The Best Food Steamers to Cook Healthy Meals

This Prime Home Direct Bamboo steamer is composed entirely of organic bamboo. This dumpling steamer comes with a 10 inches basket, 2 chopstick sets, one sauce dish, and 50 liners. The non-stick steamer is ideal for steaming vegetables, meat, and fish, and it may also be used as a rice cooker. Unlike typical steamers, this vegetable steamer gives you additional cooking choices. You may cook or reheat two meals at the same time. It features two stacking layers that sit on top of each other, and each level has a 10 inches diameter by 3 inches deep cooking space.

The water-resistant walls of this dim sum dumpling steamer, as well as the dome-shaped lids of bamboo baskets, prevent condensing water from gathering. The firmware design allows heat to be distributed evenly throughout the basket, resulting in perfectly cooked food. By soaking excess moisture, this dumpling maker avoids water from leaking from the cover. This method keeps the natural state, aroma, and nutrient content at their original levels.

For steaming simplicity at it's best, nothing beats the Sunsella 100 Percent Stainless Steel Vegetable Steamer. This basket-type steamer is made of solid stainless steel, so it will last a lifetime of use. The Sunsella steamer needs a pot of boiling water to work. Once the water is boiling, set the loaded steamer down into the rising steam, and steam away. The basket has short legs to keep it above the boiling water, and it is capable of holding a meals worth of veggies or other food items, but the reality is this steamer works best for one or two people. You'll need either a timer or a fork to check how done the food is, but it will make quality steamed food as long as you monitor the progress. A steamer of this type is simple to use and easier to clean than any other option. If you just want steamed veggies every so often for you or another person, this would be just about perfect for your needs.

The lowest cost digital steamer, and if you want the best bang for the buck model, the Hamilton Beach Digital Steamer 5.5 Quart Model 37530Z takes the cake. The H.B. Digital Steamer is capable enough to steam small meals, medium meals by stacking up the two tiers, and very large meals by removing the center shelf and having one large steaming compartment. You can delay cooking up to 12 hours, it has an automatic "keep warm" function, and it will even let you know when the water is low and then automatically shut down until you fill the reservoir. The digital touch pad lets you punch in the time needed, and the lighted display always keeps you informed. If you're serious about steaming and you want a step up from a basic steamer, it's hard to beat this Hamilton Beach model. It can do-it-all at a price that won't break the bank.

For you traditionalists out there, it doesn't get any better than the Joyce Chen 26-0013, 10-Inch Bamboo Steamer Set. Some say that original bamboo steamers are the tastiest way to steam food, and I won't argue with that assumption. Joyce Chen is a renowned chef when it comes to Asian cuisine and she uses steamers just like this; if you want that same quality of steamed food, then this is the steamer to get. It's a two tiered model, and it will need to sit above a pot of boiling water which is fine for the occasional meal or for regular steamed meat or veggies. Understand that since this is bamboo, it will be the most difficult to clean, and although it will last a long time, it will need to be eventually replaced. You'll need a timer or a fork to monitor the progress of your food, but if authenticity is what you want (and possibly the best tasting steamed food there is) the Joyce Chen Bamboo Steamer is a "must have" for the steamed food enthusiast.

If you live the steaming lifestyle, and you have a large family, you need to check out the Viante CUC-30ST Intellisteam Counter Top Food Steamer. This selection is called the "Rolls-Royce" of countertop steamers and it's easy to see why. The Viante Steamer has three different compartments, all on the same level which makes it the easiest to access steamer here. You can load up each compartment with family-sized portions of food, and no one will go hungry.

Since it's a digital machine, it lets you control the cooking time on each separate compartment. It will automatically set start times of the types of food you punch in, and they will all finish cooking together. It has a visible water gauge, and it will automatically shut off when the water level runs low. It's even dishwasher safe, so cleaning is a snap. The Viante Intellisteam is the most complex and, by far, the most expensive steamer on this list. But if you, and your family, embrace the steaming lifestyle, nothing is better.

If you want a basic but very effective and easy to use electrical steamer, the Ovente FS53W Triple-Tiered Electric Food Steamer makes the top of this list. Nothing really fancy here, just a steamer that will steam your food to perfection. The Ovente FS53W has 3 separate tiers so you can just use a lower tier for personal steaming, or use all three tiers to prepare an entire meal. Icons of foods, like fish, rice and vegetables (to name a few) are printed on the side of the steamer with an approximate time to cook. Just load it up, turn the manual dial timer for the food you have, and steam away; seriously, it couldn't be simpler. The Ovente Triple-Tiered steamer is easy enough for the novice, yet it is capable of steaming entire meals if you are into a serious steaming lifestyle. You can't beat the price, and all of these factors combined make it the best overall steamer on this list.