Cooks Standard 02731 Food Steamer: Full Review

The Cooks Standard model 02731 is an 11-quart electric food steamer designed for healthy cooking. This countertop appliance is made by Cooks Standard, a company known for its quality stainless steel cookware.

The food steamer features a lift-off bowl and lid, allowing you to remove the contents easily once cooked. It can hold and steam a good amount of food, perfect for families or meal prepping. The 1100-watt steamer quickly brings water to a boil and maintains steaming temperatures up to 60 minutes.

Overall, this large capacity steamer aims to provide a convenient way to make healthy steamed meals at home. Its stainless steel design allows for cooking a variety of foods from vegetables to seafood, rice, eggs and more. Read on for an in-depth look at the features and performance of the Cooks Standard 11-quart food steamer.

Design and Build Quality

The Cooks Standard Food Steamer is made of durable 18/10 stainless steel with an aluminum encapsulated base. This ensures even heat distribution for effective steaming.

The stainless steel construction allows it to be sturdy and prevents rusting or corrosion over time. It has a nice brushed finish and feels solidly made.

The pan, steam tray, and lid are all stainless steel for longevity. The handles are made of stainless steel with silicone grips to prevent burning your hands.

There are no plastic parts that could warp or melt from the heat of steaming. The materials used seem designed to last through frequent use and washings.

Overall, the choice of stainless steel and aluminum makes this a high-quality steamer that looks nice and will hold up well over time. The build quality ensures it is made to last and provides great steaming power.

Ease of Use

The Cooks Standard Food Steamer is extremely easy to use thanks to its straightforward design and intuitive controls. Assembly is a breeze - the parts all fit together seamlessly and no tools are required. The water reservoir detaches from the base for fast and easy filling at the sink.

Operating the steamer is simple. Just add water, place food in the BPA-free steaming tray, set the timer, and you're ready to start steaming. The 60-minute timer includes auto shutoff for safety and convenience.

The large LED display and touchpad controls make selecting the timer effortless. Steam time can be set in precise one-minute increments up to 60 minutes. An audio alert sounds when steaming is finished.

Designed for hassle-free maintenance, the steaming tray, water reservoir, and drip tray are all removable and dishwasher safe. Clean-up takes just minutes.

Overall, the user-friendly design and totally intuitive operation of the Cooks Standard Food Steamer makes steaming all types of healthy meals an absolute breeze. Even beginners will have no trouble using this steamer right out of the box.

Steaming Performance

The Cooks Standard Food Steamer has excellent steaming performance for its price range. It features a 3-tier stackable design so you can cook multiple foods at once. The round tiers are approximately 9 inches in diameter and can hold a good amount of food.

Each steaming tray has holes to allow steam to circulate fully around the food for even cooking. The 11 quart capacity provides enough room to make meals for families or large gatherings.

There is an adjustable temperature dial that allows you to control the steaming temperature from 176°F to 212°F. At lower temperatures you can gently steam more delicate foods like fish and vegetables. Higher temperatures will ensure foods like meat and root vegetables are properly cooked through.

The 800 watt heating element provides powerful steam production consistently. The steam vents in the lid ensure good air flow and prevent too much moisture build up inside. Overall, the steaming power and capacity makes it easy to cook large batches efficiently.

Extra Features

The Cooks Standard steamer comes with several useful extra features that enhance the functionality.

• It has an adjustable 60 minute timer with auto shut off. This allows you to set the steaming time precisely and walk away without worrying about overcooking. The auto shut off ensures safety.

• There are variable temperature controls from Warm all the way up to High pressure. You can adjust the temp based on what you're cooking to get the best results. Delicate foods like fish can be cooked at lower temps.

• The steamer has an external water fill which makes it easy to see the water level and refill as needed. This means you don't have to remove food mid-cooking to add more water.

• It comes with two stackable BPA-free steaming pans and a rice bowl. This provides flexibility to cook large batches or separate foods. The pans have cool-touch handles for safe handling.

• There's a convenient drip tray under the pans that can be removed for quick cleaning. This catches any drips and keeps your countertop tidy.

• It has cool-touch sides so you can move the steamer safely even when it's operating at high temps.

Foods It Can Cook

The Cooks Standard steamer is very versatile and can cook a wide variety of foods. Here are some of the foods it handles particularly well:

• Vegetables - The steamer can easily cook vegetables like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, and more. The steaming process perfectly cooks vegetables while retaining nutrients and vibrant colors.

• Fish - Delicate fish fillets can be steamed to flaky perfection in the Cooks Standard steamer. The gentle steam heat evenly cooks fish without making it rubbery or dry. Salmon, cod, tilapia and more turn out moist and delicious.

• Meats - Lean meats like chicken and pork chops can be healthfully steamed in this cooker. The results are juicy, tender cuts of meat steamed to just the right doneness.

• Dumplings - Asian dumplings steam up light and pillowy in the stacked steaming trays. All the flavors get sealed into each little dumpling.

• Rice - This steamer has a handy rice bowl insert for steaming rice. Rice turns out light and fluffy every time.

• Eggs - Eggs can be steamed in the shell for easy to peel hard boiled eggs. The eggs cook gently and evenly for perfectly done hard boiled eggs.

• Seafood - The steamer is ideal for delicately cooking shrimp, lobster, clams, mussels and more. Seafood stays tender and juicy when steamed.

So whether you want to steam vegetables, fish, meats, grains or anything in between, the Cooks Standard steamer can handle the job excellently. Its versatile design makes it easy to cook almost any food with healthy steaming.

Cleaning

The Cooks Standard food steamer has dishwasher safe parts, making cleanup a breeze. The food trays, rice tray, and drip tray can all be placed in the dishwasher after use. The water tank should be hand washed.

Overall, this steamer is easy to clean by hand as well. Food particles don't get stuck in crevices thanks to the smooth, simple design. A quick scrub with a sponge removes any traces of food. The trays stack for compact storage, so they don't take up much room in your dishwasher.

The drip tray slips out easily from the front of the unit. Empty it after each use to prevent odor buildup.

One downside is the lid can be tricky to clean by hand due to its size and shape. It's easier to remove grease and condensation by placing it in the dishwasher.

With mostly dishwasher safe parts, straightforward manual cleaning, and compact storage, the Cooks Standard steamer makes cleanup fast and frustration-free. Just be prepared to put in a bit more elbow grease to clean the lid by hand.

Size and Storage

The Cooks Standard Food Steamer has dimensions of 15.5 x 11 x 9.5 inches. At 11 quarts capacity, it is a good size for steaming medium to large batches of food. However, the size may be too bulky for some kitchens with limited storage space.

The steamer features foldable legs and a lid that can be inverted over the base for more compact storage. The power cord can also be wrapped underneath which helps reduce the footprint. While not as compact as some smaller steamer models, the Cooks Standard steamer can easily be stored in a cabinet or pantry when not in use.

The stainless steel body feels sturdy yet remains lightweight enough to be brought out for use and then tucked away after cooking. Having foldable parts aids in storage and the stainless steel material makes this steamer durable enough to withstand regular use. Just be aware that the larger size takes up more real estate than other options.

Price and Value

The Cooks Standard Food Steamer currently sells for around $80 on Amazon. This puts it in the mid-range when it comes to price for food steamers of this functionality and capacity. Many budget steamers under $50 may seem enticing at first glance but lack some of the extra features and build quality of the Cooks Standard model. Meanwhile, gourmet steambaskets and electric countertop steamers can cost over $200. So the Cooks Standard hits a nice sweet spot between affordability and quality.

For the price, you get a generously sized 11 quart steamer basket that can hold a lot of food. The stainless steel body is solidly constructed and more durable than cheaper plastic models. And extras like the rice bowl and poaching tray increase the versatility for the price. The 2-tier design also helps cook more food efficiently in the same footprint.

Overall, this steamer gives you excellent bang for your buck. You get professional-style steaming performance and capacity without breaking the bank. While not dirt cheap, it's priced low enough for most home cooks looking for a quality steamer. And it provides noticeable upgrades over budget plastic steamers for not much more money.

Pros and Cons

The Cooks Standard 02731 Food Steamer has several handy features, but also comes with some downsides to consider:

Pros:

• Large 11 quart capacity perfect for steaming vegetables, seafood, eggs, and more for the whole family
• Stainless steel basket and lid make it sturdy and durable
• 60 minute timer with auto shutoff for safety and convenience
• Height-adjustable food platform to steam foods at different levels
• See through glass lid to monitor food without releasing steam
• Stainless steel base looks sleek and cleans up easily

Cons:

• Basket does not lock into the base, so it can slide around
• Water reservoir can be tricky to fill up without spilling
• No keep warm function to hold food after cooking completes
• Steam vents on lid are small and may not allow enough steam release
• Base is tall so steamer may not fit under cabinets
• Exterior can get very hot to the touch while in use

Overall, the Cooks Standard Food Steamer is a decent appliance for the price point despite some minor flaws. For families that steam food frequently, it provides ample capacity in a sturdy stainless steel unit. Just be mindful of the lid fit and small steam vents when cooking.