Best Food Steamers in India: 2021 Reviews & Buying Guide

Food steamers are very easy to use and can be very helpful in cooking the food quickly.

Steaming locks the moisture from the food within to retain all the necessary nutrients. This way, the color and the structure of the food are preserved while you are cooking.

You can cook a variety of dishes in a food steamer starting from green vegetables, meat, seafood, and so on. The best part about them is you can cook anything without losing its original flavor and moisture.

Check the factors mentioned below before buying a food steamer for your kitchen.

Type:

There are two types of steamers available in the market: Electric and Stovetop.

When compared, electric steamers are considered as the best options as they can cook food really fast. They also offer many options like timer, keep warm option, etc.

Capacity:

The capacity of food steamers ranges between 2 liters to 10 liters. You can select the capacity depending on the number of members in your family.

If you stay alone, you can simply buy a tiny stovetop steamer or a small electric steamer. If there are 4 or more members in your family, you can buy a large and multi-tiered steamer.

Wattage:

The power of most electric steamers is about 500-800 watt. If you are using the steamer for household purposes, this power should be sufficient.

Number of tiers:

Steamers come with multiple baskets so that you can keep food items separately. You can also remove these baskets of foods at different times, depending on the amount of time it requires to get cooked properly. You can select the number of tiers as per your requirements.

Some other factors that you should also check for before buying a food steamer are a timer, steaming process, etc. You can learn more about them in the buying guide below.

To help you buy the best food steamer for your kitchen, we have shortlisted some of the best options available in the market. Let’s have a look!

7 Best Food Steamers

Reviews of Best Food Steamers in India

1. Panasonic SR-WA18H Food Steamer

Panasonic brand makes products that would contribute to better living, just like its extremely durable food steamer cum rice cooker.

The steaming basket is made of polycarbonate, a material known to be lightweight, flame resistant, and shatterproof. 

Benefits:

• The rice cooking pan is made of anodized aluminium which makes it corrosion resistant.
• This Panasonic SR-WA 18H can keep your food warm upto 5 hours.

It is a 4.4-litre compact food steamer that does not take up too much space, and hence can be kept anywhere. 

In addition to the pan, the food steamer also has 2 baskets and a cooking plate for cooking food and vegetables separately. 

Panasonic cooker is integrated with thermostat that allows you to regulate the temperature as per requirement. 

Pros:

• The upper containers are transparent allowing you to check if the food is cooked or not
• Comes with 5 years of solid warranty
• Also provides a cooking plate to 

Cons:

• May take a bit longer to cook bulk items

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2. Amazon Brand – Solimo Stainless Steel Induction Bottom Steamer

Solimo is Amazon’s private label that provides high-quality home, kitchen and personal care products at affordable prices. Since its launch, the brand has been pleasing the masses across the country.

In its kitchen products, this steamer is best for everyday use as it is entirely made of food-grade stainless steel. So, it is easy to wash and is also durable.

This appliance comes as two parts. While one is a casserole, the other is a steamer. So, you can boil veggies in the casserole and make momos, khandvi, modak, chicken or meat in the steamer. 

Both of them combinedly come with a capacity of 4 litres, allowing you to prepare delicious recipes for 4 to 5 people at once. 

You also get a sturdy glass lid helping you monitor the steaming process. Also, the glass material has good heat retention properties to keep the food hot for 3 hours.

Benefits:

• The casserole has a heavy gauge steel bottom. So, you can use it alone on the stovetop or induction top to make curries, dal or any other dish. 
• The entire unit except the lid is dishwasher-safe. So, it is easy to maintain.

Warranty: N/A

Weight: 1.46 kgs

Pros:

• Takes just 10 minutes to steam vegetables.
• Sturdy steel handles help you lift the containers with ease.
• Dishwasher-safe and easy to maintain.
• Lightweight.
• Has a long lasting shine.
• Rustproof.
• Compatible with induction cooktops.

Cons:

• No warranty from the brand.

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3. Russell Hobbs England 800-Watts Food Steamer

Russel Hobbs England food steamer is equipped with boil-dry protection, that gives the steamer a longer life. 

Also, it is a unique feature that switches off the appliance automatically when there is no water in the reservoir, and also when water runs out during use.

Benefits:

• Comes with an egg holder for boiling eggs separately.
• Just like Black & Decker even this one has a 60mins timer that provides worry-free cooking experience.
• The steamer has a drip tray that collects waste water, making it easy for you to clean the appliance.

Russel Hobbs England is a 9-litre food steamer with 3 tier steam baskets, that allows you to cook large meals. 

Also, the turbo steam ring design of the steamer creates a plume of steam in less than 40 seconds, that cooks food faster and requires less energy. 

Warranty: 1-year warranty against manufacturing defects

Weight: 2kgs

Wattage: 800watts

Pros:

• Stackable baskets that retain flavour, salt and other necessary vitamins, offering healthy digestible food.
• One year warranty confirms the durability of the product.

Cons:

• May take a lot of time to cook hard grains like pulses.

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4. Vinayak Stainless Steel 2 Tier Steamer Set

Vinayak International is a local brand that sells a wide range of kitchenware, cutlery, tableware and steamers. All its products are carefully made by professionals and the brand promises best value for money.

While the Solimo’s steamer has a 4-litre capacity, this one comes with 4.5 litres. So, it can cater to the needs of big families of 5 to 6 members.

This steamer set comes as a set of two containers; casserole and a steamer, both made of food-grade stainless steel. You also get a glass lid with a vent to release the steam once the process is done. This lid also allows you to monitor the process of cooking.

You can use this steamer for multiple purposes. When you use the casserole alone, you can deep-fry, saute, boil, or cook any dish you want. When you use it with a steamer, you can prepare fluffy momos, pasta, noodles, and steam the meat or chicken. 

Benefits:

• The strong steel pipe handles provide good grip to handle the containers with ease.
• The heavy gauge bottom makes it compatible with gas stoves and induction tops.

Warranty: N/A

Weight: 1 kg

Pros:

• Tempered glass lid resists breaks and scratches.
• Dishwasher-safe containers.
• 201-grade stainless steel material makes the set last long.
• Affordable.
• Freezer-safe.

Cons:

• No warranty from the brand.

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5. Steemo Multi Steam Cooker With Non Stop Soup Cum Sprout Maker

Steemo is a unique food steamer that comes with a non-stop soup cum sprout maker and a 30 seconds turbo steam generator. 

The turbo steam generator makes the food steamer more time-efficient, and also helps in saving a lot of energy. 

Benefits:

• Steemo just like other products in our list has a 60minute timer that allows you to carry on with other work while cooking.
• The steamer only consumes one unit of electricity in approximately one and a half hours.
• The steamer also has safety vents on the upper cover to release air pressure and avoid blowing up risks.

Steemo food steamer is a complete food making package that includes – 2 steaming baskets, and a lid and soup cum sprout maker, an egg tray, and a 4×4 idli tray. 

Pressure die casting process is used to manufacture this food steamer. It is quick and reliable way to metal compress the air within the steamer. The metal used is aluminium.

Warranty: Comes with a 1 year extended warranty against manufacturing defects

Weight: 3.7kgs

Wattage: 600watts

 Pros:

• Power indicator light lets you know when the unit is on
• Cleaning up the appliance is easy

Cons:

• Price a bit on the higher side

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6. Pristine Tri Ply Induction base Stainless Steel 3 Tier Multi Purpose Steamer

Pristine is an affordable food steamer made of stainless steel. You can use it for both gas as well as induction steaming.

The food steamer is manufactured with heavy-duty gauge steel, that gives it a long life. 

Benefits:

• It is a multi-purpose steamer that comes with a glass lid allowing you to check the food when cooking.
• The baskets are closely stacked, that does not allow steam leakage, thus cooking food faster.
• The glass lid also has a steam release to avoid blow-up accidents.

Pristine is a 3 tier food steamer that helps you to cook and steam items separately. You can also use the steamer as a pot to boil soups and broth.

Because of its attractive look, you can also use the steamer as a serving utensil.

Pros:

• Ideal for making momos, boiling pasta, steaming vegetables and more
• Lustrous appearance 

Cons:

• Cannot cook heavy meals in it

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7. Vinod Cookware 2 Tier Steamer

The first thing that you will notice in this Vinod Cookware food steamer is its smooth mirror finish. A feature which makes it ideal to be used for cooking and serving.

Just like Pristine, even Vinod Cookware is made of solid gauge steel that gives the product a longer life. 

Benefits:

• The covering lid is made of tempered glass, to help avoid scratches.
• The lid also has a steam release option to release extra pressure
• You can also use it for boiling items like soups, etc.

Vinod Cookware is an equal-size 2 tier basket steamer with a 20cm wide pot and a 20cm wide steamer, that allows you to cook two different items at a time. 

The handles are made of hollow stainless steel, which keeps them cool for long, allowing you to lift the appliance easily from the burner.

Warranty: 2-years warranty against manufacturing defects

Pros:

• Easy to clean
• Can be used for boiling and steaming food

Cons:

• Not ideal for heavy cooking

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Conclusion

While leading a fast and stressful life, what keeps you stable is your health, and hence you need to take special care to stay fit and healthy.

Buying a food steamer would be the first and best step to health, as steamers retain the food’s nutrients, and you need no oil to cook food in a steamer.

While buying a food steamer the first thing to consider would be what type you wish to buy.

There are various types of steamers in the market, but we would recommend electric food steamers are they are fast and provide number of options for fast and easy cooking.

From our list of food steamers, we found Panasonic SR-WA18H (SS) Food Steamer is the best, and the major reason for that – it comes with 5years warranty.

If you have used any of the food steamers listed here, then do share your thoughts. 

Also if you wish to add any other specific information then please do that and help other buyers too.

Stay fit, eat healthy!