Cuisinart STM-1000 Digital Cook Fresh Digital Glass Steamer, Stainless Steel

We absolutely LOVE this steamer!!! We love that it is glass & not plastic above everything else about this steamer & there are so many pluses. It is extremely versatile, from being able to steam so many different types of foods, custards, rice, pastas, shellfish, hot dogs, vegetables & the list goes on! We use this almost every single day of the week, the steamer basket is reversible, it’s super easy to clean. I do not put the steamer basket in the dishwasher; a soft cloth & mild dish soap does the job on all 3 pieces in a matter of minutes. I also do not fill the water tank with tap water, I use the filtered water from our zero water pitcher. It fits perfectly on the counter next to the stove, we use it too often to take it in & out of a cabinet; it’s a well made appliance & comes with a trusted name for me anyway! It comes with a manual setting, which we’ve ended up using quite a bit after trying some of the settings it comes with & learning some foods need a few more minutes & others need a few less minutes depending on your taste. Over all it’s well worth the price, I don’t like getting or giving an appliance for a present, but I know several people who are getting this for Christmas!

Fantastic device! Easy to use and very easy to clean. Great with fish and chicken. To reduce fat, I even cooked hamburger patties we had in the freezer then crumbled them with rice. Wife has gallbladder issues so low, or no, fat cooking is essential and this thing does the job. Probably one of the most useful things in the kitchen and I use it at least 3 or 4 times weekly. I do have some serious suggestions for Cuisinart though. 1) Tilt the display screen so I don't have to keep bending over to check times. 2) Add an option to manually set 3 or 4 times; i.e. cook 15 minutes then beep; cook 15 more minutes then beep; cook another 10 minutes then beep, for a total cook time of 40 minutes. 3) Put a speed dial on the knob. It takes a long time to crank up to 40 minutes. 4) Print approx steaming time or at least a measurement on the reservoir. I use only distilled water so that would save a bit.

I really enjoy this product! I’ve steamed all sorts of vegetables to perfection because I like my vegetables cooked, but still with a bit of a crunch. The nice thing is you can set a estimated time to cook by food type and not have to worry about watching a clock while the food is being steamed. When the steamer beeps, you can stick the vegetables with a fork and if they aren’t done to your liking, you can switch it to manual mode and steam another minute or so. As with any type of steamer, you want each piece of your food to be as close to possible in size. (e.g. don’t steam a whole chicken or duck, chop it up into equal pieces).The steamer takes about a minute to come up to full steam, so add a minute onto the time you want the vegetables to steam. I steamed this package of thin asparagus for six and a half minutes with the steamer set to seven and a half. Delicious and crispy! I even steamed sliced onions and enjoyed them with butter and salt and pepper.I am not a fan of chicken breasts because they always seem to be dry. I steamed several to 148 degrees (latent heat will cook them until around 160 degrees) and they were tender and moist and perfect for slicing and having warm chicken on a salad. The steamer also is great at smoking oysters or clams and crab. Or even rewarming something.While I’d never steam raw beef in it, I is very good at rewarming grilled meats of all types. I have used it to steam frozen beef brisket I purchased at one of the many local BBQ trucks. Steaming the brisket made it just like I had just bought it. Not dried out and tough like the microwave makes it.It’s nearing the holidays and we have a tradition of taking homemade tamales to someone’s home as a gift when you visit during this season. This steamer is going to make it so easy to make a batch of 100, or so, hand-rolled tamales, figuring out the time to properly steam one, and not have to worry about checking the steaming pot on the stove.You can only use water (I suggest distilled so you don’t have to descale it like any electric appliance that uses water) it it. I have a stainless steel stovetop steamer that I use occasionally if I want to use water and wine for that usage. It’s not a problem with me as I can mix as many spices I choose with melted butter because I am an engineer.Photo credit: Myself. I plated that asparagus with melted butter and minced garlic and garnished it with course-ground black pepper. It was so good. So good!