Review of Tefal Vitacuisine steamer

GH Institute

Steamers

Features

Not tiered, 2 or 3 cooking areas. Timer, rice bowl, drip tray, water gauge. Auto switch-off at end of cooking time, auto switch-off if water runs outs, non-slip feet. H32cm x W43cm x D22.5cm

Comments

Good points: Reversible cooking plate allows you to cook meat and fish in a sauce or to drain fat and juices off. The two baskets in the bottom can be removed to give one large steaming area. The Vitamin+ touchpad reduces cooking time by increasing the quantity of steam, you press it after you have opened the lid to check the food, to get the level of steam back up. It can fit a large 900ml pudding bowl, comes with lots of recipes and is simple to use.

Drawbacks: Louder than the other steamers, it sounds like a kettle boiling. It is bulky to store and not dishwasher safe. Water gauge on the outside doesn't have a minimum marking.

Rating: 82/100

Price: £69.99

Stockist: 0845 602 1454 - http://www.tefal.co.uk

GHI Test Report - January 2009

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Other products in Steamers

Review of Tefal Vitacuisine steamer

Features
Not tiered, 2 or 3 cooking areas. Timer, rice bowl, drip tray, water gauge. Auto switch-off at end of cooking time, auto switch-off if water runs outs, non-slip feet. H32cm x W43cm x D22.5cm
Comments
Good points: Reversible cooking plate allows you to cook meat and fish in a sauce or to drain fat and juices off. The two baskets in the bottom can be removed to give one large steaming area. The Vitamin+ touchpad reduces cooking time by increasing the quantity of steam, you press it after you have opened the lid to check the food, to get the level of steam back up. It can fit a large 900ml pudding bowl, comes with lots of recipes and is simple to use.
Drawbacks: Louder than the other steamers, it sounds like a kettle boiling. It is bulky to store and not dishwasher safe. Water gauge on the outside doesn't have a minimum marking.

Rating: 82/100

Price: £69.99

Stockist: 0845 602 1454 - http://www.tefal.co.uk

GHI Test Report - January 2009
Review of Breville Compact steamer

Features
3 tiers. Timer, rice bowl, drip tray, water gauge, flex storage, non slip feet. Keep warm function at end of cooking time. If water runs out the heating element cycles on and off. H51cm x W33cm x D20cm
Comments
GH GOOD DEAL. Good points: Simple to use, large baskets have a good capacity. The baskets pack down into each other, making it compact to store. The bottom of each basket can be removed, to allow space for a large 900ml pudding bowl. There is an area to place herbs, to infuse the flavour into whatever you are cooking.
Drawbacks: Not dishwasher safe. Water gauge can be difficult to read.

Rating: 82/100

Price: £29.99

Stockist: 0800 525 089 - http://www.breville.co.uk

GHI Test Report - January 2009
Review of Morphy Richards Intellisteam steamer

Features
Not tiered, 2 or 3 cooking areas. Timer, rice bowl, food plinth, 2 sauce trays, drip tray, water gauge, flex storage, non-slip feet. Keep warm function at end of cooking time. Boil dry alarm. H24.5cm x W35cm x D31cm
Comments
Good points: This steamer has 3 sections that can each be programmed to start steaming at different times so that all the food is ready at once. It is easy to programme and the removable divider in the front tray means it can either be a 2 or 3 section steamer. Lots of good cooking charts. Produced the best rice of all the steamers. Can save cooking times for future use.
Drawbacks: It's bulky to store and can't fit a large 900ml pudding bowl

Rating: 81/100

Price: £99.99

Stockist: 0870 060 2614 - http://www.morphyrichards.co.uk

GHI Test Report - January 2009
Review of James Martin digital steamer

Features
3 tiers. Timer, rice bowl, drip tray, water gauge, flex storage, non slip feet. Keep warm function at end of cooking time. Delayed start timer. H40cm x W31.5cm x D23.5cm
Comments
Good points: The bottom of each basket can be removed, to allow space for a large 900ml pudding bowl. Dishwasher safe. The baskets pack down into each other, making it compact to store.
Drawbacks: If you try to top up the water through the side holes during cooking, some of it leaks out. The lid is very difficult to remove during cooking, it gets stuck when the steamer heats up, there is a risk of scalding yourself on the hot steam if you force the lid. Water gauge on the outside doesn't have a minimum marking

Rating: 78/100

Price: £34.99

Stockist: 01227 740 066 - http://www.wahl.co.uk

GHI Test Report - January 2009
Review of Cookworks Signature 3 bowl steamer

Features
3 tiers. Timer, rice bowl, drip tray, water gauge, flex storage, non-slip feet. Auto switch off at end of cooking time. H40cm x W31.5cm x D23cm
Comments
Good points: Dishwasher safe. The baskets pack down into each other, making it compact to store.
Drawbacks: The lid is very difficult to remove during cooking, it gets stuck when the steamer heats up, there is a risk of scalding yourself on the hot steam if you force the lid. Can't fit a large 900ml pudding bowl. No recipes included. All weights in the cooking charts are in lbs or cups, none are in kg/g.

Rating: 76/100

Price: £22.99

Stockist: 0845 640 3030 - http://www.argos.co.uk

GHI Test Report - January 2009
Review of Morphy Richards Food Fusion steamer

Features
3 tiers. Timer, rice bowl, drip tray, water gauge, flex storage, non-slip feet. Auto switch-off at end of cooking time. H41cm x W34cm x D21.5cm
Comments
Good points: Has a steam tube to equalise cooking in all tiers - for use when steaming a large quantity of food or foods needing the same cooking time. Dishwasher safe. The baskets pack down into each other, making it compact to store.
Drawbacks: Water level markings could be more accurate - shows slightly over maximum mark on external water gauge while showing slightly under maximum mark on inside gauge. Timer does not have minute markings - just 10min intervals, can't fit a large 900ml pudding bowl. On/off light not very clear.

Rating: 75/100

Price: £59.99

Stockist: 0870 060 2614 - http://www.morphyrichards.co.uk

GHI Test Report - January 2009
Review of Russell Hobbs digital steamer

Features
3 tiers. Timer, rice bowl, drip tray, water gauge, flex storage, non-slip feet. Keep warm function at end of cooking time, auto switch-off if water runs out. Delayed start timer. H40cm x W32cm x D33.5cm
Comments
Good points: The baskets pack down into each other, making it compact to store.
Drawbacks: Water level markings could be more accurate - shows slightly over maximum mark on external water gauge while showing slightly under maximum mark on inside gauge. The water gauge on the outside doesn't have a minimum marking. The lid is very difficult to remove during cooking, it gets stuck when the steamer heats up, there is a risk of scalding yourself on the hot steam if you force the lid. Can't fit a large 900ml pudding bowl. No recipes included. Not dishwasher safe. If you try to top up the water through the side holes during cooking, some of it leaks out.

Rating: 70/100

Price: £39.99

Stockist: 0845 658 9700 - http://www.russellhobbs.co.uk

GHI Test Report - January 2009