Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6-Quart Food Steamer
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6-Quart Food Steamer
Customer Review: One of the best ways to get steamed
Summary: 5 Stars
The top ranked steamer here is the Oster and probably for good reason. It is a good value for the price.
Background: I have had a Rival steamer for about 20 years. It is ultimately simple and has been easy to use, however it has zero controls. You plug it in and it works until the water is gone. The way you time your cooking is by how much water you add. It is solid and easy to clean. It finally gave up and lately would only cook by turning on and off when it felt like it.
The choice: It looks like almost every steamer is made on the same assembly line. I am amazed that there are not more choices for a product so many people choose to own. After looking at them all, I chose the Oster. I have had a Oster blender for many years and have been satisfied with its performance.
First impressions: The Oster is certainly cheaper in construction than my old Rival. The plastic is much thinner and it gives the impression that there are way too many parts and if those parts break the whole thing is no longer usable.
Operation: There is no doubt the Oster outperforms my old Rival. The steam starts faster and it is much more dense. It also is very silent compared to the Rival that had a loud whistle. The controls are easy to use. I like being able to time my cooking.
Features: The one I like best is that the Oster goes into a "keep warm" mode after cooking. I had asparagus spears in it today and they kept for more than 30 minutes while I prepared deviled eggs and they were still warm and perfectly steamed. Speaking of eggs, I have never steamed eggs to hard boil them before but this feature could be worth the whole price of the steamer. After 18 minutes I had perfectly hard boiled eggs with the yolk in dead-center. You actually can tell the difference, these were the best hard-boiled eggs ever, with no hint of cracked shells.
Downsides: The biggest error on Oster's part has been referred to several times here. The tiny filling spout is such a stupid idea! You can just as easily fill the main reservoir with water. I simply do not understand why they put so much effort into an external fill spout that leads into a small container that is not removable, and hence cannot be cleaned. I would have much preferred a clear window in the main reservoir to let me know how much water was left. I may not fear mold growing in the holding tank as much as some reviewers, but the whole idea is silly since the spout is way too small to use without spilling.
Compare to: The Oster really has no comparison, it is a better unit than the others at a reasonable price. It is not the most rugged appliance you will own but it looks like it will serve for several years.
Customer Review: I love my Oster Steamer
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Customer Review: I love this steamer!
Summary: 5 Stars
The only thing I don't like is that I waited so long to get this Oster electric steamer.
I love rice but I use to have the way of thinking that just boiling it is good enough, why spend the money for a steamer? Thats crazy.
Well, I ended up looking for a steamer after being talked into it, and narrowed it down to the Oster 2 Tier electric steamer, even though I was skeptical think I may of wasted some money.
I was very impressed as soon as I opened the box. It was really well made. Nothing flimsy about it. Good solid construction. All the pieces fit nice and snug together. Really great design such as the water intake, water level monitoring, digital read out, handles for the bowls.
Ok, but I was still thinking, how can rice be that much better being steamed? So the same evening I followed the simple instructions. I have to say it was the neatest thing in the world watching it quietly steam up. When it was done, a good digital beeper went off to let me know.
Wow, I never seen rice puff up like that. It was amazing. I also never had rice that fluffy before either. It didn't have that gummy residue like when boiling it. Just nice soft fluffy rice.
Cleaning it afterwards was easy. Just soak the bowl and drip tray, and the main base just pour out any left over water and towle dry.
Ok, that was rice. And loved it. So to take it the next step, the next day I steamed some chicken in it. Again, superb results that can't be beat. You usually pay an arm and a leg for chicken that tender in a good resturaunt.
Next day after that, tried it with both tiers. To steam rice and chicken. The results again were incredible. Steaming pork and beef I found is flawless too.
Shrimps, lobster tails, clams steam up perfectly with this as well. I couldn't 'and still can't' belive the results with this.
Don't let the picture fool you though. The picture looks like its rather on the small side. Its big enough to get a good meal for a few and have left overs easily. This Oster steamer can steam some serious food.
The only thing I wish is that I got this along time ago. I can't live with out my Oster steamer now.
I have never used any other type, and I'm sure their great, but for the low price, and the excellent quality that this produces in foods can't be beat.
Enjoy!
Customer Review: Whether you are an expert cook or a beginner you will enjoy this steamer
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been cooking for quite a while and have professional pots with steamer inserts. They are easy to use and clean but they require the use of a burner and should be watch to prevent boil over as well as overcooking. That is where this handy steamer comes in. I had a manual-timer version of this for many years. I bought this new model for a friend and was so envious of her steamer that I gave my old one away and bought one of these for myself. I been using the Oster 5712 for over a year now and here are few things that I like about it:
* The electric timer is much better than the manual dial. It is more accurate and after the set time has been reached the steamer goes into a 1 hour Keep-Warm Mode
* By using the removable heating element sleeve the unit produces steam in 30 seconds or so
* The stackable trays are very handy and allow the user to cook more than one food at a time
* The external filling-spout is great when using long cooking-times so that you can keep the steamer without removing the trays
* Being a stand-alone unit frees up a burner as opposed to using a pot with a steamer insert
Here are a few things that I am ambivalent about:
* The Delay Cooking feature, I don't use it but I'm sure some people would like it
* The Rice Tray - I use a separate rice cooker as steaming rice takes a long time
* The Egg Holders - There is nothing wrong with them, I just find a separate egg cooker to be more accurate and easier to use
There really isn't anything that I don't like about this steamer. I use it for vegetables, seafood (especially shellfish) and for defrosting or warming up meat (if you have a left-over hamburger patties reheating them in the steamer will keep them from drying out). The instructions include cooking times for many popular foods. I am very happy with my Oster steamer.
Customer Review: There are a few things that you should know...
Summary: 3 Stars
My last steamer was purchased during the Stone Age, so I was excited to obtain this new fancy, double-decker steamer from Oster. And yes, the updated technology is nice. I can program the starting time for cooking and cooking duration. Also, the nifty design of the machine allows for almost instant steaming. Finally, I occasionally find a use for two-tiered cooking when preparing a protein along with vegetables.
But there are a few things that you should know before acquiring this device. It is big...really big (even when maximally arranged for storage). Measure up your cabinet or counter space before you get this thing. My wife never uses the double-decker feature, so the size of this thing drives her completely insane. And unlike other reviewers, I found the cleaning of this thing to be a pain. Everything is fine and good if all you cook are vegetables. However, Oster - in their infinite wisdom - put all of these funky grooves on the cooking surface of the steamer bins, which collect hard to remove fat deposits that result from cooking chicken or fish. Furthermore, unlike the old Stone Age steamer, you have to clean the cooking bins AND the actual cooker. Washing the bins by hand makes me want to put my head through a wall, but I have finally made peace with the steamer by just using the dishwasher for the bins (albeit, using major dishwasher real estate in the process). Finally, despite the quick steaming action of the machine, the cooking times seem a little longer than my old school steamer.
So, if you strive peace and simplicity in your life, then get the old school type of steamer. If bells and whistles appeal to you - and like me - you eat tons of steamed food which justifies the use of the double-decker bins, then order the new fangled thing from Oster. Just know what you're getting into...