Secura 3-Tier 6-Quart Stainless Steel Electric Food Cooker Rice Steamer, w/ Steam360 technology S-324

Secura 3-Tier 6-Quart Stainless Steel Electric Food Cooker Rice Steamer, w/ Steam360 technology S-324

Love this Steamer
Update on February 13, 2013. This steamer is amazing and the most used appliance in our kitchen. I steam whole grains in it, reheat food, cook vegetables - it's a true winner and highly recommended.

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I was waiting for more of you to review this steamer but then I was too curious to wait. We have really loved our Oster steamer but we are severly uncomfortable with the plastic components. I have been looking for over a year for another steamer that is BPA free/plastic free. The steamer arrived yesterday and we tried it out right away. I filled it with warm/hot tap water, and it steamed beautifully. The stainless steel bowls are neat. We bought this as an "intermediary" device until more healthy steamers come on the market. They could have added a few things to make this steamer perfect: water tank for 90 min. steaming; ability to add water while steaming; timer that allows steaming at future time; Keeping warm component -...

No BPA / plastic issues to worry about
The single best thing about this steamer is that there's no need to worry about plastics (even plastics marketed as BPA-free may leach chemicals that mimic estrogen). I looked high and low on Amazon and this is pretty much the only electric steamer not made out of plastic. FYI, I purchased the 9-quart version (9" diameter, 2.5" deep pans). While we're happy to have the larger one for the steaming capacity, it's a bit hard to find storage space when it's not in use.

Pros:
* No plastics (the "hard plastic heating element" mentioned in the other reviews looks and feel like ceramic to me - which is a common material for heating elements).
* The insert pans are optional, so if you have items that are taller than 2.5", you can add another layer and leave out the pan.
* Heats up pretty quickly, and steams all three layers well.
* Simple operation (mechanical dial to set the steam duration).
* Easy to clean, including the water reservoir. The various...

Stainless steel and a lot of stainless steel !!!!
The best thing I love about this food steamer is ... needless to say, Stainless Steel. The steam baskets are all made of stainless steel, the housing is stainless steel and the water tank is stainless steel!! My previous food steamer, while still functioning, are all plastic, even the water reservoir. Well, I am pretty sure they are safe to use and the manufacturers probably claim the contamination level is well below limit. But have they considered how many other different sources we are in contact with plastics and other contamination. When come in food, it is better to be safe than sorry, and stainless steel is proven to be safe. This is why we bought this stainless steel food steamer. We love steamed vegi, but not comfortable to use our old plastic steamer.
This new stainless steel steamer have not let us down. It is actually more powerful and steams faster. Filling with warm tap water, it steams within 20 secs, pretty amazing. Cold tap water takes a bit longer to boil...

Package includes: Steamer base, 3 steam basket sets, see through lid, heater cap.

• Stainless steel steam basket preserves the original flavor of the food and nutrients, along with being safe to cook with.
• 3 tier 6 quart, removable steam basket(D: 8", H: 2.375"), easy to cook in and serve from, and is dishwasher safe for cleaning.
• Use hot or cold tap water, generates steam in less than 15 seconds, letting food to start cooking immediately, automatically shuts off if the water gets too low.
• Cooks variety of food in the three steam baskets at the same time without the undesirable mixing of flavors.
• Cooks entire meal within 30 minutes. Model # S-324.

Dr. Weil 9817 The Healthy Kitchen 2-Tier Electronic Food Steamer

Dr. Weil 9817 The Healthy Kitchen 2-Tier Electronic Food Steamer

BPA-Free Steamer!!!
I originally bought the Richard Simmons steamer and it performed well, but then I learned of BPA (bisphenol A) plastics and their associated health concerns. I contacted Salton via snail mail and via e-mail and both times I asked if the "Richard Simmons" steamer bowls -- which featured the suspicious number "7" marking -- contained BPA. I received no response. Concerned, I threw away my Richard Simmons steamer. I waited until I found a steamer -- the Dr. Weil 9817 "Weil by Spring" model -- that was SPECIFICALLY ADVERTISED AS BPA-FREE. I was delighted when the steamer arrived and the box in which it was shipped specifically indicated the steamer was made of BPA-free plastic. It works just as well -- if not better -- than the Richard Simmons steamer. I'm a happy camper now.

Not as great as I hoped
I just received the steamer and was disappointed that it didn't include the rice basket. I called customer service and they said they're not including the rice basket anymore (strange since it's a new product...maybe it doesn't make rice very well??). Customer Service said they had a few extra and is sending me one at no charge but the place I ordered from [....].net has a 7 day return policy so it won't give me enough time to see if the rice basket works well enough before I have to send it back.

The other thing I don't like is that after the food is finished steaming and you remove it, the steamer starts up again at 99 minutes - even if you press stop. In order to get it to stop steaming I had to unplug it.

The preset menu selections for fish, eggs, rice, vegetables, duck, etc...seem great but based on what and how much you are cooking you have to adjust the times after you look up in the manual how many minutes they recommend. Then it's trial and error...

Does not hold up for the frequent user!
I bought this steamer august 2008 and had to have it replaced (under warranty) April 2009 because the lid came apart and started cracking. Now, Sept 2009, the replacement steamer is broken and the 1-800 number for customer service is disconnected. I would not buy this item again. It does not hold up for the frequent user. I use it 2-3 times per day.

The Healthy Kitchen Food Steamer is an electric steamer which steams rice, meats, vegetables, fish, eggs and shellfish. Steam brown or white rice in 40-45 minutes while retaining all the nutrients! Vegetables are steamed perfectly in 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the density of the vegetable. Even steam corn on the cob and artichokes!

• Electronic 2-tier food steamer for steaming rice, vegetables, and more
• Upper and lower steamer baskets; user-friendly LCD control panel
• 6 pre-programmed steaming options; indicator lights; automatic timer
• Secure-fitting lid; dishwasher-safe parts; instruction book included
• Measures approximately 11-1/2 by 8-4/5 by 15-1/2 inches; 1-year limited warranty