.

Have used my electric steamer tonight and used .53 kwh for 45 minutes use. (Finally got the hang of using my Leccy Monitor!).

Charis

I have both and cannot get on with the electric model. It's big, 800w, and creates a lot of steam, especially in winter when the kitchen surfaces are colder and the windows/door not wide open. It also takes up a lot of worktop space. The metal one is more controllable because I can turn the gas down so use less fuel. It is stored in the saucepan cupboard. I often use the base as a pasta pan or large saucepan.

Unless you are likely to use two or three tiers almost every day you'd probably be better off with the metal version. No parts to break down. It should last a lifetime. I have even added an extra tier that came with a different saucepan though I rarely use all three tiers. It might be helpful to use a timer and make sure you turn off or turn right down before the veg are overcooked, the one thing that the electric steamer does automatically.