Oster 5711 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer, White

We like veggies at our house. We usually have some sort of vegetable at every meal, but cooking them was a bit hit and miss. I don't like boiled carrots because they get soggy, and the broccoli would get overcooked easily.I bought this steamer on the recommendation of my daughter. It is fabulous. I put in the veggies -- broccoli, cabbage, carrots, Brussels sprouts, whatever, and set the timer. When dinner is done, so are my perfectly steamed vegetables. I can cook more than one type of vegetable at a time by just arranging them in the steamer. It is easy, and I don't have any more soggy vegetables. I haven't tried it for fish yet, but my my daughter says it works great for that, too. There is a bit of a learning curve on the timer since not everyone wants vegetables cooked to the same degree of doneness. The chart that comes with the steamer is a good place to start, and we have learned to set it for a minute or two less since we like them a bit crisp. I can hardly wait for my asparagus and snap peas in the spring. Food cooks evenly if the pieces are about the same size. For Brussels sprouts, I cut large ones in half and cook small ones whole.It cleans in a breeze. I just rinse it out under warm running water, and once a week put it through the dishwasher (top shelf) for the parts that are in contact with the food. It started out living in my pantry but has now graduated to the counter next to the toaster oven and coffee pot. I literally use it every day.I chose the mechanical timer rather than the electronic timer and it works great. It is pretty precise and accurate. I love this thing. It is the best small appliance I've bought in years.

How did I even cook before I owned this miracle device? This thing is a game-changer!! It is super easy to use, steams a ton of food at once, and is easy to clean up. I do meal prepping (cooking all your food on one day a week) and this thing is a lifesaver. I realize steam cooking, regardless of what tool you use, is based on the same concept (hot steam cooks your food), but for whatever reason, the design of this appliance cooks the food so much more evenly than a stovetop basket steamer. I've cooked about every kind of vegetable in it and everything has been perfect. The cooking times are sometimes a little more or less than what is indicated in the manual, so there is some trial and error involved, but once you find the right time for the kind of food you are cooking, you will hit the jackpot. I also steam eggs in it -- they come out way better than hard boiling... easier to peel and more evenly cooked. I have cooked meat in it as well, although I found it hard to season the meat so I haven't used it many times for that purpose. If you can find room in your kitchen for this steamer, I highly recommend you purchase it. I use it every single week!

After a friend's recommendation, I bought one of the 5711's to cook small batches of tamales in. It worked GREAT for tamales. I filled the larger container, set it at the max 75 minutes and ding! Steamed and ready to eat! I've always worried about the amount of water to add to the big pots to insure a good constant steam that tamales need to cook, as a matter of fact, since the tamales couldn't be stacked so heavy like in a big pot, the masa fluffed better and bigger than I ever expected in the past.*For tamale making, the only con would be that it's a pain to reset for each batch, as in clearing out the drip tray and the reservoir to add fresh clear water, but it was well worth it.***CON: My only concern is that even before the first use, the heat element had a rough feel and appeared to be peeling, and when I cleaned the steamer I paid special attention to gently wipe the element without scrubbing, but the coating continued to flake and peel. I'm wondering if this is normal and if I continue to use this steamer if these flakes will end up in our food.

I originally bought one of these many years ago and wore it out I guess, and the heating element in the base finally konked out on me. I use mine a lot!...sometimes nightly. I use it for steaming frozen veggies (lima beans, broccoli, mixed veggies, green peas, whole kernal corn and corn on the cob). I've never tried eggs-in-the-shell or meats. I've steamed meats in a previous steamer but prefer my meats cooked other ways. After this one konked out on me, I liked it so much I bought another one! It's just as good, however, the cord was a few inches shorter on my newest one. It's borderline annoying that it almost sits underneath my cabinets. You don't want it sitting under your cabinet when steaming as the steam rises and you don't want it warping your wooden cabinets. So It's a borderline at that point. Since it's still in safe area, I won't bother fussing or trying to exchange for another one. It works fine and I'm happy. I still use it for the same foods. I put the corn-on-the-cob in the larger basket (the one they show on top) and the other veggies I steam them inside the small solid basket that sits in the lower basket. The foods I steam include such small particles/pieces, I don't want them going through the holes in the upper or lower baskets (hence why I use the solid bottomed one). All-in-all, this is a GREAT steamer. If it konks out again in the next few years, and they still sell these, and I can't find a better one, I will probably buy a third one. It's that good.

The digital model has a lot more options .. and most likely a timer bell you can actually hear when it turns off. The steam/water ends up collecting in the drip tray and a lot of it .. turning into the thing thatcooks instead of the actual steam produced.I ran into the digital model like a week after I got this, and knew it was a lot better .. and when needed an extra teir.Its great for cooking pototes, I cut mine in quarters .. cooks them in 25 minutes. Brown takes a LOT longer, only cook it on bottom teir where the main heat soure is.I'll aways wished I would of just waited, and got the digital, but this okay. I do wish it had a bottom to put in place so you could store leftovers etc in the frig.