There are a wide variety of steamers online that you can buy and use at home to steam veggies, fish, and meat. WIth that being said, most of the more popular steamers are bamboo steamers. A bamboo steamer dates back to Ancient China and you’ll often see these steamers used at Asian restaurants in America.
Since becoming more popular in America, we wanted to feature a guide that helps you understand how to use bamboo steamer, and what bamboo steamers are the best on the market today.
Best Bamboo Steamer
- Conscious Corner
- Joyce Chen 2-Tier Bamboo Steamer
- Prime Home Direct Bamboo Steamer
What is a bamboo steamer?
Let’s start by sharing what a bamboo steamer is. This steamer is made out of high-quality bamboo and is sold in a 2-tier or 3-tier option which can typically be an 8-inch or 10-inch diameter. They each have interlocking baskets that can be placed over each other and then above a wok to steam veggies, meat, or fish.
Steaming is a cooking method that helps your food retain most of the nutrients that we find in our fresh veggies, wild-caught fish, and grass-fed meats. This method of cooking your food using steam is said to be healthier in most cases than frying or oven baking.
How to use Bamboo steamer?
The best option to use a bamboo steamer is to get yourself a wok or shallow pan that can be placed on your stovetop. Then you will the wok or pan so that the water is high enough to submerge the bottom rim of your bamboo steamer.
Once you have the right level of water, this is checked by placing your bamboo steamer into the water, you can take the steamer out and start boiling the water in your wok or pan. Once your bamboo steamer has the veggies, fish, and/or meat in each basket, and the water has reached a simmer, it is now time to start steaming your meal.
Don’t forget a few steps during the process of placing food into your bamboo steamer:
- You will need to use parchment paper, wax paper, or reusable liners that are often included with bamboo steamers to line each basket.
- Then you will place your food on each basket without crowding the food.
- You can put meat or veggies closer together than let’s say dumplings or shumai on each level.
Once you have the food ready, the water simmering, and your bamboo steamer in the water just be sure to keep an eye on it so that the water stays covering that bottom basket. Since water evaporates as it’s being used to steam your food, you’ll need to add some hot water to the pan or wok as it’s lost.
This is to maintain an even steam, and not increase your cooking time due to lack of water. The trick is to make sure the water you add to the simmering pan water is as hot as possible.
Once your food has reached the appropriate temperature, it’s time to take ethe bamboo steamer off the pan or wok and set it aside to start serving up the plates with food for mealtime. Be sure to let your bamboo steamer dry after each use, and rinse it under warm water to keep it clean.
Conscious Corner
Conscious Corner is the best place to buy bamboo steamers! They have a wide range of high-quality bamboo products for you to choose from. This is the ultimate one-stop shop for everything bamboo! You’ll enjoy browsing their online store for bamboo steamers, bamboo utensils, and other bamboo household products.
Joyce Chen 2-Tier Bamboo Steamer
This 10-inch 2-tier bamboo steamer from Joyce Chen takes pride in having the highest quality all-natural bamboo baskets for your steaming needs. This product is sold on Amazon and carries 4.5-star ranking with over one thousand reviews. This is an eco-friendly sustainable option for any household to use.
Prime Home Direct Bamboo Steamer
This 10-inch bamboo steamer comes with all that you need to get started using a bamboo steamer for the first time. They’ve included chopsticks, liners, and a side dish for your meal’s sauce or dip.
How We Selected the Best Bamboo Steamer
Choosing the best bamboo steamer wasn’t a choice taken lightly. We had a few factors to evaluate before including a bamboo steamer in our full guide list:
Quality and Durability: We evaluated the quality and durability of each bamboo steamer to ensure that customers we satisfied with the quality and durability of the product. We wanted each of the bamboo steamers we featured to have a long-lasting effect on their owners.
Maintenance and Care: The second factor we considered when evaluating which bamboo steamers to include on our list was maintenance and care. We wanted to ensure that all of the bamboo steamers were easy to clean, use, and take care of after each use.
Safety and Chemicals: The final piece of criteria that we considered before placing a bamboo steamer on our list is whether or not it was safe for food. Each of the bamboo steamers we included on our list as the best option and safest option for all households.
Conclusion
As you can see there are many bamboo steamers on the market to buy today. The top options featured in this full guide are of the highest quality, with good customer feedback. They deserve a chance to be in your kitchen!
FAQs
How do I choose a good bamboo steamer?
The best way to choose a good bamboo steamer is to read customer reviews and make sure the product is made out of natural bamboo. You may see some knock-off options made by generic brands saying the wood is bamboo, when it is not. The best way to avoid this is to buy from places like Conscious Corner which specializes in bamboo products.
Should I use parchment paper in a bamboo steamer?
Yes, you can use parchment paper in a bamboo steamer. Some manufacturers include reusable liners or cheese cloth in their package of bamboo steamers, however, you can just as easily use your parchment paper at home before putting the food on each basket tier.