If you enjoy cooking Asian and Oriental food, then you’ll love using a traditional bamboo steamer.

They really set the scene for adventurous, authentic cooking and they look great in a working kitchen as well. Traditionally, dishes can be brought to the table in the bamboo steamer, which makes a great impression with guests and cuts down on the use of serving dishes and trays.

Bamboo steamers are circular shaped with a tight, bamboo lid and a strong frame. They create a more authentic and tasty end product as well as offer true Oriental ambience. The steamer fits easily into a wok and is easy to use - simply fill the wok with water and place your ingredients in the steamer.

Steaming your food is always the healthiest choice. There is no need to use fat or oil and steaming retains a greater proportion of the vitamins and minerals in the food in comparison with boiling, whereby many of the nutrients are lost.

Placing a layer of greens, lettuce or greaseproof paper at the bottom of the steamer should avoid the problem of sticking. You can also easily keep control with steaming, and you can choose to cook your ingredients well or to serve them with a slight crunch.

Bamboo steamers can be stacked – the lowest tier should contain the foods that take longest to cook. What’s more you can re-use the water you’ve placed in your wok as a flavoursome base for a sauce or stock, especially if you’ve added some spices to it prior to cooking.

It is advisable to maintain separate steamer tiers for meat, fish and vegetables if you’re going to regularly use a bamboo steamer. This means that future dishes won’t be tainted by strong flavours as the bamboo has the tendency to absorb them. You should also ensure that you wash your bamboo steamer well with warm, soapy water soon after use to keep it hygienic and fresh.

Sanyo’s Micro-Computerized Rice Cooker/Steamer is a 3 in 1 kitchen appliance that serves as a rice cooker, slow cooker and steamer. It comes in a 5.5 cup and a 10 cup unit.

Pros

1. You can cook a wide variety of rice easily. Pour in the correct measurements of rice and water, hit the Cook button, and walk away.
2. The cooker has a timer feature that allows you to slow cook rice, stews, or pot roasts. I’ve yet to see this feature on cheap slow cookers.
3. Comes with an Ultimate Rice Cooker cookbook.
4. Its lightweight, non-stick bowl is much easier to handle and clean than the clay pot of a traditional crock pot. Simply use a warm damp sponge to wipe the food away. This is a big plus for people who suffer from arthritis or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
5. The 10-cup unit allows you to steam vegetables while you’re cooking the rice.
6. Comes with a retractable power cord that retracts into the base. This comes in very handy if you need to transport the machine.
7. Priced at $100, this is a good buy.

Cons

1. It can take up to an hour to cook a pot of plain rice. If you’re in a hurry, this is a definite disadvantage.
2. The rear of the lid does not have a steam-moisture collector.
3. The lid is a bit flimsy. Repeated use over time will cause it to break.