Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer, White

I read all the reviews for this steamer and several others to make sure I got the best one for me. I think I made a good choice in buying this one, but I did take one reviewer's suggestion and when I run the steamer I add a little bit of vinegar to the water to help prevent gunk building up and making cleaning easier. The water inlet area would be difficult to clean, but so far using vinegar I have not had an issue.Here is what I like about the steamer:1. Quick to start steaming, hardly any delay between turning it on and getting steam.2. Large food compartments mean I can make lots of food. However when I was making two different veggies in the same tray I would have a hard time separating them when they were done into serving dishes. I rigged up my own individual steaming containers that sit inside the steaming tray out of cool whip containers with holes poked at the bottom. This worked like a charm so that my potatoes don't mingle with my carrots, and I can still cook my fish or chicken in the second tray.3. one of the trays come with egg holders built in, which was cool. Maybe not entirely necessary, but it did work well when I made eggs.4. The instruction manual comes with the average steaming times of lots of different foods, this is essential for me because I might not have known otherwise how long to cook each type of food. But be advised, they are only approximate times! You still will have to use your own best judgment as to when the food is done. For instance, potatoes took less time than the book said, maybe because I cut them in smaller pieces.5. the plastic trays and lid can all go in the dishwasher, top rack.6. you can use the steamer with both trays at once, or only one tray if you are only making one thing.7. This comes with a separate tray for cooking rice, but it is also handy for cooking other things in too!********* UPDATE March 11, 2010 *****************After one year of regular use, I STILL LOVE THIS STEAMER. I continue to add a little vinegar to the water each time I use it and have never had a mold issue. I have one complaint, I wish there were smaller trays to fit inside the larger trays. That would make the peas not roll all over the place, and be easier to serve. As it is now I have made my own make shift trays from pie tins. Still, all things considered, you'd be CRAZY not to buy this steamer.********* UPDATE Feb. 10, 2016 *****************Still working after all this time. I am very careful about always making sure it's clean and dry before storing. No visible defects at all. Wonderful!********* UPDATE June. 18, 2016 *****************Still working reliably. I put a little bit of vinegar in each time I use it, and I still make sure it's dry before I put it away. It has stayed clean and mold free.

I've had this steamer for nearly five years (purchased Feb. '09) and I love it. The first thing I used it for was hard-boiled eggs, because I never get them right on the stove. This steamer cooks them perfectly and makes them easy to shell. NOTE - depending upon the altitude you live at, it will take a bit of trial and error to find out exactly how long to set the steamer for. I steam fish and veggies mostly. It keeps the fish moist, and reduces any fishy taste. I spray the trays generously with PAM to make clean-up easier.With practice, I have learned how long to steam different kinds of fish, and different sized pieces. I no longer live where I can purchase fresh fish. This steamer does a wonderful job on frozen fish, straight out of the freezer. I put most fish in the large tray with the holes in the bottom. More fragile fish, such as sole or thin-sliced flounder, I put in the rice tray, and add some butter and seasoning..It makes perfect, fluffy rice - no sticking to the bottom of the pan. I stir the rice once in while if I think of it, but if rice is stirred too much it gets sticky. Once again, the times given in the instructions are approximate.It is very important to empty the bottom water reservoir after each use - because steam that condenses on whatever you're steaming runs back down into it. It is easy to clean - I just pour out the water, and then rinse. Sometimes I wipe it out with a soapy sponge first. I make sure some of the clean water also rinses out the "spout" where you can add additional water if you need to during cooking.After the steam cycle is completed, the unit does not shut off - it continues to keep the food hot. This means that it keeps cooking the food, so I find that I have to watch it to make sure that I don't overcook the broccoli (I hate when that happens!).The "HOLD" function makes this steamer ideal for keeping foods warm when entertaining. I can put it out for a buffet supper, or use it to keep things warm when I am putting together a sit-down dinner. It also does a good job keeping scrambled eggs hot, fluffy and moist for brunch.

We had a similar style steamer that we used exclusively for rice. It was so nice to be able to put the rice on and forget about it; never over done or dried out. Unfortunately we wore it out and tried using the 'pot-on-the-stove' method with inconsistent results. So we decided to replace the steamer. We purchased an inexpensive rice cooker at WalMart and found it did not work the same way as our former model. This one had one container into which you placed the rice and water and it was cooked over a heating element. The results were not good; following their instructions we had mushy rice that was dried out and browned on the bottom. We experimented with different amounts of water but the results were always the same.....that cooker is now in the basement.We ordered the Oster 5712 because it worked on the same principle as our former steamer which had served us well for at least 15 years. This one has the advantage of a timer so you can set the amount of time you want whatever you are steaming to cook; our other one was dependent upon the amount of water you placed in the base as it would stop cooking when that was used up. That was not a problem because all we ever cooked was rice and we had it down to a science!For our tastes, we find that using 1-1/4 cups of water to 1 cup of rice for 35 minutes produces a finished rice that is cooked through yet not mushy or glommy and the kernels are not stuck together. It doesn't matter how much water you put into the base because the timer is the ultimate boss of the cooking duration. With our former model, 2 cups of water in the base gave us the same results as 35 minutes on this model.We have made hard 'boiled' eggs in this steamer with good results. We also used it for shrimp and were pleased because they were not overdone when following the instructions in the manual, but chances are we will revert to only cooking rice and that is okay with us because we make rice 2-3 times a week, so it will earn its keep.The only down side we found is that you have to be careful when removing the lid to be sure you open it by tipping it toward the front of the machine to allow the steam to escape away from your face and let the hot condensation that has accummulated on the lid run into the base of the unit....also use pot holders because the handles are short which puts your hands too close to the steam. Then it is a little tricky getting the rice bowl out of the larger bowl you have to place it within for it to get the steam; this is also due to the small size of the handles and additionally because of their very close proximity to the outer bowl. That's it, just be careful and you will not have any problems.Also, they tell you NOT to operate it under a cabinet which only makes sense because it gives off steam as it cooks and releases a lot when you open the lid; it is easy to see how that might cause a problem to the bottom of an upper cabinet in time.I would have given this steamer 5 stars except for the inconvenience of opening the lid and getting the rice bowl out of the machine. Not insurmountable but it was not a factor in our first steamer and that is all I have to judge this one by and it therefore falls short in those two areas. All-in-all we are happy with the ease of use and the final results and recommend it as a very good steamer that is versatile and also economical.

The machine itself works so well. I'm finding that a lot of our food cook times are being cut down on and knowing that it's maintaining the nutrients when being steamed is a big plus. I actually love to do rice aroni in this with the rice insert. It's helped me eliminate the need for butter while maintaing it's great taste.I also use this when steaming apple pieces for my daughter (who's 14 months old). I use the rice tray and sprinkle Cinnamon on the apples. Or you could add carrots and sprinkle on a little bit of brown sugar , or do them plain if you want. In the past I'd do this in the microwave and the apples would come out with a bit of a rubber texture and slightly browned. Using the steamer doesn't burn them and they go to mush. I think this would be a GREAT steamer especially for moms who want to make their own baby food. Just cube up what you want to steam put it in for 5 to 10 minutes (I usually do 5) and then put it in your blender or baby bullet. Better than boiling the fruit / veggies and it's in my opinion much faster. You don't have to wait for the water to come to a boil etc.The only thing I wish is that there were some actual recipes included. There are cook times available in their manual but as someone who's never owned a steamer it was hard to get an idea about things. So if you're hoping for ideas I'd buy a steamer cook book to accompany this purchase.Typically if we're doing foods that require different cook times we put the longest on first and set the time until we need to add the next tray. When it's time to add the next tray, I carefully remove the lid and then put the second tier on. It's honestly not a hassle certainly less so then having to be in front of a stove cooking your meals. It's healthier and allows us to cook delicious meals while needing to spend less time in the kitchen.Overall it's been a fantastic buy. It's nice to set your time and go.

This is the best steamer I have used yet. Very quick and easy to setup. Fill with water to correct level, put the food in, push a button to set the time, and push start. There is a little plastic sleeve with a little notch in it that goes over the heating element notch side down. Don't lose it as this makes it start steaming in about 35 seconds. It holds a small amount of water that comes in by way of the notch and it heats this water first and then the rest of the water in the tanks gets heated. Its really amazing how fast this steamer works. Without this sleeve it would take longer to start steaming as it would have to heat a larger amount of water first. I have steamed 2 ears of Corn on the cobb in 20 minutes and a pound of Asparagus in 10 minutes and both came out just right. I used the lower setting times and they worked just fine. Clean up was very easy and I did it by hand. Cleaning and draining the water inlet was no problem. First I poured the water out of the base then I held it upside down over the sink until all the water stop running out of the inlet maybe a couple of seconds then I gave it a couple shakes and I was done. There were just a couple of minor things I would like to see improved but nothing major. First a lighted digital display and make the food baskets a little heavier. It has a very large food capacity which is nice. Also a good thing to note is that it is made with NO HARMFULL CHEMICALS!!. I would highly recommend this Oster Steamer.DMD.

UpdateI have to update this review simply because of the incredible price jump. This purchase is the 5th for me and each of the previous purchases were right at $39.99. These steamers are wonderful and I use it daily so some wear and tear is expected but they aren’t really durable. The buttons used to start/stop and to time the steamer are the most frequent to stop working. Lids and plastic bowls break easily so they need to be replaced frequently. That’s why the previous price was acceptable because with daily use you’ll get 6-10 months out of it.Older reviewFor the consumer this is the best steamer on the market. This is a replacement for my Oster steamer that gave up the ghost.I even travel with it as it allows me to eat foods that I like even when staying in hotels. I save a ton of money by not eating out and can control the quality of foods better. Breakfast or dinner is easy and if you are creative you can accomplish an entire meal in one steamer making cleanup easy. An example would be starting chicken breasts in the small basket (spray the inside with cooking oil like Pam so they don't stick) I set the timer for 30-35 minutes then start to peel sweet potatoes adding them after 10 minutes. As this steams I start to process my other vegetables like zucchini or asparagus adding them during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Be careful when opening the lid as this unit gets hot FAST. After the bell at the end of the steaming process you have a meal. There is a "keep warm" feature built in where the steamer will turn on and off with short bursts of steam for about an hour or until you turn it off. You can delay the steaming process as well.If you are looking for a way to remove fats from meats for a better and more healthy diet you will love this steamer. It is a great way to reheat left overs or bread as well.

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First of all, if you aren't steaming, you're missing out on one of the healthiest, easiest, tastiest ways to cook. Secondly, this is a great model. We use a steamer 5+ nights a week and have had several in the past; this is the best by far and if ours dies we will buy it again in a minute.* (See update) Any good electric steamer must: work quickly, efficiently and well, stand up perfectly to several years of daily use, and be easy to clean. Check! What we love about this one: the 3 differently sized trays can handle almost any amount of food, whether it's one cup of rice or an entire dinner. That said, it's countertop footprint is surprisingly small - even in height, since the trays all nestle. A favorite feature is the warmer, which keeps food warm after cooking until ready to serve. There is also a timed delay which allows you to put food in but have it automatically start cooking at a later time. I usually hand wash the trays, but I do like that I can throw them in the dishwasher if needed. The only improvement I can think of would be to back-light the display to make it easier to see, but honestly, I can't find a single fault with it and it has never disappointed.* For the modest price*, it is by far the most cost-effective appliance or tool in our kitchen. Not sure I would remember how to cook without it! Love this product.*Update: Firstly, when we bought this model it was around $40. I would not refer to its current price as "modest". After using this product for 3-4 years, I've lowered the rating for 2 reasons. The main one being, as others have noted, there is no way to clean the water level indicator reservoir. I've never needed to add water while cooking, so that 'feature' became a real drawback once the mold set in. No matter how meticulous we were in cleaning and drying, some moisture always stays in the small area behind that window. Thus, we're now having to replace the unit after only 3 yrs or so even though in all other respects it still works fine and should have lasted much longer. Lastly, the unlit digital display was more of a issue than I thought it would be.