A great steamer for an amazing price - the best £10 I have ever spent! (Cookworks Steamer)

Member Name: gayle04

Product:	Cookworks Steamer
Date:	28/01/09 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reliable, ease of use, makes food taste good, quick

Disadvantages: None

I bought this steamer from argos and at the time it was only £9.99 (I can't remember if it was on offer but I thought it was a great price anyway). The steamer has three tiers which are basically little plastic bowls with holes in the bottom that let steam through. It also came with an egg holder so you could cook eggs in it, and a little bowl which you put in a tier and can fill with rice or pasta. I have never used these, and actually can't find them now but if these are the kinds of foods you might steam, then these additional parts would come in very handy.

I've had the steamer for about 3-4 years now and I have to say, it has been amazing. It really is the best £10 I have ever spent! I only really use it to cook vegetables in but they taste so much better when done in here than they do when boiled. They seem to retain so much more of their taste and they also retain more vitamins. It's also so much easier, you just plonk them in the bowl, stick it on the steamer base and off you go.

This steamer just has a manual timer which you turn and it pings when the time is up. You can get more expensive steamers which are more fancy and have digital displays, or allow you to input what you are cooking and times it to perfection but to be honest I see these features as a bit of a gimmick. You learn soon enough how long different types of foods take and if in doubt, you can always give them a prod half way through.

The steamer is easy to clean, just give it a quick wipe down and you're down. The tiered bowls can be tricky to clean if you have been doing broccoli as it gets kind of lodged into the holes in the bottom but as long as you clean it straight after using it, it's not a problem.

The steamer is mainly white in colour (the base) and the tiered bowls are clear. It looks just like any other steamer you would buy but it is far cheaper! My mum has a more expensive steamer and although the bowls are a little larger, it really is no better than the cookworks one which was 1/3rd of the price! You won't regret buying this steamer, it's reliable, easy to use, and makes your food taste better!! Go for it!

Summary: The best £10 I have ever spent, don't think about it, just buy it.