Review on 🥦 Secura Electric Food Steamer, Double Tiered Stackable Vegetable Baskets with Timer, 1200W Fast Heating, Stainless Steel Digital Steamer, 8.5 Quart by James Pope

Straight out of the box it was an impressive instrument, gleaming retro chic with seamless smooth sculpted stainless steel finishes, sharp controls, a brilliant display...everything my last four plastic devices have had There were no boats! Five stars, I was sure of that. Then, as I started using it, I noticed issues - an oddly wobbly grip on a well-made glass lid, an alarming amount of vapor sometimes escaping the rims of metal bowls, no water-level indicator or drip tray, absolutely no need to top up water while vaping - my enthusiasm had evaporated a bit. When the lid's handle fell off on my third use, I was less surprised than I'd like... although luckily the old first aid still works by plugging the guide hole with bits of a wooden match or toothpick and screwing in a screw. (essentially a screw) back. The controls and displays have proven to be the strongest feature of this vape. They are intuitive, positive and very easy to select. The timer display is bright and clear from almost every angle. The "delay timer" is surprisingly useful, and the "keep warm" feature is on by default and works well. Buttons with different labels show recommended steaming times for different types of food (Instant Pot pressure cooker style) which can be changed very easily using the large +/- buttons. Cleaning is another strong point: all surfaces are easy to clean, probably because steaming uses lower temperatures than most other cooking methods. The smooth design of the steam bowls eliminates sharp corners and crevices that are difficult to clean. Not having a sump can be an advantage: I always have trouble emptying it without spilling anything. With Secura, any water not thrown into the air is returned to the fresh water tank, from which it is emptied safely and easily (the tank is easy to clean, although heat-stained). This design actually appears to use less water than others, so a water level indicator may not be necessary in practice. A distinctive feature of the design is that all parts of the device (base, trays, lid) have handles. They are well designed, big, cool and easy to use. I don't know why that should be rare, but it is. In terms of operating speed, heating starts immediately, steam appears in the bowls after about 1.5 minutes, and steam emerges on the lid (if both bowls are used) within 5 minutes. It's safe to assume four minutes for preheating and the remaining time for full cooking (e.g. 22-24 minutes for sliced sweet potatoes that take 18-20 minutes to cook...if the water is really boiling!). Overall, given its strengths and despite its shortcomings, this is a very good device. I love the taste and texture of steamed food and prefer electric steamers because of their automatic timer. I've worn through four steamers over the years without ever making peace with their hard-to-clean (or chemically leachable) plastic shells or, in many cases, their hard-to-see, hard-to-adjust, and faulty ones. ..vulnerable controls. This Secura steam cleaner is more expensive than most of its competitors, but it appears to solve stubborn problems, making it a reasonably good buy for the price. Before purchasing I had some issues with sizing the unit, so here they are (approximately): Height with lid: 13 ½ inches; Height with inverted storage lid: 12"; Width including handles: 12 ¾"; Depth including control panel: 10 ½"; Food tray diameter: 9 ⅛ in; Food tray depth: 3 ¼ in. This steamer fits easily in the space I have in my cupboard and actually takes up slightly less space than the oval block of plastic Speaking of trays, their size or thickness seems well chosen for the sake of light weight and reasonable strength, as they play no role in heat distribution (it's done by steam).