The word "steam" is usually associated with a bathhouse orsauna, which are very beneficial for health. An electric steamer can also be called a bathhouse, but not for a person, but for food products. There is an undeniable unity between these two baths - they both improve human health. If you are a supporter of a healthy lifestyle, then do not forget to go to the bathhouse and be sure to use a steamer. If you do not have one, then in this article we will tell you how to choose a steamer.
Double boiler. What kind of "beast" is this?
If you have never seen this unit, you should get to know it before you start choosing a steamer. The device of the steamer is quite simple. It consists of three parts:
As you can see, there is nothing tricky in the structure of a steamer. They are all built on the same principle. Therefore, the choice of a steamer depends primarily on the technical characteristics of the device.
Why do you need a steamer for you?
Surely you have met people more than once, kitchenwhich are filled with various types of household appliances. At first you think that these people are real cooks, but it often turns out that all the equipment was bought thanks to the consumer boom. Often, half of these devices are idle or are simply very rarely used. In order not to make such mistakes and not to waste money on obviously unnecessary devices, you need to know why you need this or that household appliance. Of course, it is quite easy to explain why you need a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine. But with kitchen appliances, things are much more complicated. Here it is important to specifically decide which steamer you need to choose, because the steamer must first of all meet all your requirements. Before we begin to tell you how to choose a steamer, it is worth considering the main advantages of purchasing this unit. So, the advantages of a steamer:
- The steamer will first and foremost become irreplaceablea device for people seeking a healthy diet. Thanks to the steamer in food, all vitamins and minerals that are destroyed during cooking or frying are stored. In fact, it is not recommended to eat fried at all.
- The steamer is an excellent assistant in the household. Thanks to this unit it is possible not only to cook tasty and healthy food, but also to defrost products. In addition, the steamer is simply indispensable for pregnant women and mothers, since for the first best food is the one that is cooked for a couple, and for the second steamer can serve as a sterilizer for children's bottles and plates.
- In the double boiler you can also reheat food. In addition, in a double boiler you can cook several dishes at the same time, the number of which depends on the number of steam baskets. Therefore, if you evaluate this technique by the number of baskets - the best steamer will be the one in which the baskets are larger. After all, it is not necessary to use all the baskets at all times, but when you need to cook several dishes, a steamer with several baskets will perfectly save your cooking time. A great option when you wait for guests and need a lot to cook. And when cooking several dishes does not necessarily choose products with the same cooking time. It is enough to simply put products that are prepared longer in the lower basket, and those that are prepared quickly - in the upper.
- Dishes in a double boiler never burn, andnothing in it will never escape. Therefore, the steamer is very easy to clean. Plus to this - the dishes in the double boiler will never turn dry. And if you suddenly forget to turn off the device, or all the water will boil in it - the steamer will turn itself off. In this plan, it is impossible to determine which steamer is best, since all the steamers are designed so that they easily prepare food, they are easy to clean and are able to be disconnected independently by a timer or when the mistress forgets about them.
- The steamer belongs to those kitchen appliances,which should be at any mistress. Even if you do not know how to cook - still get this machine. Preparing food in a double boiler is extremely simple, you just need to put the products in a steam basket, pour in water and turn on the unit at the right time.
- If you do not have enough time for cooking, you are verybusy person, then you will not have problems with dinner in the presence of a steamer. In steamers there is such function, as a delay of preparation. The maximum delay time can be 12 hours. That is, you can put the necessary food in the steamer early in the morning, set a timer for a certain time - and a steamer for your arrival will prepare tasty and healthy food. If you suddenly do not plan to stay someplace, the steamer for several hours will regularly warm up the food. Therefore, in any case, your arrival at home will be a hot meal, the preparation of which in the evening usually does not remain neither the strength nor the desire.
- For students the steamer will also be excellentassistant. Electric stoves are usually prohibited in hostels, so that, God forbid, there is no fire. And in the common kitchen I do not want to cook for a variety of different reasons. Here, a steamer and will save you from hunger, because you can cook food without leaving your room.
As you can see, the advantages of a steamer are undeniable. Now let's figure out how to choose a steamer, which steamer is the best and which brand of steamer should you choose.
A little bit about the characteristics of a double boiler
The main characteristics of any steamer are:power and control system. Before deciding which steamer is better to buy, you need to learn about these characteristics in more detail. There is an opinion that power is the most important parameter of a steamer and here the best steamer will be the one with the highest power. But in fact, this is not entirely true. Most steamers now have the ability to regulate the power - from 650 to 2000 watts. Of course, the higher the power, the faster the food will cook. But in addition to this, the cooking time is also affected by the volume of the steam baskets, the quality of the products used in cooking and the design of the steamer. So which steamer is better to buy? The most powerful one, or some other? Rather, we can say that you should choose not by power, but by all the parameters of the steamer together. Before choosing a steamer, carefully study what kind of control system it has. At first glance, it seems that there is nothing complicated in controlling a steamer. But there are some nuances. So, there are two types of steamer control systems:
- With electronic control. Steamers with this kind of control system are the most functional, since it is in them that there are such functions as deferred cooking, preheating cooked food for some time. Such control systems are equipped with a display on which all operating modes of the steamer are displayed.
- With mechanical control. In steamers with this control, too, has its advantages. First, you do not need to activate some strange modes, press a bunch of buttons. It is enough only to set a round timer for the required cooking time - and the steamer will take over the work. Everything is simple to the point of indecency, and there's nothing to break down there either.
How to choose the right steamer?
Well, now we are getting closer to the main topic of ourarticles. How to choose a good steamer? Which brand of steamer is better? What are the best models of steamers should be considered first when making your choice? We will try to answer these questions in the continuation of the article. To begin with, pay attention to the tray. The height of the sides of the tray should be 2-2.5 cm. Lower sides will add problems, since during the cooking process you will have to drain the condensate accumulated in the tray several times, which will take some of your time, you will have to monitor the cooking process all the time. If you do not drain excess moisture from the tray, this can lead to a breakdown of the steamer, due to moisture getting on the heating element. In addition, it is better to choose a steamer whose tray is equipped with handles. Since the condensate in the tray is hot, the handles will protect against the possibility of scalding with water. If you do not want the products in the lower steam basket to be saturated with the juice of the products from the baskets above while cooking several dishes, then it is better to choose a steamer with several trays. If you think that vegetables soaked in meat broth are not bad at all, you can choose a steamer with one tray. In addition, many steamers come with a bowl for cooking rice, into which you can put the products from the upper steam baskets. In this case, juice leaks from the upper floors of the steamer will be excluded. Well, that's all the main points that you should pay attention to in order to choose the right steamer. Based on everything described above, decide for yourself which steamer is best to choose in your particular case. You can also explore the vastness of the Internet, ask the question of which steamer to choose: reviews of people who have already bought this or that model of steamer will help you form an idea of a good steamer. How to choose a steamer: reviews of such people will help you form your own opinion about what you need from a steamer, what is not very good, and what is completely unnecessary. Then you can mentally form a general view of the ideal steamer. When choosing a good steamer, you can also pay attention to such insignificant, but sometimes very useful details as the water quantity indicator, the volume and number of steam baskets, their transparency and shape. If they are of any importance to you when determining which steamer is best to choose, then let's consider these "little things" in more detail.
Other nuances in the choice of a double boiler
The presence of a water level indicator in the steamerрезервуаре аппарата помогает отслеживать, сколько воды есть в пароварки к началу готовки. Этот элемент, пожалуй, самый бесполезный, поскольку каждый раз перед началом готовки подливать свежей воды не сложно. Если приготовление какого-либо блюда затягивается на долгое время – от часа и больше, то может возникнуть необходимость долить воды в резервуар. Тогда полезным окажется небольшое отверстие, благодаря которому можно добавить воду не отключая пароварку и не снимая корзины с продуктами. Но в то же время, это отверстие вряд ли пригодится, поскольку за такое долгое время готовки, скорее всего, будет заполнен поддон, который придется сливать. А в этом случае все равно придется выключать пароварку и снимать корзины, в это же время можно будет и добавить свежую воду. Прозрачность паровых корзин – это, конечно, с первого взгляда красиво. Ведь иной раз, сидя всей семьей за обеденным столом и разговаривая, смотреть на готовящиеся в пароварке продукты между делом очень приятно и интересно. Но в этом случае не обольщайтесь – корзины прозрачны лишь до поры до времени, в процессе готовки они все равно запотеют от пара и увидеть через стенки корзин что-либо будет если не невозможно, то весьма проблематично. Поэтому, решая, какую выбрать пароварку, на прозрачность корзин особого внимания не обращайте. На качество приготовления и на вкус это никак не влияет. А вот количество паровых корзин и их объем – параметр довольно важный. Как уже говорилось, в пароварках бывает от 1 до 3 корзин. Их объемы варьируются от полутора литров до трех с половиной. Если у вас большая семья, и вы любите готовить разнообразную пищу, то для вас будет такая пароварка лучше, в которой три корзины. Причем чем больше семья – тем больше должен быть объем корзин. Для человека, который живет один, например, для холостяка или студента, больше подойдет небольшая пароварка с одной корзиной. Если семья маленькая, то оптимальным вариантом станет пароварка с двумя корзинами. То есть, объем и количество корзин является достаточно важным показателем при выборе пароварки, но это все сугубо индивидуально. Только вы сами сможете определить, какая пароварка будет самой лучшей именно для вашей семьи, поскольку только вы знаете, сколько в вашей семье человек и сколько еды вы потребляете за один ужин или обед. Также играет роль, хоть и не большую, форма паровых корзин. Тут речь идет не о круглых или квадратных формах, а о том, что в некоторых пароварках одна корзина меньше другой и расположить их можно только одним единственным способом – на большую корзину ставится более маленькая, а на нее – еще меньше. Поменять местами такие корзины нельзя. А возможность менять корзины местами бывает довольно часто. Бывает такое, что продукты из нижней корзины уже приготовились, а вот из верхней корзины еще сыроваты. В этом случае следует поменять верхнюю корзину с нижней. Это обусловлено тем, что на нижнем ярусе пароварки продукты готовятся быстрее, а на верхнем ярусе – дольше. Поэтому, лучше приобретать пароварки, формы корзин которой одинаковы, чтобы можно было свободно менять корзины местами. Вот, собственно говоря, и все, что следует знать о пароварках, чтобы сделать правильный выбор. А вот какой фирмы выбрать пароварку – это уже другой вопрос. Конечно, фирма-производитель тоже является довольно важным в выборе пароварки, поскольку именно от фирмы зависит долговечность аппарата и его цена. На данный момент существуют пароварки с ценой от 800 рублей до 7 тысяч. Если фирма-производитель пароварки имеет для вас значение, то давайте кратко рассмотрим, пароварки каких фирм лучше всех прочих.
The top five manufacturers of steamers
There are five of the best models of steamers,which most people respond positively to. Which steamer to choose - there are many reviews from people, they say that the best steamer models are: Tefal, Scarlett, Philips, Moulinex and Braun.
- Steamers from Tefal. Especially popular here are the models VC1014, VC4003, VC4008 and VS4003. These models are externally strongly different from each other. But they are united by the fact that they have many useful functions, volumetric baskets. In addition, all these steamers have three steam baskets. Among the functions: quick steam, delay in starting cooking, maintaining heat. But the model VC1001 can safely give the title of "Best Steamer 2011" among compact models.
- Steamers from Philips. The models HD9120 and HD9140 are especially popular. Both steamers have three steam baskets, they also have the same power. In addition, these steamers have a very reasonable price.
- Moulinex. The popular models are MV1000 Principio and MV1003 Accessimo. In these models 2 baskets, they are quite compact and in use are also easy. In addition, the second model has a function of refilling water during cooking.
- Braun. The best steamer of this company is the Braun FS20. The steamer is equipped with two steam baskets made from matte plastic. The power of the steamer is 850 W, which is a high indicator for a low-cost version of steamers. In addition, complete with a double boiler is a dark bowl, designed for those products that are able to paint the steamer baskets.
- Scarlett. The most popular models are Scarlett SC343 and Scarlett SC1143. These models are popular because of the very low price. Quite good steamers, and most importantly - compact. And their service life is quite large.
So, to sum up everything we have consideredsteamers, we can say that the best steamer of 2011 can be called Philips HD9140. It is the one that is in the greatest demand among all segments of the population. We recommend reading:
