A food steamer is pretty straightforward when it comes to functions. It steams the food and allows water vapor to slowly cook it using its own juices. This results in a healthier cooked version of foods with most of their nutrients intact. You can steam almost any type of food, but the more popular ones include vegetables, dumplings, eggs, and seafood – all of which cook easily and faster than meats.
Any home or professional cook can benefit from an electric steamer. It is more convenient and accessible and has an intuitive operation. Opting for a more advanced food steamer allows you to program cooking times so you can proceed with other kitchen preps as it cooks the food and shuts off automatically after doing so.
A gourmet food steamer also has other features like cooking delay so you can schedule the cooking time and serve freshly prepared meals just in time that your guests have arrived. There are also food steamers that come with flavor scenters, or that small window where you can put herbs and spices and have them infused in your food while they cook.
If there is a rice cooker with a steamer, there is also a steamer with rice cooker. A gourmet food steamer sometimes comes with a rice container so you can steam your rice while you cook your dishes on it.
Another advantage of getting an electric food steamer is cooking precision. It yields stable temperatures all throughout the cooking process. This assures well-cooked meals that are also healthy at the same time.
Investing in a good food steamer allows for many years of use and abuse without worrying about broken parts or overheated appliances. While it is true that there are a lot of cheaper food steamers in the market, opting to invest in a premium one ensures the quality of your food and years of service without a drop in quality or encountering problematic repairs.
Are you looking for the best and dependable steamer for cooking gourmet meals at home? We scoured Amazon for the best deals. Here are the top 3 products that made it to our list.
Best Food Steamer for Gourmet Meals at Home – (Comparison)
| Name | Key Feature | |
| Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer – (Editor’s Choice) | With exterior water inlet so you can refill the transparent water reservoir without disturbing the cooking process | Check Price |
| Black & Decker HS1050 7-Quart Food Steamer | Comes with a flavor scenter screen | Check Price |
| Zojirushi EJ-PC50 Gourmet Food Steamer | Comes with a removable water reservoir that can fill water for up to 40 minutes of steaming | Check Price |
Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer – Editor’s Choice
This gourmet food steamer comes in two tiers with the top tier having a capacity of 3.8 quarts and the bottom tier being smaller at 2.3 quarts. It is made of BPA-free, see-through plastic so you can see the food as it cooks. The tiers are removable for cleaning and for you to cook either big or smaller servings at a time. It works as a food steamer and a rice cooker.
The Oster steamer allows you to cook various types of food by sealing their juices inside while keeping their natural nutrients intact. You can use it to cook seafood and vegetables, even those items that need longer cooking times like meat. You can also cook eggs and even cook rice with this food steamer.
The Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer comes with a 12-hour delay timer so you can set the cooking and serving time as your guests arrive or to your family’s meals.
This gourmet food steamer also comes with a 95-minute cooking timer so you can cook tougher cuts or thicker vegetables thoroughly. It also allows you to cook your whole meal at the same time – cook rice at the bottom while your vegetables or mains cook on the top.
This food steamer comes with an exterior water inlet, which is located at the base, so you can refill water without disturbing the cooking process. The water reservoir is also transparent so you’ll know when it needs to be refilled.
After the cooking process, the Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer switches to the Keep Warm setting automatically for up to an hour, keeping your food warm and fresh.
You can use the recommended cooking times for each food type as printed on the food steamer’s base. It also comes with an LCD panel that displays the cooking time remaining.
As a vegetable steamer, you can cook multiple servings of your favorite produce at a time. You can also cook bigger cuts on the top tier with its ample capacity, while the rest stays at the bottom. Also, you can cook vegetables on the top tier as you cook other food types at the bottom at the same time.
As an egg steamer, this food steamer supports up to 8 eggs at a time with its 8-capacity egg holder. It is now easier to cook your eggs to your desired liking and with all the pieces consistent. You can go from soft-boiled to hard-boiled with the correct temperature and time setting.
This dumpling steamer is easy to clean since the plastic baskets are collapsible and removable. All the parts (except the base) are safe on the dishwasher.
Pros
- Two-tier, 6.1 quarts capacity
- 95-minute cooking timer
- 12-hour delay timer
- With exterior water inlet so you can refill the transparent water reservoir without disturbing the cooking process
- Comes with an 8-piece egg holder
- Comes with a rice container
- Collapsible/removable tiers so you can cook small or big quantities
- Comes with an LCD panel; with light indicators to know the status of the cooking
- With printed reference guide for the cooking times
- Shifts to Keep Warm after the cooking time (up to an hour)
- With audible sound when the cooking time has lapsed
- The powerful heating element at 900 watts
Cons
- Water reservoir could be bigger to avoid frequent refills for longer cooking times
Conclusion
The Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer is a powerful food steamer with lots of great features so you can steam your food easily and more conveniently.
Black & Decker HS1050 7-Quart Food Steamer
This versatile food steamer has a total of 7 quarts capacity distributed between its two tiers. It can steam and cook various food types, including vegetables, eggs, dumplings, meat, seafood, and even grains.
This efficient shrimp steamer can pack a lot of pieces to cook in one go. The top tier has a 4-quart capacity while the bottom tier can contain 3 quarts. You also do not need to boil them to cook and lose all the flavors to the water. Steaming preserves the taste and nutrients from the food without the use of additives like oil. This results in a healthy version of your favorite food items and meals that your family will surely thank you for.
You can also use the Black & Decker HS1050 7-Quart Food Steamer as a steamer for buns with its wide capacity. You can even steam the buns and use them as a patty or hot dog steamer at the same time on this dual-tier food steamer to make a sandwich. The same thing with other types of food like grains and dishes so you can have a complete meal in one go.
The Black & Decker food steamer makes a nice veg steamer. It can fit different types of vegetables, even thick ones. You can segregate the vegetables on either or both tiers to ensure that they cook thoroughly. In addition, this food steamer comes with a 75-minute timer; long enough to even cook tougher food items like fish and meat.
This food steamer comes with a 12-piece egg holder so you can cook multiple servings of eggs at a time. This function is helpful when you have a big family to feed or you are serving guests with deviled eggs or making egg sandwiches for the crowd. The holder keeps the eggs upright to cook them thoroughly and evenly.
Each steam chamber is removable and is stackable with each other. You can use either or both at a time since the lid fits both. This also allows you to clean them both easily and store away the food steamer more neatly without needing extra space.
One unique feature of this food steamer is a flavor scenter screen. This allows you to infuse spices and herbs into your favorite dishes more conveniently. This adds a new dimension to your cooking by adding different flavor profiles so you can enjoy healthy food more.
The Black & Decker HS1050 7-Quart Food Steamer comes with an external water inlet so you can add more water to the reservoir as needed without interrupting the cooking time. After the cooking time has lapsed, this food steamer emits an audible sound so you’ll know your food is ready.
Pros
- Two-tier food steamer – detachable, stackable, and with a lid that fits both
- Big capacity at 7 quarts in total – 4 quarts and 3 quarts for each chamber
- Comes with a flavor scenter screen
- Comes with a 12-piece egg holder
- Comes with a 75-minute timer with audible sound after the cooking time has lapsed
- The steamer comes with an external water inlet to the water reservoir
- Manual timer knob
- Comes with a rice container
Cons
- Not everyone is a fan of a manual knob
Conclusion
The Black & Decker HS1050 7-Quart Food Steamer cooks food efficiently with its straightforward features. It has simple controls which makes it more user-friendly.
Zojirushi EJ-PC50 Gourmet Food Steamer
This food steamer is as effective and versatile as the other two on the list. It steams different food types so you can create gourmet and healthy meals at home and even special dishes for your guests. You can use it as a tamale steamer or a seafood steamer alongside cooking your vegetables, dumplings, and rice.
As a rice steamer, it comes with a rice container that can cook up to one cup of rice alongside dishes. The rice bowl also doubles as a fish container when steaming such. Since it is two tiers, you can cook all of them at the same time.
The Zojirushi EJ-PC50 Gourmet Food Steamer also comes with an 8-piece egg container that keeps the eggs upright and organized while cooking. The steamer chambers are stackable for cooking multiple servings, as well as for easy storage and cleaning. The parts are removable and are also dishwasher safe.
You can also descale your food steamer by adding vinegar to the water in the reservoir. Proceed with operating it the usual way.
This food steamer comes with a removable water reservoir that can fill water for up to 40 minutes of steaming. You can also use either chambers or both at the same time to steam more or enough food servings. There will be an audible sound after the cooking time has elapsed.
Pros
- Two-tier, removable, stackable, and dishwasher-safe steam chambers
- Comes with an 8-piece egg container
- Comes with a removable water reservoir that can fill water for up to 40 minutes of steaming
- There will be an audible sound after the cooking time has lapsed
Cons
- The water reservoir is hard to clean
Conclusion
The Zojirushi EJ-PC50 Gourmet Food Steamer is a dependable appliance for your kitchen. You can cook healthy meals with this food steamer, and even a complete one, at the same time.
Final Verdict
Whether you are looking for the best vegetable steamer or a versatile steamer for other food types, I hope that your journey ends here.
But in my personal evaluation, I find that the Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer is the best food steamer on this list.
The Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer has a lot of features to make your steaming or cooking easy and more convenient. Even the water reservoir refilling is also convenient – no need to interrupt the cooking process. This food steamer has ample space for multiple servings, is easy to clean, and is easy to operate as well.