Hinari two tier oval electric steamer (Hinari Two-Tier Oval Electric Steamer)

Member Name: IanPaterson

Product:	Hinari Two-Tier Oval Electric Steamer
Date:	30/08/00 (222 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy healthy cooking

Disadvantages: Strong smells effect other foods

Healthy low fat food seems to be the order of the day at the moment, although healthy is not so important just 0% fat. Don't ask me why, it just is.

Given one of these as a present, I had never tried steaming before apart from a collander over a pan of water for asparagus, fish and brocoli. Opening the box, you have the base electrical unit, two oval stackable tiers and a 'rice' bowl. Included is a recipe book and estimated cooking times chart for meat, veg and deserts.

The first thing I steamed was chicken breast and basmati rice. The chicken takes about 30 minutes and cooks very nicely, the rice, so the book said, takes 30 minutes to, but was a dish of mush. Stick to the packet times!
What was great, is the chicken was not oily or greasy like oven/grilling and could be eaten with fingers without the mess. You can get a good 1.5Lbs of meat in the bottom for cooking and four good sized veg servings in the top so size is good. Stuffed trout or salmon steaks in lemon and dill cook perfectly in 15 minutes.

The only problem is strong smells like fish, garlic and onions do seep into the other foods. Meat cannot be seasoned in the steamer trays or salt may fall into the water resovoir and corrode the element unless you put it in a seperate dish.

The reason I like this steamer so much, is you can put a whole meal in the steamer and forget it until it goes 'ding'. No need to watch pans of boiling water or get roasted on hot summer days in the kitchen. Nothing gets burned or sticks either!

Summary: