All Hot & Steamy! (Tefal Steam Cuisine 1000 Turbo Diffusion)

Member Name: Hot_Pants

Product:	Tefal Steam Cuisine 1000 Turbo Diffusion
Date:	25/09/04 (1371 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use, Better tasting food

Disadvantages: The containers can crack

I am now on my second steamer (the timer button fell off the first). I have been using Tefal steamers now for about 3 1/2 years, and I love them. I don’t know what I ever did without one.

I am one of those people who just hate it when the pan boils over. It drives me mad. I also hate having to watch for the pan boiling in order to turn it down. The other thing that annoys me is having to put different veggies on to boil at different times.

When I went to my aunt’s for dinner, she cooked all the veggies in a steamer, and they tasted fantastic, so I decided to look for one.

Searching around Powerhouse, I found the Tefal for around £30. I know that you can now pick up steamers from around £17, so the prices have come down, making them really affordable.

***The first attempt***

I was quite nervous about getting the cooking of the veggies just right, so I tried this out when there was just me and my husband. I added the water to the base up to the max mark. The ring goes around the heating element, juice tray on top. There are 3 containers for the veggies, so I put the potatoes in the bottom, just like my aunt. Carrots on the next level, the cauliflower in the top, with some cabbage laid over the top. I set the timer for 30 minutes, and just left it.

***The food***

I have to say, the vegetables still tasted much better. It was very noticeable how watery the boiled vegetables must have been when I used to cook them in a pan. Since that day, there has been no going back. I cannot remember the last time I used a pan for vegetables. I also use the steamer for fish, and have also used it for chicken. They also taste great.

***Likes***

The food tastes so much better then when boiled, and it isn’t at all watery. All the veg can be cooked at once, so no more timing it in stages. You can cook chicken, veg, fish, apples, pears, rice, pasta. If you are a little more adventurous, try rabbit, pork, shellfish, and maybe you'll have some ideas of your own.
It comes with a get started recipe book.
You can save the water from steaming to make gravy, sauces etc. The steamer doesn't boil over like a pan does, and it is very easy to clean.
The bases can be removed to cook larger items such as whole chickens, lobster etc.

***Dislikes***

The removable bases need to be treated with care as they can crack.
You cannot add any seasoning to the food whilst cooking.

***Ease of use***

This is so easy to use. The water goes in first, the ring goes over the heating element, juice tray next, then it is just a case of stacking the containers, and putting on the lid. Once plugged in, you turn the dial to the time required, and off it goes. You can add bowls part way through if you something which just needs to be heated through, but I normally just put everything in together, and then I don't have to think about it any more.

The timer goes PING when it has finished cooking.

You can use the steamer to cook eggs, but they tend to take longer than using a pan. This is about the only thing I use pans for these days.

If I had to pick one portable item in the kitchen to keep, this would be it. I don't know what I ever did before.

I have never used another make of steamer, so I couldn't comment on how much better or worse they are than others.

For anyone without a steamer - you don't know what you're missing!

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