The Best Steamers (for More Than Just Veggies)

Steaming food is one of the most underrated methods of cooking. Sure, when you’re at a restaurant, ordering a steamed veggie dish might sound boring to you (though you’d often be wrong), but in home cooking, it’s one of the most dependable ways to prepare veggies, protein, dumplings, and much more. Steaming is not only a super fast way to cook food, but it’s a great way to ensure you’re getting its maximum health benefits—by not caramelizing your food in a super hot pan, drenching it with oil, or submerging it in boiling water, you’re keeping all its wonderful fiber and nutrients within. The best part of steaming, though, is that it’s extremely easy and inexpensive to do, especially if you have a great steaming basket, pan, or machine. 

I personally steam food multiple times a week for lunch—it’s just such an economical way to cook. So throw on Miles Davis’ classic first great quintet masterpiece Steamin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet (RIP—you’d have loved bamboo steamers) and peruse our list of the best food steamers. 

I use this KitchenAid bad boy constantly. It’s got an extendable handle—so you can easily pick it up without getting burned—and its foldable legs mean it’ll sit above the water, but can also become compact for storage. On that note, it’s very easy to clean and store. A truly perfect kitchen appliance.

It’s pretty well known at this point that we love the Always Pan. Now in its 2.0 iteration, this amazing device can braise, sauté, roast, sear, fry, boil, bake, do your taxes, give you GTA cheat codes, and mow your lawn. (OK, maybe not the last three.) It also comes with a steaming basket and couldn’t make steaming up some food any easier.

Bella’s electric steamer is a fan favorite—it’s got over 11,000 reviews on Amazon with an average of 4.6 stars. This two-tier steamer is huge (7.4 quarts) and extremely easy to use.

This Hamilton Beach steamer is a banger in homes across the country (at the very least, I’ve seen it all over the place). Two tiers, 5.5 quarts, a few buttons. “Overall, this is the best small appliance I’ve purchased in a very long time,” one Amazon reviewer said.

Bamboo streamers are extremely good options—I have one that I use regularly. This two-tier offering comes with liners so you can go right ahead with your broccoli, fish, or dumplings. Bamboo steamers are great because the flat bottom allows everything to get cooked evenly. It doesn’t get more analog than this.

Trying to steam a lot of stuff but also maybe cook some pasta or chili? This dual purpose Dutch oven/steaming pot is the big bopper you’re looking for. It’s got over 17,000 reviews on Amazon with a 4.5 star average.

[American Psycho voice] You like Miles Davis’ first great quintet? Their early work was a little too bebop for me, but when Steamin’ came out in ‘61, I think they really came into their own.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.