Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer, White

I've had this steamer for nearly five years (purchased Feb. '09) and I love it. The first thing I used it for was hard-boiled eggs, because I never get them right on the stove. This steamer cooks them perfectly and makes them easy to shell. NOTE - depending upon the altitude you live at, it will take a bit of trial and error to find out exactly how long to set the steamer for. I steam fish and veggies mostly. It keeps the fish moist, and reduces any fishy taste. I spray the trays generously with PAM to make clean-up easier. With practice, I have learned how long to steam different kinds of fish, and different sized pieces. I no longer live where I can purchase fresh fish. This steamer does a wonderful job on frozen fish, straight out of the freezer. I put most fish in the large tray with the holes in the bottom. More fragile fish, such as sole or thin-sliced flounder, I put in the rice tray, and add some butter and seasoning. .It makes perfect, fluffy rice - no sticking to the bottom of the pan. I stir the rice once in while if I think of it, but if rice is stirred too much it gets sticky. Once again, the times given in the instructions are approximate. It is very important to empty the bottom water reservoir after each use - because steam that condenses on whatever you're steaming runs back down into it. It is easy to clean - I just pour out the water, and then rinse. Sometimes I wipe it out with a soapy sponge first. I make sure some of the clean water also rinses out the "spout" where you can add additional water if you need to during cooking. After the steam cycle is completed, the unit does not shut off - it continues to keep the food hot. This means that it keeps cooking the food, so I find that I have to watch it to make sure that I don't overcook the broccoli (I hate when that happens!). The "HOLD" function makes this steamer ideal for keeping foods warm when entertaining. I can put it out for a buffet supper, or use it to keep things warm when I am putting together a sit-down dinner. It also does a good job keeping scrambled eggs hot, fluffy and moist for brunch.

I read all the reviews for this steamer and several others to make sure I got the best one for me. I think I made a good choice in buying this one, but I did take one reviewer's suggestion and when I run the steamer I add a little bit of vinegar to the water to help prevent gunk building up and making cleaning easier. The water inlet area would be difficult to clean, but so far using vinegar I have not had an issue. Here is what I like about the steamer: 1. Quick to start steaming, hardly any delay between turning it on and getting steam. 2. Large food compartments mean I can make lots of food. However when I was making two different veggies in the same tray I would have a hard time separating them when they were done into serving dishes. I rigged up my own individual steaming containers that sit inside the steaming tray out of cool whip containers with holes poked at the bottom. This worked like a charm so that my potatoes don't mingle with my carrots, and I can still cook my fish or chicken in the second tray. 3. one of the trays come with egg holders built in, which was cool. Maybe not entirely necessary, but it did work well when I made eggs. 4. The instruction manual comes with the average steaming times of lots of different foods, this is essential for me because I might not have known otherwise how long to cook each type of food. But be advised, they are only approximate times! You still will have to use your own best judgment as to when the food is done. For instance, potatoes took less time than the book said, maybe because I cut them in smaller pieces. 5. the plastic trays and lid can all go in the dishwasher, top rack. 6. you can use the steamer with both trays at once, or only one tray if you are only making one thing. 7. This comes with a separate tray for cooking rice, but it is also handy for cooking other things in too! ********* UPDATE March 11, 2010 ***************** After one year of regular use, I STILL LOVE THIS STEAMER. I continue to add a little vinegar to the water each time I use it and have never had a mold issue. I have one complaint, I wish there were smaller trays to fit inside the larger trays. That would make the peas not roll all over the place, and be easier to serve. As it is now I have made my own make shift trays from pie tins. Still, all things considered, you'd be CRAZY not to buy this steamer. ********* UPDATE Feb. 10, 2016 ***************** Still working after all this time. I am very careful about always making sure it's clean and dry before storing. No visible defects at all. Wonderful! ********* UPDATE June. 18, 2016 ***************** Still working reliably. I put a little bit of vinegar in each time I use it, and I still make sure it's dry before I put it away. It has stayed clean and mold free.

We had a similar style steamer that we used exclusively for rice. It was so nice to be able to put the rice on and forget about it; never over done or dried out. Unfortunately we wore it out and tried using the 'pot-on-the-stove' method with inconsistent results. So we decided to replace the steamer. We purchased an inexpensive rice cooker at WalMart and found it did not work the same way as our former model. This one had one container into which you placed the rice and water and it was cooked over a heating element. The results were not good; following their instructions we had mushy rice that was dried out and browned on the bottom. We experimented with different amounts of water but the results were always the same.....that cooker is now in the basement. We ordered the Oster 5712 because it worked on the same principle as our former steamer which had served us well for at least 15 years. This one has the advantage of a timer so you can set the amount of time you want whatever you are steaming to cook; our other one was dependent upon the amount of water you placed in the base as it would stop cooking when that was used up. That was not a problem because all we ever cooked was rice and we had it down to a science! For our tastes, we find that using 1-1/4 cups of water to 1 cup of rice for 35 minutes produces a finished rice that is cooked through yet not mushy or glommy and the kernels are not stuck together. It doesn't matter how much water you put into the base because the timer is the ultimate boss of the cooking duration. With our former model, 2 cups of water in the base gave us the same results as 35 minutes on this model. We have made hard 'boiled' eggs in this steamer with good results. We also used it for shrimp and were pleased because they were not overdone when following the instructions in the manual, but chances are we will revert to only cooking rice and that is okay with us because we make rice 2-3 times a week, so it will earn its keep. The only down side we found is that you have to be careful when removing the lid to be sure you open it by tipping it toward the front of the machine to allow the steam to escape away from your face and let the hot condensation that has accummulated on the lid run into the base of the unit....also use pot holders because the handles are short which puts your hands too close to the steam. Then it is a little tricky getting the rice bowl out of the larger bowl you have to place it within for it to get the steam; this is also due to the small size of the handles and additionally because of their very close proximity to the outer bowl. That's it, just be careful and you will not have any problems. Also, they tell you NOT to operate it under a cabinet which only makes sense because it gives off steam as it cooks and releases a lot when you open the lid; it is easy to see how that might cause a problem to the bottom of an upper cabinet in time. I would have given this steamer 5 stars except for the inconvenience of opening the lid and getting the rice bowl out of the machine. Not insurmountable but it was not a factor in our first steamer and that is all I have to judge this one by and it therefore falls short in those two areas. All-in-all we are happy with the ease of use and the final results and recommend it as a very good steamer that is versatile and also economical.

The machine itself works so well. I'm finding that a lot of our food cook times are being cut down on and knowing that it's maintaining the nutrients when being steamed is a big plus. I actually love to do rice aroni in this with the rice insert. It's helped me eliminate the need for butter while maintaing it's great taste. I also use this when steaming apple pieces for my daughter (who's 14 months old). I use the rice tray and sprinkle Cinnamon on the apples. Or you could add carrots and sprinkle on a little bit of brown sugar , or do them plain if you want. In the past I'd do this in the microwave and the apples would come out with a bit of a rubber texture and slightly browned. Using the steamer doesn't burn them and they go to mush. I think this would be a GREAT steamer especially for moms who want to make their own baby food. Just cube up what you want to steam put it in for 5 to 10 minutes (I usually do 5) and then put it in your blender or baby bullet. Better than boiling the fruit / veggies and it's in my opinion much faster. You don't have to wait for the water to come to a boil etc. The only thing I wish is that there were some actual recipes included. There are cook times available in their manual but as someone who's never owned a steamer it was hard to get an idea about things. So if you're hoping for ideas I'd buy a steamer cook book to accompany this purchase. Typically if we're doing foods that require different cook times we put the longest on first and set the time until we need to add the next tray. When it's time to add the next tray, I carefully remove the lid and then put the second tier on. It's honestly not a hassle certainly less so then having to be in front of a stove cooking your meals. It's healthier and allows us to cook delicious meals while needing to spend less time in the kitchen. Overall it's been a fantastic buy. It's nice to set your time and go.

I truly believe that every home chef should have a steamer in their line of cooking tools. The Oster 5712 food steamer is a worthy item to consider. My Oster 5712 is one of the most used kitchen appliance in my kitchen. While I have a plethora of kitchen appliances all fighting for my counter space, this steamer has become a mainstay in our kitchen and gets used nearly every single day - if not several times a day - since the day we got it from Amazon over a year ago. We used it to: - Cook or reheat rice. Cooking rice takes time but the results are wonderful. For reheating, nothing even comes close to reinvigorating rice than what the steamer can do. - Reheat leftovers. Priceless for this, especially with moist foods. I hate using microwaves. This steamer is a great alternative to heating foods. - Steaming veggies. One of the best ways to enjoy them. So simple yet so delicious! - Steaming old breads and buns. Best way to bring tender goodness back to bread. Sometimes tricky not to get it soggy; best to prop them up inside the steamer with some sort of rack to avoid contact with the walls of the steamer container. However, the extra non-slotted basket that comes with this unit also works great without the use of props. Just try not to use it too long (5 min is usually sufficient) or you'll get soggy results. - Steaming shellfish. - Steaming Asian foods. (Dumplings, steam buns, etc.) - Warming sauces I originally got this unit to also cook eggs, but for its size and my needs, it was an overkill. I ended up getting an Oster egg cooker that did the trick. ( Oster 4716 Egg Cooker ) --- What we LIKE about the Oster 5712 steamer (the PROS): - The nesting baskets. This unit comes with three cooking baskets, two of which can be tiered together for cooking. The third non-slotted basket is great for cooking rice, liquids, or anything else that needs to be contained. It fits in either of the slotted tiered baskets, but if you're going to use both baskets for steaming, the non-slotted basket can only be used in the upper tier/larger basket otherwise they won't stack properly. When not in use, all three baskets nestle into each other for storage. Very nice! - Easy to use. It doesn't require genius to get this unit operating. One button to turn on/off. Another to set the time. That's all. - Easy to refill when cooking. - Auto-shutoff and alarm when water is too low or gone. - "Keep warm" feature in standby mode. Once you're food has reached it timed cooking limit, it doesn't shut off right away. It goes into "keep warm" mode. Every few minutes it give the freshly cooked foods a burst of steam to keep warm. - Attractive and efficient design. --- What we DON'T LIKE (the CONS): - Easy to forget that this unit produces hot steam. USE CAUTION EVERY TIME YOU OPEN IT WHEN IT'S ON! LOL! I've "ouched" myself more times than not because I'm not paying attention and forget that STEAM IS HOT!! - Drip tray. Ok, I'm with everybody when it comes to this tray. It's not easy to remove without making a mess. There's nothing to grab onto. So when it's full and the liquid is hot, this can be a PROBLEM. Best to wait until it's cool. However, if you're in the middle of cooking something, this can be a quandary. (The biggest reason for the 1/2 star removal.) - The base unit needs special attention to clean. It cannot be submerged in water, so one has to be careful washing out the main reservoir. (Despite the drip tray, food residue still makes its way down into the reservoir.) While this is not difficult, it's not always easy either. The steaming device in the middle will need special attention to clean the scale off from time to time, but that's not difficult to do either. Just a bit tedious. I've never had to worry about the window reservoir, I usually just flush it out with clean water, drain it the best I can, and let it air dry. - The nesting baskets can be too bulky to put in a dishwasher efficiently. This means I sometimes have to hand wash them if they don't make into the dishwasher. I usually scrub them with a plastic bristle brush to get into all the nooks and crannies the slots make, soap sponge them down, and rinse. --- Despite the cons (which only deserves a 1/2 star deducted, but Amazon doesn't allow for that), we have not regretted buying the Oster 5712 Food Steamer. Just the opposite, my husband and I LOVE our steamer. It's opened new ways of cooking for us and it's been a fun and delicious experience. Take our sandwich maker, take our waffle iron, but don't touch our Oster food steamer!

Update I have to update this review simply because of the incredible price jump. This purchase is the 5th for me and each of the previous purchases were right at $39.99. These steamers are wonderful and I use it daily so some wear and tear is expected but they aren’t really durable. The buttons used to start/stop and to time the steamer are the most frequent to stop working. Lids and plastic bowls break easily so they need to be replaced frequently. That’s why the previous price was acceptable because with daily use you’ll get 6-10 months out of it. Older review For the consumer this is the best steamer on the market. This is a replacement for my Oster steamer that gave up the ghost. I even travel with it as it allows me to eat foods that I like even when staying in hotels. I save a ton of money by not eating out and can control the quality of foods better. Breakfast or dinner is easy and if you are creative you can accomplish an entire meal in one steamer making cleanup easy. An example would be starting chicken breasts in the small basket (spray the inside with cooking oil like Pam so they don't stick) I set the timer for 30-35 minutes then start to peel sweet potatoes adding them after 10 minutes. As this steams I start to process my other vegetables like zucchini or asparagus adding them during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Be careful when opening the lid as this unit gets hot FAST. After the bell at the end of the steaming process you have a meal. There is a "keep warm" feature built in where the steamer will turn on and off with short bursts of steam for about an hour or until you turn it off. You can delay the steaming process as well. If you are looking for a way to remove fats from meats for a better and more healthy diet you will love this steamer. It is a great way to reheat left overs or bread as well.

I've been cooking for quite a while and have professional pots with steamer inserts. They are easy to use and clean but they require the use of a burner and should be watch to prevent boil over as well as overcooking. That is where this handy steamer comes in. I had a manual-timer version of this for many years. I bought this new model for a friend and was so envious of her steamer that I gave my old one away and bought one of these for myself. I been using the Oster 5712 for over a year now and here are few things that I like about it: * The electric timer is much better than the manual dial. It is more accurate and after the set time has been reached the steamer goes into a 1 hour Keep-Warm Mode * By using the removable heating element sleeve the unit produces steam in 30 seconds or so * The stackable trays are very handy and allow the user to cook more than one food at a time * The external filling-spout is great when using long cooking-times so that you can keep the steamer without removing the trays * Being a stand-alone unit frees up a burner as opposed to using a pot with a steamer insert Here are a few things that I am ambivalent about: * The Delay Cooking feature, I don't use it but I'm sure some people would like it * The Rice Tray - I use a separate rice cooker as steaming rice takes a long time * The Egg Holders - There is nothing wrong with them, I just find a separate egg cooker to be more accurate and easier to use There really isn't anything that I don't like about this steamer. I use it for vegetables, seafood (especially shellfish) and for defrosting or warming up meat (if you have a left-over hamburger patties reheating them in the steamer will keep them from drying out). The instructions include cooking times for many popular foods. I am very happy with my Oster steamer.

I love this product however I was not conscious of the BPA issue at the time. This is the ONLY negative comment I have on this product and it is a pretty major one (deducted 2-stars for it). If you are BPA conscious, here are some details... 1. The drip tray and base use Plastic #5, a plastic considered to be safe for use with food. Unfortunately, the food does not come in contact with any part of this. 2. The cooking tiers and the lid are made of Plastic #7, the plastic considered to be HAZARDOUS and CARCINOGENIC. This is the container the food will be cooked in. You can confirm the type of plastic by finding the triangular recycle symbol on all plastic products. This triangle should contain a number which indicates the plastic's classification. If you web search different plastics, you will find information regarding plastic types and which are safe to use. Plastic #7 is the "catch-all" or the miscellaneous type and should be most avoided. BPA information states that when this plastic heats up, that is when it leaches into the food. If you are concerned about the water bottles sitting in your car warming up being unsafe, then you should DEFINITELY be concerned with this food steamer heating up the plastic to extremely HIGH temperatures. Now I have read that you can circumvent this simply by laying down some aluminum foil, wax paper, or BPA-free cellophane wrap. I bought this because I have made a change in eating more whole foods and I have imposed this life-style modification on my 11-year old son. This little device has broadened my menus while allowing us to eat healthier. Here are the PROS... 1. It is very EASY to use. 2. Clean up is SO EASY, also. Since it is already steaming in hot water, it really doesn't take much to wash it after use, even when cooking marinated meats. 3. There aren't a whole lot of pieces (hence the easy clean-up) but is also easy to store 4. There is a general guide on the front of the unit with cook times for various foods such as veggies, rice, poultry, etc. You can adjust the timer accordingly to this or your own preference. 5. BEWARE OF opening the lid while steaming. Use oven mitts or YOU WILL scald yourself. That being said, I do love this appliance. For me, it is a must to have. However, I am on the look out for a BPA-free product. In the meantime, I lay down wax paper or aluminum foil.