Bush steamer!

Money~Bunny_3

I bought a nice Bush electric steamer about two weeks ago. I love veg al dente and thought it would be nice to be able to cook rice perfectly.

The bloody thing doesn't seem to work! It cooked my fish ok, but rice stays hard as bullets and the veg was still crunchy, even after an extra ten minutes. Are Bush steamers just cr*p or am I just doing something wrong?

I fill the base with the right amount of water (usually plus a bit extra if it's still too low). I put on the lid (with the little handle), use the turbo ring if I feel like it, and set the timer for the recommended time. And it doesn't cook things!

Any ideas before I freecycle this junky steamer?

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there money-bunny

Sorry if this seems a silly question, but you are putting cold water in arent you? its the only thing i can think of...apart from you having a duff steamer

ceridwen

Well - give that steamer a few more tries before giving up on it. Couldnt cast any light on why you are having problems.

My steamer is a Tefal one and has stood up to all sorts of abuse - including accidentally putting it on a hotplate that hadnt cooled down yet (so it has a bit of melted underside).

After the cooker/kettle/toaster - it is THE single most used gadget in my kitchen - invaluable. I do rice (45 minutes in my case - as its brown rice) and various vegetables. No problems at all. Well worth the price - though it wasnt one of the cheapest ones around.

Money~Bunny_3

Thanks for the advice! I do put in cold water, and it all heats up quickly, smells nice, etc ... just doesn't cook veg or rice very much (or anything denser than a fish fillet)! my sis has a tefal steamer which makes great rice - perhaps I do have a duff one.

Hmmm. I'll give it another go, and see if it does any better with a much longer cooking time.

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there

What a quandry....
although i have one of the fairly new tefal vitacuisine steamers - the one where the baskets are side by side and not stacked....but when i think about it, even though i like my veggies under done im sure i put it on for longer than it says.... tommorrow when i switch it on i will pay proper attention to how long it takes...:D and then i can let you know how quick it is....

Cazza

Don't konw if this helps at all but I have found that most of my veg takes about double the amount of time I would give it if I were boiling it - so I now give carrotts between 10-15 mins whereas I would only usually boil them for just over 5.

I did have a very blonde moment when I first got mine... didn't bother reading the instructions and didn't realise you needed to put water in with the rice in the basket thing when you try to cook it - I was very confused when it was still rock solid and it had been cooking for nearly an hour
OH still takes the mickey for that one!! :rolleyes:

meanmarie

Not sure where I got my electric steamer from but have only used it a few times as I find that my steamer with two baskets which I use on the hob works more quickly...can't even remember brand. Must dig it out and give it one more go....thinking of getting a new re-sited hob so would be useful for time that will take (forever in my house!)

Marie

Debt_Free_Chick

OK it must be my filthy mind, but from the title of the thread, I thought you'd got some gadget for removing hair on the bikini line

Money~Bunny_3

Cazza wrote: »

I did have a very blonde moment when I first got mine... didn't bother reading the instructions and didn't realise you needed to put water in with the rice in the basket thing when you try to cook it - I was very confused when it was still rock solid and it had been cooking for nearly an hour
OH still takes the mickey for that one!! :rolleyes:

Ummm... mark me down as just as blonde as you... :doh:I did read (er, skim though) the instructions, but I don't remember the water in the bowl bit! That would make sense... Will check again! Thanks!

Cazza

It's nice to know I'm not alone! :j

rlm_3

Money~Bunny wrote: »

Ummm... mark me down as just as blonde as you... :doh:I did read (er, skim though) the instructions, but I don't remember the water in the bowl bit! That would make sense... Will check again! Thanks!

LOL! When I first read your comment about how long the rice took, I thought "huh, it tooks absolutely ages in ours. I wouldn't ever use the steamer again to cook brown rice. It's far quicker and more economical in a pan". Now I know why! I'll have to try it again with water in the rice holder...:o