The Oster Double Tiered Food Steamer is among the best food steamers at a low-price we found in terms of cooking ability. Although the water reservoir is small and difficult to refill, this food steamer is very easy to clean, and the results of our cooking test were all positive. It's also a small model, suitable for steaming food for one to two people or side dishes for a small family.
Oster Double Tiered Food Steamer: Main features
The Oster steamer is a two-tiered, 400-watt appliance. The two containers add up to a total capacity of five quarts, and the water reservoir holds 16 ounces. Like some of the other small steamers on our lineup, this unit doesn't come with a visible water-level window or an exterior water refill tray or spout. Because of its small capacity and the lack of an external refill method, there may be situations where you'll have to stop the cooking process to open the unit, unstack the trays and refill the reservoir. The BELLA Food Steamer 13872 has a drawer which will save you the trouble.
Another disadvantage is that this electric food steamer didn’t include a rice bowl, but it still managed to outperform some of the steamers that did. You don’t get a warming setting or delayed start. Oster also doesn’t provide any start-to-finish recipes, which can be helpful if you're new to steaming.
Oster offers a one-year warranty, which is the industry standard for food steamers. Oster’s website also provides online product registration, order tracking, product and order support, and product manuals. We were able to quickly obtain help by phone, and our email questions were answered within 24 hours.
Oster Double Tiered Food Steamer: How it performed
We tested fish, chicken, vegetables and rice in the Oster steamer. Despite being among the cheapest food steamers we evaluated, the cooking results were solid. Vegetables, rice and chicken were all well-liked by our reviewers, and the fish was fairly moist and flavorful.
The Oster Double Tiered Food Steamer was very easy to clean. Our testers ranked it as the easiest to wash by hand, and the trays are dishwasher safe. You can easily wipe the base with a damp washcloth. The steaming trays nest together and take up minimal space if you plan to tuck it away in a cabinet.
Should you buy the Oster Double Tiered Food Steamer?
While we'd prefer a larger model with a little more versatility, the Oster Double Tiered Food Steamer is a great low-end unit. If you're looking for a cheap unit to steam food and don't mind the lack of some convenience features the best food steamers have, the Oster steamer is the right choice.
