Steaming is one of the most common cooking methods for Asians, and if you’re familiar with Asian cuisine, you’ll probably know that. Besides, steaming food is quite simple and additionally very healthy as well.
This method of cooking meat, vegetables, and dumplings uses only one tablespoon of butter or oil, so it’s a simple process and especially great for the first-time cook. Moreover, bamboo steamers are easy to use and also inexpensive indeed.
What Is a Bamboo Steamer?
The bamboo steamer is environmentally friendly cookware. In it, you can cook various dishes – manti, vegetables, fish, rice, dim sums, dumplings and much more.
Review of the Best Bamboo Steamer
Because of the recent popularity of steaming food, there are many different types of bamboo steamers available in the market. So, to choose the most durable and user-friendly wooden steamer, let’s look a little closer at the following 10 best bamboo steamer reviews. We hope our review will assist you in finding out which bamboo steamer will meet your needs better.
Quick Answer – Top 10 Best Bamboo Steamer
| 1. Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen Bamboo Steamer |
| 2. BirdRock Home Bamboo Steamer |
| 3. Mister Kitchenware Handmade Bamboo Steamer |
| 4. Premium Handmade Bamboo Steamer |
| 5. Happy Sales HSST-BMB10 Bamboo Steamer |
| 6. Cooking Gift Set Chinese Soup Dumpling Kit |
| 7. HUANGYIFU Handmade Food Wooden Steamer |
| 8. Asian Organic Bamboo Steamer |
| 9. Helen’s Asian Kitchen 97008 Dim Sum Food Steamer |
| 10. New Large 12-inch Bamboo Steamer |
1. Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen Bamboo Steamer
Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen is a perfect choice for easily steaming meals, seafood, vegetable. It is a two-tiered sturdy bamboo steamer designed with long-lasting durability. The wooden steamer is attractive, lightweight, and made up with durability, versatility. Another fact of this bamboo steamer is that it is harvested from responsible and replenished sources.
It comes with a dimension of 10 x 10 x 7.5 inches, and it weighs very lightly, around 2 pounds. This Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen steamer accentuates the natural flavor and gravy of the food. Besides, this cylindrical bamboo basket steamer retains heat and absorbs condensation.
The steamer has a design that allows it to sit over another pot of boiling water, thus providing an open passageway for steam into the basket. It comes with a tight constructed lid that helps to keep the food warm for an hour.
This bamboo steamer comprises 100 percent natural bamboo. It is a well-crafted tool for steaming meat and vegetables. Again, it is less absorbent and also more comfortable to clean than the wood-making product. For this steamer, hand wash is best suited yet.
Key Features
| Durable bamboo made Replenished sources Heat resistible Lightweight and attractive Easy to clean |
2. BirdRock Home Bamboo Steamer
If you like traditional Asian food especially steamed food, BirdRock bamboo steamer will take care of your likings. Birdrock home bamboo steamer is such kitchen cookware that can easily prepare traditional Asian food without any hassle.
Steaming helps your food to retain its nutrition and vitamins and makes food taste better than before. This steamer includes two-tier. The two-tier allows you to cook the rice, vegetable, meat in a separate portion of the wooden steamer. Each tier constructs 10 inches Diameter x 2.4 inches Depth; Interior Diameter: 9.25 inches.
Moreover, this bamboo steamer is versatile that will let you use pots, pans, and wok that already exist in your kitchen. It is a great steamer for rice, chicken, vegetables, beef, dim sum, dumplings. Also great for avoiding olive oil fat, canola oils, or vegetable oils.
This BirdRock Home 10 Inch Bamboo steamer is built up with 100% natural bamboo, allowing you the natural cooking option. So it can be an optimal way for you to taste Asian traditional food.
Key Features
| 100% bamboo made steamer Avoid fat olive and vegetable oil 10 inches steamer 2-tier steamer Versatile use |
3. Mister Kitchenware Handmade Bamboo Steamer
Mister Kitchenware is a handmade bamboo steamer. It is considered a healthy cooker for Dim Sum Dumplings, Chicken Fish & Meat, Vegetables, Buns included chopsticks. This steamer stores vitamins and minerals while preserving the shape, color, texture, and flavor. Oil or fat can easily use while cooking. Furthermore, it is an affordable bamboo steamer with a warranty.
Steamed food always tastes better, and it is a gentler method of cooking than boiling, frying, and poaching. Mister Kitchenware wooden Steamer is 2 tier constructed steamer and build with stackable layers with a slatted bottom. Every tier offers 10 inches ×2.4 inches diameter and having an interior diameter of 9.25 inches. Also, it weighs very light, only 1.55 pounds.
Moreover, the steamer is multilevel so that it can steam multiple items simultaneously. This two-tier bamboo basket can reheat or cook more servings at once. It is featured with slatted bamboo that allows the steam to enter into the basket and move freely in the cooking chamber. The domed bamboo lids help to circulate the heat inside the basket.
This best bamboo steamer is not safe for dishwasher washing. You can use vinegar to disinfect the basket. The Mister Kitchenware 10 Inch Handmade Bamboo Steamer offers 60 days of baking time for hassle-free cooking. This steamer will overall worth your money.
Key Features
| 10 Inch Handmade Bamboo Steamer 60 days hassle-free cooking guarantee Multiple cooking chambers 2-tier bamboo basket Domed bamboo lid |
4. Premium Handmade Bamboo Steamer
Premium 10 Inch Handmade Bamboo Steamer is another Bamboo Steamer item best suited for preparing authentic Asian food. Especially when it comes to cooking for your family, it is a truly helpful wooden steamer that can steam all kinds of food like rice, chicken, vegetables, beef, dim dumplings. Also, this Bamboo Steamer is a perfect cooking appliance that you need for your variety of dishes.
It is a very light bamboo basket item with 2.72 pounds. The dimension of this item is 10.91 x 10.83 x 7.52 inches. This bamboo basket is 100% natural bamboo-made. Nowadays, this premium bamboo steamer cooker is rapidly growing and using as an alternative cooker. Its design and craftsmanship at the forefront provide delicious meals.
Furthermore, it is a two-tier bamboo steamer, a durable, excellent kitchen tool for a large variety of kitchen ideas. 1 sauce plate,2- chopsticks, and 20 wax liners are included in this wooden steamer. Moreover, a step guide is also included with it about how to cook Asian food for dinner.
The steamer is easy to clean and fit in almost all kinds of cooking pots you already have in your kitchen. The manufacturer correctly did all of Premium Bamboo Steamer’s design improvement and testing. In the United States. their USA customer service team holds stances to provide exceptional, lightning-quick responses to every concern.
Key Features
| Design improvement and tested 100% bamboo made steamer Suitable for authentic Asian food Includes 1- sauce plate and 2- chopsticks, Features 20 wax liners |
5. Happy Sales HSST-BMB10 Bamboo Steamer
The Happy Sales HSST-BMB10 is a 3- piece Bamboo Steamer (10 Inch) set. This wooden steamer is an efficient and affordable system that requires one burner and one pan. You can cook each dish in its individuals time, and as many racks you need, you can add. Every set contains 1- lid and 2-racks. You can buy individual racks and lids separately.
It comes with a dimension of 10 x 8 x 10 inches. It weighs very lightly, around 1 pound. Also, this Happy Sales Kitchen steamer accentuates the natural flavor and gravy of the food. Besides, this cylindrical bamboo basket steamer retains heat and absorbs condensation.
The steamer is designed to sit over another pot of boiling water and provide an open steam path in the pot. It is with a tight constructed lid, which keeps the food warm for an hour. It is very light, useful and overall good kitchen cookware for making healthy food.
Key Features
| 10 x 8 x 10 inches Dimension 10 inches bamboo steamer Lightweight Includes racks and lids Keeps food warm for an hour |
6. Cooking Gift Set Chinese Soup Dumpling Kit
Cooking Gift Set brings good news to dumplings lovers and food lovers. This 5 PC Chinese Soup Dumpling Kit is also an excellent gift for your skilled culinary father. So, start collecting your money and buy this best Chinese Soup Kit for the cooking lover. This steamer is a DIY kit that provides unique home activities for wives, husbands, and other foodies.
This gift kit will be best for making authentic Chinese food like dumplings. This gift set will also help you become a master dumpling maker and broaden your kitchen skills with a dough roller, a bamboo dumpling steamer, and a specialty stuffing wooden spatula. This product’s dimension is 8.2 x 8.2 x 7 inches, and the weight is 2.4 pounds.
The kit also offers Agar agar powder, a popular Chinese food ingredient that provides a natural vegetable like gelatin produced from red algae. Traditionally called Xiao long bao, these are tiny hot purses and make savory soup comforting and delicious.
The especially of this kit is that it delivers all tools that they need to make mouthwatering dumplings. This steamer is a beautiful gift kit that will not disappoint you while making mouthwatering dumplings at home.
Key Features
| Provides multiple tools to cook Includes Agar-agar powder Best suited for authentic Chinese food 2.4 Pounds weight Comes with a wooden stuffing spatula |
7. HUANGYIFU Handmade Food Wooden Steamer
Sometimes you have no time to cook delicious food. Lack of time or swamped with work prevent us from having a delicious meal. Therefore, Huangyifu Chinese launched a new 7-12-inch handmade food wooden steamer, a 3- tiers deep wooden basket for making dumplings and dim sum.
Moreover, the steamer is healthy for cooking fish and vegetables as it allows the preservation of flavors, minerals, vitamins, and colors of food. Make a combination of flavors and the food taste sensations like Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, Chinese and Vietnamese.
It is wood-made and materials from Cryptomeria Fortunei that will give you an authentic food feeling. Its deep basket size is big. The interior depth is 3.8-5cm/1.50-1.97inch, and the diameter size is 18CM/7.09 inch (including 3- tiers plus 1- lid).
Furthermore, veggies and fishes take 5 to 12 minutes only to cook by steaming in this steamer. Before starting cooking, add a little sum of seasoning that can besprinkle salt or a squeeze of lemon juice. You don’t need to add extra oil or fat.
With this authentic Chinese wood steamer, you can eat nutritious food by steaming fish, meat, and dumplings at your home. The steamer is a handmade wooden steamer that will serve you the fusion of flavors and texture. For good food, take care of your steamer.
Key Features
| Handmade wooden basket Fast and easy cooker Provides fusion of food flavors Big deep basket 3-tier steamer |
8. Asian Organic Bamboo Steamer
When you are about to work on your culinary skill, you can sharpen your Asian Organic Bamboo Steamer skill. Steaming is one of the rudimentary cooking methods in Chinese culinary tradition. Everything from dim sum starters to an elaborate variety of meat dishes relies on this traditional cooking technique.
There are many reasons to love a bamboo steamer especially to them who are cooking lover. Asian Organic wooden Steamer is affordable and useful kitchen cookware to sharpen your culinary skills.
This steamer brings the oriented food taste to your home. It allows the simplest way to cook authentic Asian and Chinese cuisine. Steaming is the best way of cooking food with exquisite texture and taste, for instance, fish and vegetables. This item’s dimension is 11.8 x 8.4 x 7.4 inches, and the item’s weight is 2.25 pounds. It has stackable 2- tiers that offer different food to steam simultaneously. It comprises durable eco-friendly bamboo and naturally absorbent bamboo. The Harcas bamboo steamer is a premium handmade bamboo steamer that is sturdy and durable.
This steamer is a gentler cooking tool than other simmering or poaching, boiling cookware. It sustains the vital nutrients of food, color, flavor, and shape. No oil is required for this healthy steamer. Besides, this wooden steamer is also easy to clean and store, as well.
Key Features
| Handmade bamboo steamer Sturdy and durable Retains shape, flavor, and color No oils required Suitable for Asian and Chinese cuisine |
9. Helen’s Asian Kitchen 97008 Dim Sum Food Steamer
If you are in search of a good bamboo steamer within a tight budget, you should go for Helen’s Asian Kitchen Food Steamer. It is a 100-percent naturally sustainable handmade wooden steamer that amalgamates bamboo lacing and pegs appropriately. Overall, it is a helpful steamer to cook delicate food.
Moreover, the steamer has two sets with a 4-inch lid. The bamboo basket steamer retains heat and absorbs condensation. The steamer is designed to sit over another pot of boiling water and provide an open steam path in the pot. It is with a tight constructed lid, which helps keep the food warm for an hour.
Moreover, it comes with a 4 x 4 x 6 inches dimension and weighs only 1 ounce. Its 2-small steamer measures roughly 4- by 4- by 3-1/2 inches each (with loop handle lids). Therefore, it is flexible to use and also effective to gain heat trap.
Do not delay your healthy steaming cooking planning with this inexpensive and better bamboo steamer, and start from today to have delicate meals which require not fat and oil. To make it more durable, follow hand wash rules and dry thoroughly.
Key Features
| 100% naturally sustainable bamboo Assembled with bamboo lacing and bamboo pegs Easy to wash by hand Diameter measures roughly 4- by 4- by 3-1/2 inches Constructed with a tight lid |
10. New Large 12-inch Bamboo Steamer
This best bamboo steamer is usually used for making Chinese-style dumplings. Moreover, it is a healthy bamboo steamer that preserves veggies, meat, and fish’ vital nutrition.
Furthermore, it features a Chinese design having two bamboo levels and a lid. Usually, it comprises bamboo and 100 percent natural bamboo-made steamer. Its domed lid traps the steam properly to reach the food and basket layers.
Also, the double-woven lid blocks condensation by trapping steam. Again, its high bottom also separates vegetables from the water. Thereby, you can also accommodate different foods in its 2-basket.
However, this steamer helps us to feel the fusion of varieties of food’s flavor. It is best suited is for Mexican tortillas, Chinese dim sum, vegetables, and seafood. Besides, it requires no oil, so it is best for low-diet food. Overall, it keeps Vegetables crunchy and also makes the meat extremely tandoor and flavorful indeed.
Key Features
| 100% natural bamboo made steamer Authentically Chinese handmade crafts 2- parts are woven stackable lid steam to resist condensation. The high bottom keeps vegetables from sitting in water Two deep bottom bamboo levels and lid |
How to Choose a good Bamboo Steamer – Buying Guide
Please read the following points carefully before purchasing a wooden steamer because learning about the best bamboo steamers is essential to make an informed purchase.
Materials
Food steam is one of the healthiest cooking methods. Therefore, the vessel you use for steaming significantly impacts your food’s taste. As a result of this, we recommend you use 100% natural bamboo steamer.
Size
Use a bamboo steamer that’s the appropriate size for your cooking requirements. In general, the majority of steamers measure 10 inches in diameter. If you cook for a crowd, you should consider getting a larger model. In the case of preparing food for one or two people, we also recommend compact choices.
Tiers
Most steamers have multiple tiers, usually two or three. In this kind of stacked design, it is possible to cook multiple foods simultaneously. Two-tier steamers are usually well-suited for cooks or couples. However, a steamer with three levels can often be perfect for families.
Durability
When durability is a concern, look for a steamer with metal bands. Using steamer with a wok or pan reduces the splitting effect’s chances and helps prevent burning. Use handle models with metal bands with care, as they can get very hot.
Liners
Parchment or wax paper is typical liners for some bamboo steamers. Use the liners to prevent food odors from moving and secure each steamer basket’s bottom.
Cleaning
You can either clean bamboo steamers in the dishwasher or not. To prolong the life of your steamer, however, only hand washing is recommended. Before storing the steamer, make sure it is fully dry to prevent mold and discoloration.
Additional Accessories
Additional accessories for some bamboo steamers include things like chopsticks, paddles, recipe books, and more. A standard accessory for steamers is a steamer ring, which works with both a bamboo steamer and a Dutch oven or stockpot.
Why Do Modern Homemakers Need to Buy a Bamboo Steamer?
More and more modern people prefer a healthy diet. It has led to the popularity of steamed dishes. Compliance with the technology guarantees the optimal combination of taste and nutritional characteristics. To save the maximum amount of nutrients, buy a bamboo steamer. In it, you can cook not only vegetables, rice and other products but also heat dishes.
Working resource
At first glance, the material from which the bamboo steamer is made does not look very durable. Nevertheless, it successfully fulfils its functions for 3-4 years. But only if the device is used correctly. The main risk is the occasional use of a double boiler. If the hostess takes it out once every few months, the tree will dry out and crumble.
The best option is to cook in a double boiler several times a month. With this approach, the bamboo will not dry out. On the contrary, over time, the surface of the device will become more durable.
Features of care
You should not use traditional detergents to clean the bamboo steamer. You can only wash the steamer with water. Practice shows that the most problems arise with the preparation of fish. If the juice released during the process gets on the surface of the device, then it will “smell” like fish. It’s easy to avoid this.
It is enough to put the carcass in a deep plate so that its edges protrude beyond the double boiler. Above, it would be best if you tightly covered the dish with a lid (which can be used from a saucepan). Pick up a container whose diameter is larger than that of a double boiler. The plate will be on a kind of pedestal, which will provide optimal conditions for cooking. After 10-15 minutes (time depends on the size of the fish), it will be ready.
Cooking secrets
It would be best if you start by finding a suitable container in which you can put a double boiler. For this purpose, a pan is convenient, the diameter of which matches the device. You can use a wok. And anyone will do. There is no need to look for a suitable diameter. If this parameter is much larger, then little water is poured at the beginning of cooking, and the liquid is added as the food is cooked.
In Thailand, the birthplace of the bamboo steamer, the bottom is covered with banana leaves. Some housewives use cabbage as an analogue. But we must remember that the vegetable has a specific aroma that impregnates ready-made dishes. The best option would be ordinary parchment, from which it is necessary to cut a circle of the appropriate diameter and make several holes.
In the next stage, you need to place products in the device, put them in the selected container and cover them with a lid. Next, turn on the gas under the pan. Cooking takes a different amount of time. It all depends on the products used.
Healthy eating
Healthy eating is on the rise! We finally began to pay attention to what we ate and realized that beauty and health are achieved not only through going to beauty salons but also through proper nutrition. As a result, almost every family tries to include steamed dishes in their diet.
And to make food very useful, bamboo steamers are purchased for these purposes – they allow you to cook fish, vegetables, rice and dumplings in the safest way for health.
However, not everyone knows how to use this ancient invention of mankind, which appeared when no one dreamed about electricity and microwave ovens. We hope our simple step-by-step instructions will help you master the simple art of steaming with bamboo steamers.
How Long Does a Bamboo Steamer Last?
Despite the apparent fragility of the material, a bamboo steamer can last a very long time. With proper care, even the simplest double boiler will serve you faithfully and right for three to four years. The main danger that awaits is too rare to use.
If you take out your bamboo steamer once every six months, it will most likely dry out and fall apart quickly. But if you use it at least once or twice a month, the drying of bamboo does not threaten. On the contrary, over time, the steamer will become stronger. Only the rims can wear out a little.
How to Wash and Care for Your Bamboo Steamer
You should not wash bamboo steamers with detergents. Water and only water! But what if you cooked fish in a double boiler, and the fish juice and aroma soaked the entire surface of the bamboo? The fact is that there are secrets to cooking fish in a bamboo steamer, which we will discuss below. This technology of cooking fish in a double boiler allows the juice not to fall on the surface of the bamboo.
To cook fish and fish juice without pouring bamboo material, you can put the fish on a plate that is smaller in diameter than a steamer. Another secret to the longevity of a bamboo steamer is that to keep the bamboo from drying out, use the steamer at least 2-3 times a month, so the bamboo only becomes stronger. For a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition, a bamboo steamer is a perfect purchase for your kitchen!
How to Cook in a Bamboo Steamer – Where to Begin?
First, find a container that you will put under the steamer. It can be a pan that is the same diameter as a double boiler or slightly smaller than it.
- Wok: Any wok will do. You do not need to choose it by diameter. It’s just that if the diameter of the bottom of the wok is significantly larger than the diameter of the double boiler bottom, you have to pour quite a bit of water into it and then constantly add water as the dish cooks.
- Draw water into a container.
- Now we need something to cover the bottom of the double boiler. In the original, it would be nice to use banana leaves. But, we recommend you not use the closest “analogues” – cabbage leaves, as they have their powerful aroma. And if you don’t want all your meals to smell like cabbage, don’t use cabbage leaves as bedding in your steamer. It is better to take plain parchment paper, cut a circle in the shape of a double boiler and cut a few small holes.
- Put in the steamer what you are going to cook. For example, vegetables.
- Put the vegetables in the steamer
- Put the steamer on the pan, and close the lid. Put the saucepan on the stove. Boil in a water bath for as long as it takes to cook the product.
How Long Does It Take to Cook in a Bamboo Steamer?
As you know, each product requires a different time for complete heat treatment. If you are into Pan-Asian cuisine, you must understand that this time is not long, contrary to popular belief. For example, to cook small pieces of chicken, 6 minutes is enough. The cooking time of vegetables is even less – 3-5 minutes. Slices of beef will cook for 7-8 minutes. Fish and seafood – in 5 minutes. Therefore, you do not need to cook in a double boiler for long.
The actual cooking time directly depends on the size of the slice: the larger it is, the longer the dish will cook. A whole fish will take 20 minutes, and the meat will be ready in 40-60. Steaming Dim Sum takes just 5-7 minutes. And excellent, fluffy steamed rice, you get in 10 minutes.
Choose a pot of suitable diameter, and pour water into it. Lay a sheet of parchment. It comes with a double boiler on the bottom of the double boiler. Holes are used to be on the sheet. Lay out your products on paper. Place the steamer on the pan and cover with a lid. Remember! to preserve vitamins and trace elements in food, do not cook them for a long time.
How to Cook Fish in a Bamboo Steamer
Vegetables, rice, and dumplings are foods that do not release a lot of juice and should not be cooked in their juice. But the fish – should and can. Steamed fish is often cooked using some delicious marinade: the spices and aromatic herbs complement the fish’s amazing taste, and the secreted juice makes the fish softer and more tender.
But here’s the catch: if you put fish in a double boiler on parchment paper with holes, all the fragrant juice will drain down, saturating the double boiler with fishy smells along the way and making it unsuitable for further use with something other than fish. What to do?
There is a solution and a simple one. When cooking fish in a bamboo steamer, use a regular plate. Place the plate on top of the steamer so that its edges protrude beyond the edges of the steamer. Then place the steamer in the wok or on top of the pot. And close the top tightly with a lid. This lid is not from a double boiler but a pot or wok.
To do this, it will be more convenient if the double boiler is smaller than the pan or wok. Then she will stand on the bottom of the container with water, creating a small “pedestal” for a plate of fish. And it will locate a plate of fish approximately at the outer edge of the pan or wok.
Only in this case will you be able to close the plate with the fish with a lid tightly. Further – everything is simple. Steam the fish for 10-15 minutes, depending on its size, then remove it from the plate with a spatula.
How to Cook on a Veggies Bamboo Steamer
Everything is simple here. You can place steamer levels on the other if they match in diameter. Use parchment as a backing. Set the steamer levels so that the foods that require the longest cooking time (meat, dumplings) are at the bottom, and those that need the least cooking (vegetables) are at the top. So, cook on a bamboo steamer and eat right! There is nothing complicated in this!
Final Verdict
Overall, steaming food is much healthier than deep frying. Therefore, the usefulness of using a steamer is admiring across the world. The best bamboo steamer retains the food nutrients very well. Besides, the preparation of complete meals is also becoming quick and easy with the steamers. So, if you need a steamer, you can give it a try to any steamer from our best bamboo steamer list.