Workhorse in my kitchen

I originally purchased this item after seeing a similar steamer in my sister's home. The model she used was not available, so I took a leap of faith and purchased this larger version. I was really hoping this wouldn't turn into another member of the appliance graveyard.

I am happy to say that I have used this steamer 3 - 6 times per week for the past 4 years. I could not live without it. When I first purchased this, I used it to make baby food. The large capacity made bulk steaming very easy to do.

I use this most often to steam eggs. We steam eggs in the shell for about 18 minutes, or crack them into a small pyrex dish and steam for about 12 minutes if we want poached eggs. What is so great about this steamer is that you can set it and walk away. You could never do that by boiling eggs on the stove. (I never actually boiled eggs on the stove because of the time involved in boiling water, etc.) Plus, there is no cleanup involved.

As far as vegetables are concerned, I steam sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower most often. I have also done artichoke hearts. I think I've tried just about every vegetable I could think of.

I have also steamed apples for a quick dessert - cut out the core, stuff with raisins and cinnamon. YUM!

I have steamed rice in this with good results. If you are going to do that, if you have a kettle, I suggest starting with boiling water with the rice. Then the steamer doesn't have to heat up the water before cooking starts.

Most recently I have been steaming fish with terrific results. You can start with frozen fish, or use fresh. You can't prepare a healthier dish than steamed fish!