Morphy Richards Steamer

I had often considered having an electric steamer. Partly to save space on my cooker hob when I want to cook a lot of vegetables, and partly because steaming is considered one of the healthiest ways to cook: it adds no fat, but it doesn't reduce vitamins and minerals as much as boiling does. So when a guest offered to buy us a kitchen appliance, that's what I chose. 

THE PRIMARY PRINCIPLE 

Electric steamers all work on similar principles. A heating element at the bottom of the machine is filled with water, then covered with a drip tray. Over that a number of baskets are placed, either stainless steel or plastic, with small holes in the bottom a little like those of a colander. Food is placed inside one or more of the baskets, and a timer is set. No mess, no possibility of it boiling over, and perfect vegetables at the end. Or so the theory goes. 

THE CHANCE CHOICE 

I didn't read any reviews on steamers since I didn't expect to have a wide choice, so I was surprised to find five or six different possibilities, all between about £30 and £45. I was first tempted by a neat-looking Tefal steamer, which wouldn't take up too much space on my worktop; however our guest pointed out that with a family of four - and frequent visitors - we would be better off with rather larger baskets, and that three would be better than two. 

He pointed out the Morphy Richards 48850 steamer which was labelled 'Healthsteam'. There were samples of all the steamers on display so we took them apart to compare. All of them had plastic baskets which felt a bit flimsy, and this bothered me somewhat. However the Morphy Richards version came with a two-year guarantee and it's a name we trust; when I discovered that it also had a good instruction guide and a recipe book, I decided to opt for that one. 

SIMPLE SETTING UP 

Putting it together was reasonably easy once I had realised that the baskets had to be stacked in a particular order. Eventually I spotted that the handles were labelled 'top', 'middle' and 'bottom', to make this easier. The bases are easily removable, and a little awkward to fix in place. When steaming just one type of food, only the top basket is used since the lid fits it. 

The instruction guide was straightforward and clear, and while the recipe book didn't tell me how to steam different types of vegetables, it did give some delicious sounding healthy meals which could be cooked entirely (or almost so) on the steamer. It had not occurred to me that I could steam fish or chicken breast, but the booklet assured me I could. 

To use the steamer, the base has to be filled with clean water, then the plastic funnel and the drip tray slot over it. On top of that the basket or baskets with food are placed, and then a lid goes on the top basket to contain the steam. 

Obviously if cooking meat or chicken, they need to be in the lowest basket, so raw juices do not drip over vegetables underneath! The timer can be set for an hour at most; when it has finished the machine pings. In general this is sufficient for most steaming, but if more is needed then it's easy enough to set it for more time after the first hour. If so, then extra water must be added: there is a convenient slot in the side which means that it's easy to pour water in without having to disassemble a steaming hot appliance. 

UNEXPECTED EXPERIMENT 

A few days after buying it, when I was still a little reluctant to try out anything other than simple fresh broccoli, I was forced to use the steamer to its limits: here in Cyprus most ovens run on bottled gas, and I managed to run out. Not my fault: the last cylinder turned out to be empty when I changed it, but I had a hungry family waiting for their meal and no oven or hob to cook it on! 

So I used the steamer for potatoes and two types of vegetable - including frozen broad beans - while using the microwave for the main part of the meal. The kitchen was rather full of steam by the time the meal was ready, and it took a little longer than I had hoped for all the vegetables to be steamed to perfection, but overall we were very pleased with the result. 

STEAMING RICE

There's a 'rice cooker' included: a plastic container without holes in the bottom that sits inside one of the baskets and which will cook approximately enough rice for a family of four. We only eat wholegrain rice, and I was a bit disappointed to find it tasting a bit 'floury' when I used the steamer to cook some; perhaps it needed more washing than usual prior to cooking. 

STEAMING VEGETABLES

I've had it now for three months, and used it several times. I must admit I haven't used it as much as I might, partly because it's quicker and easier to cook frozen vegetables in the microwave than in the steamer, and partly because I keep forgetting to use it! Steaming takes longer than either boiling or microwaving: fresh broccoli, for instance, needs at least twenty minutes, more if the pieces are large. Potatoes can take up to an hour. 

However we've been very pleased with the results of steamed vegetables and I'm beginning to experiment a little more. The only thing that has caused a slight problem is frozen peas: they cook well and taste fine, but tend to slide through the top unit into whatever is cooking below, and are difficult to move from the steamer to a serving dish. 

PERFECT PUDDINGS

When I made my Christmas puddings in the middle of November I was delighted to learn that they could be cooked in the steamer. When I have used a saucepan in previous years I've always worried about the water boiling dry; but if I put too much water in, the puddings don't get hot enough and so don't turn dark brown. Making them with the steamer turned out to be very straightforward. 

I used two half-litre pyrex containers, having checked that they would fit into two of the steamer baskets, and tied greaseproof paper around the tops as usual. I filled the base of the steamer with water and set it for its maximum setting, one hour. Then I left it alone until it 'pinged' after the first hour, at which point I poured more water in down the side opening and set it for another hour. I repeated this six times, then left it to cool down. 

Result: two delicious looking puddings which I then re-steamed in similar fashion when we decided to eat them. This was much easier than having them on a crowded hob, and there was no possibility of their boiling dry. 

INSIGNIFICANT INCONVENIENCES 

Inevitably it takes a while to get used to any new appliance, and the steamer is no exception. I still find it a bit awkward slotting the bases in place after washing up, although having removable bases certainly makes them easier to wash up. I also sometimes catch my hand in the steam when removing the lid: I haven't scalded myself seriously (yet!) but if there were small children in the house I would keep it well out of their reach. 

The instructions do say that the steamer must be left to cool down before draining the drip tray and cleaning it, but vegetables have to be served while still hot - and oven-gloves aren't all that helpful since they become damp with the steam and then conduct heat. 

But these are minor inconveniences. All in all I would highly recommend this steamer for anyone interested in a more healthy way of eating. 

2022 UPDATE 

This is possibly our longest lasting appliance. Eighteen years after purchase, our Morphy Richards steamer is still working. I don't use it as often as, perhaps, I should; it's easier to cook rice in a saucepan for just two of us, and I tend to roast vegetables more often than steaming them. 

However, it comes out every year for steaming our Christmas puddings, both initially when I make them, and on Christmas Day or other occasions when I cook them. I use it occasionally for steaming vegetables too, but really haven't used it to its potential. It has been reliable, easy to use, and decidedly good value. 

I'm not sure that I'll replace it when it finally stops working as there isn't room for it on our kitchen countertops, and when it's packed away in a cupboard I tend to forget about it.