Steam your way to sweet and savory success with these bamboo steamers

Best
bamboo steamers
TechnoBuffalo
2023

Best overall: Mister Kitchenware 10 Inch 2-Tier Handmade Bamboo Steamer

Whether you’re new to steaming or a seasoned pro, this affordable bamboo steamer by Mister Kitchenware is universally loved by cooks. Right out of the box, the buyer is provided with everything they’ll need for a first foray into steaming. Its baskets are average depth and diameter, but the domed lid on the top tier is incredibly useful. It helps to create distance between the contents of the basket and discourages the inevitable condensation from flooding your food.

The included chopsticks and sauce dish are a nice touch as well. Its capacity is best for serving 2-3 people. Using liners and cleaning your steamer correctly is vital in proper maintenance over time. Most steamer liners consist of parchment or waxed paper, which are discarded, but this steamer comes with reusable and washable mesh liners, a rare find.

Some steamers require additional accessories, such as metal ring adapters, to properly perch themselves above a source of boiling water. Not this one; it has standard sizing and should fit fine over a pot with a 9-inch diameter opening. If you do opt for a ring adapter, pick one that is wider than your pot or pan but make sure it’s narrower than the steamer on the inside.

Living a carbon-neutral or trash-free life is important to many people. Also essential is ensuring your food is free of any added chemicals after you prepare it. This bamboo steamer basket from Zoie + Chloe is just the ticket; it seems to be one of the only steamers that provide reusable and washable cotton liners. As mentioned previously, waxed paper liners are the standard, but they tend to disintegrate or melt onto the wood. These cotton ones can be washed with the rest of your laundry and used nearly indefinitely.

This steamer is traditionally built, with only bamboo used in its construction; no metal or wires are present. It’s only 1.5 inches deep, nearly an inch less than comparable steamers. Since it is so shallow, I recommend sticking to low-profile foods, such as cut veggies, gyoza, and shumai, that won’t stick to the lid or the tier above it.

When using a steamer, you generally don’t need to worry about burning your food. It’s a gentle cooking method. But what about singeing the steamer itself? It’s incredibly common, especially if there’s a short distance between your steamer and heating element of choice. While bamboo steamers are typically resilient and can be used for years with proper care, the wood itself is still prone to degradation and scorching over time.

This two-tier bamboo steamer from VonShef is reinforced with stainless steel bands, and a bottom ring prevents the wood from being burned. Steamers are commonly used in woks, and this one would be perfect for that. The bands add long-term durability and maintain the steamer’s shape. The metal banding heats up, so use potholders or a towel to handle this steamer. Waxed basket liners might stick to your food or the steamer as well since it holds more heat due to the steel bands.

In recent years, meal prepping has gotten more popular, and new recipes are continually being developed to make cooking in bulk simpler. However, what isn’t usually addressed is optimizing your cooking methods to help expedite your prep time. Most recipes end up sauteed or roasted, but steaming should be considered too, especially if you meal-prep for health reasons.

This foot-wide, two-tier bamboo steamer from Helen’s Asian Kitchen makes prep day easy. It has ample capacity to cook and assemble an entire week’s worth of veggies, grains, and proteins for one person. Vegetables stay crisp when appropriately steamed, and won’t get too mushy when reheated later in the week. Steaming is a speedy cooking method as well, so you won’t feel chained to your kitchen and can get started with the rest of your day. However, steaming doesn’t tend to add any texture differences to your meals, so you may want to prepare certain ingredients differently for greater variety.

We all have that one friend—the foodie who’s tried it all and started experimenting at home with their favorite dishes. This Xiao Long Bao kit from Cooking Gift Set Co. might be the one specialty kit a foodie’s kitchen lacks, and it comes with every accouterment a dim sum devotee might wish for. These dumplings are unique, though. They’re filled with a hot, savory broth and encased in a pillowy dough, and are an ideal comfort food for cold temperatures. The bao dough recipe included with the kit is surprisingly adaptable; simply skip the sugar and yeast to make potsticker wrappers.

The 100% bamboo steamer in this kit is relatively petite, at 8.25 inches in diameter, but it fits 6-8 dumplings comfortably on each tier. Recipients of this gift will also appreciate the attention paid to traditional tools. The double-ended roller is especially helpful to get the dough circles as thin as possible, and the specially-sized spatula helps to tuck in precise amounts of filling. A quick note: refined flours (i.e bread flour) are best; otherwise, the dough will be too claggy and tough when fully cooked.

.I love to cook, and it’s a beautiful way to show people you care about them or introduce them to new dishes they’ll appreciate. Fortunately, feeding an army of friends and family is simple with XMYZ’s three-tiered, foot-wide Japanese cedar steamer. I chose to highlight the largest of their offered sizes for just this reason; it’s an excellent investment.

Not all wooden steamers are made of bamboo, and using this one will waft the pleasant lemony scent of Cryptomeria japonica through your kitchen. Like with any steamer, the flavor and fragrance the wood impart to your food will be more assertive at first and decrease over time. Conveniently, XMYZ offers this steamer in just about any size or configuration that cooks could wish for and they offer the broadest range of options thus far. Providing a personal steamer each guest can fill, about 7-inch diameter is likely best, could be a fun way for them to DIY their dinner.

Bottom line

Steamed food isn’t anywhere near as bland and joyless as it’s perceived to be, but it’s especially helpful to remember that it’s not just for cooking dim sum spreads or other pan-Asian foods — get creative! Season the cooking liquid however you’d like, and it will impart additional flavor to dishes while they steam. Dipping sauces, such as chili oil, are indispensable to add a burst of bold flavor. Mexican tamales, English sticky toffee pudding, and littleneck clams are traditionally steamed as well.

Ultimately, the steamer that’s right for you will come down to the same factors each time: capacity, diameter, and construction. Remember to consider that woods other than bamboo may be used to construct your steamer, affecting your food’s flavor. Mister Kitchenware’s 10 Inch 2-Tier Handmade Bamboo Steamer meets all of the most important criteria. With its washable mesh liners, chopsticks, and sauce dish, you have everything you need to test your new steamer for the first time. If you’re really concerned about the bottom tier scorching over time, then adding an adapter ring to elevate your steamer should alleviate your worries. Harness the power of water vapor, and steam with confidence!

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Lili Angrisano is a Freelance Contributor for TechnoBuffalo. You’ll find her designing her next cosplay, conquering her 700+ book (and counting!) Kindle library, or tending her apartment garden in her spare time.

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Get a great dollop with these sweet scoops

You might not think an ice cream scoop is necessary, and that using flatware is an acceptable choice. But your hand and wrist will thank you if you add this tool to your kitchen accessories. These efficient devices are durable and aren’t subject to bending like inferior spoons. They even give ice cream it’s desired round shape for simple stacking. Who doesn’t want that?