Help - cooking with steamer

stellagypsy · 8 January 2005 at 2:47PM

Hi everyone - lots of good stuf on here, have just bookmarked the "food" thread for future reference.

I got a 3-tier Tefal food steamer at Xmas sales - does veg, rice, fish lovely BUT the recipe book is a bit limited - does any one else have one and what do you cook in it?

TIA, Stella

mink35 · 8 January 2005 at 3:22PM

Ditto got one for Christmas :-/

Not used it yet tho

nearlyrich · 9 January 2005 at 11:49PM

I got one a couple of years ago and used it once... it took longer to cook than my steamer pan on the hob and lots of fiddly bits to wash up. We cook using a 3 tier steamer and a griddle on the hob for most meals, 2 rings cook everything. Hope you get on better with yours

juno · 10 January 2005 at 4:51AM

I haven't experimented with mine much yet (and it's not Tefal, it's the Asda cheap one) but I think steamed chicken is really nice!

And steamed pasta doesn't work. If you're doing potatoes they need loads longer than the 15 mins my book says to give them. But I've never liked tinned potatoes, and done in the steamer they come out OK!

It also helps if you remember to plug it in before turning the timer on, as on mine the timer still works but the food isn't cooked too well. And turn it off before taking the lid off!

Lucie_2 · 10 January 2005 at 3:53PM

TBH I don't use my steamer that much, it's another one of those "dust gatherers" (as my nephews calls them!). But my Mum gave it to me, so it didn't cost me anything. I use it mostly for sunday lunch - steaming the potatoes before they go in to roast & cooking the veg. I quite often cook a chicken in advance, so I use the steamer to warm the chicken up again before serving.
Rice is rubbish in it, like pasta by the sounds of it.
I also cook pieces of fish in it for a fish pie, but that's about it.
I would advise anyone who is thinking of getting one just to get a 2 tier bamboo steamer for about a fiver & use that over a pan of water instead! Takes up a lot less cupboard space too.

Glad · 10 January 2005 at 4:17PM

I'm another who would rather use my 3 tier stainless steel one on hob, bought it from Asda 4yrs ago and still looks like new, and it's used nearly every day ;D

Sheel · 10 January 2005 at 4:34PM

I use my steamer all the time , mainly for vegetables , but I occasionally do chicken or salmon in it , so sometimes I have cooked the whole meal in it. Chicken or salmon in one tier , potatoes in another and veg in the 3rd tier

I wouldn't want to be without it 8)

samnmalc · 10 January 2005 at 4:43PM

I got one a couple of weeks ago and am thrilled with it. So easy and quick to cook veg and no more dirty saucepans!! ;D
The kids have never eaten so healthily

I think I will be using it alot

stellagypsy · 11 January 2005 at 10:50PM

Thanks, everyone.

My rice came out really good, I had an electric rice cooker a couple of years ago which was great but it broke and we didn't replace it - the tefal steamer does the rice as good as the cooker ever did. I don't like pasta so I won't make the mistake of trying that!! My spuds were nice too, but they were new potatoes and I put them on for 30 mins. I love the taste of steamed vegetables.

I too have a stainless steel steamer set, which I used a lot for veg but nothing else. It is so big it filled teh dishwasher!! I thought this one might be a bit more versatile.

How do you do the chicken? Do you do it whole or portions? Has anyone done a steamed jammy suet pudding or rice pudding yet?

Stella

Agutka · 13 January 2005 at 3:47AM

I use mine a LOT for veggies. Usually to go with something fishy or meaty out of the oven. That way it's all prepared and ready at the same time.
The only whole meal I have made in the steamer (three times so far) was steamed vegetables and steamed rice with steamed chicken breast. I have never had anything so healthy tasting in my life. It was bland (partner was begging for a sauce of some sort), but at the same time you could really taste all the flavours. As much as boiled rice can have a flavour. Weird experience.
Good luck with the recipe search.

Anne_Marie_2 · 15 January 2005 at 8:56AM

Mainly use mine for steaming vegetables, which taste so much better.
Have used it for haggis, potatoes and turnip, which turned out really well - Burns night 25th January. From what I can remember from last year, I put the haggis in tinfoil first, but can't remember if you are supposed to do this, or because I am a vegetarian, didn't want the meat content mixing flavours with the vegetables and the veggie haggis!

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Help - cooking with steamer

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