Hamilton Beach 37530A Food Steamer: Full Review

The Hamilton Beach Digital Food Steamer is a compact and convenient electric steamer designed for quick and healthy home cooking. Hamilton Beach is a leading manufacturer of small kitchen appliances in the United States, known for their affordable and user-friendly products.

The Hamilton Beach Digital Food Steamer, model 37530A, provides a simple way to steam vegetables, fish, chicken and more with adjustable steaming times. This streamlined countertop appliance features a stacking design that allows two food containers to be steamed at once, doubling capacity. With digital controls and easy-to-use settings, it takes the guesswork out of steaming different foods properly.

Overall, the Hamilton Beach Digital Food Steamer aims to deliver healthy steamed meals with minimal effort required. As a product in Hamilton Beach's lineup of kitchen appliances, it offers the convenience and reliability the brand is known for at a reasonable price point.

Design

The Hamilton Beach Digital Steamer has a sleek, modern design that looks great on any countertop. It's compact and doesn't take up much space, with dimensions of 10.2 x 11.4 x 6.7 inches and weighing just under 5 pounds. Despite its small footprint, it can hold up to 5 quart-size containers or fit a 9 inch round casserole dish inside.

The body is made of stainless steel with a black plastic base and lid. The materials feel durable enough for regular use. There are no sharp edges or corners, so it's safe to place on the counter without worry. The lid fits securely during steaming.

For those considering other options, the Pukomc 802A is a notable alternative. The Pukomc 802A also boasts a compact design, making it a great choice for kitchens with limited counter space. It features a high-grade stainless steel body and a user-friendly digital display, similar to the Hamilton Beach model. Both steamers offer efficient cooking with reliable durability, but the Pukomc 802A includes extra accessories for added convenience.

Overall, the clean lines and curved shape give it an elegant look for a steamer. The size is ideal for most kitchens, even small spaces, providing maximum capacity in a minimal footprint.

Features

The Hamilton Beach Digital Steamer is designed with several useful features to make steaming your foods simple and convenient.

One key feature is the digital touchpad interface. This allows you to easily select from 5 food settings - rice, poultry, seafood, vegetables, and grains. There are also delay start and keep warm functions available at the touch of a button.

The steamer has a 5.5 quart capacity, which provides enough room to steam food for the whole family. With two stackable trays included, you can cook different foods at once by utilizing both levels. This is perfect if you want to steam fish on one tray and vegetables on the other.

The see-through water reservoir is handy for monitoring the water level at a glance. It has fill markings so you know just how much to add. No need to guess if you have enough water or constantly open the lid to check.

If you are looking for an alternative, consider the BELLA 13872. The BELLA 13872 offers similar features such as a digital interface, multiple cooking modes, and a generous capacity. It also has stackable trays for versatile steaming options and a transparent water reservoir for easy monitoring. This product is a great choice for achieving excellent steaming results with ease.

Overall, the digital interface, multiple modes, generous capacity, and other convenient features make this steamer user-friendly for a variety of steaming tasks. The design aims to simplify the process so you can achieve perfect results every time.

Performance

The Hamilton Beach Digital Steamer delivers excellent performance for an electric steamer. Its speed and temperature consistency allow it to cook foods thoroughly and evenly.

The 800-watt heating element brings water to a boil quickly. Steam is produced rapidly, shortening cooking times. Meats, vegetables, and rice can be cooked in as little as 15 minutes. The temperature remains steady throughout the cooking process.

Foods retain moisture and nutrients when steamed. The Hamilton Beach steamer cooks without drying out foods. Vegetables come out crisp-tender with bright, vivid colors. Meats are juicy and tender.

The two stackable containers provide flexibility. You can steam different foods simultaneously. The 5-quart container has enough room for a whole meal. The stacking design allows steam to reach both containers evenly.

Ease of Use

The Hamilton Beach Digital Steamer is designed to be very easy to use.

Setup

Setting up the steamer is straightforward. Simply add water to the reservoir, assemble the pans, and place food inside. The water reservoir is easy to fill and has markings to indicate the maximum fill lines.

Controls

The control panel is simple with an LED display, program keys for vegetables, rice, fish, and chicken settings. There are also manual buttons for time and temperature. The buttons have a nice tactile feedback and are responsive.

Cleaning

Cleaning the steamer pans by hand is quick since they are non-stick. The drip tray slides out easily to dump water and wipe clean. The heating element can be wiped down as well. The included brush makes scrubbing the reservoir simple. All the parts are dishwasher safe too for easy cleaning.

Food Quality

The Hamilton Beach Digital Steamer cooks food quickly while preserving nutrients and flavor. The steam heating ensures meats, vegetables, and grains retain their texture and don't become soggy or mushy. Foods keep their bright, vibrant colors rather than turning gray or drab from boiling.

Steaming also retains more vitamins and minerals compared to other cooking methods, especially given the short 5-10 minute cook times. With the sealed cooking chamber, there is no exposure to oxygen or leeching of nutrients into water.

Reviews praise the Hamilton Beach steamer for producing tender, juicy chicken breasts and perfectly crisp-tender vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and green beans. Fish and seafood also turn out moist and delicate without becoming rubbery. Even typically longer cooking foods like potatoes and eggs can be steamed in minutes.

Overall, the steamer delivers excellent taste and texture while maximizing nutrition. Food has a fresh, homemade quality rather than canned flavor. The Hamilton Beach Digital Steamer lets you enjoy all the benefits of healthy steamed meals right at home.

Durability

The Hamilton Beach Digital Steamer is designed to be a long-lasting appliance that provides consistent performance over time. The key durability factors are as follows:

Expected lifespan - Hamilton Beach appliances generally have a good reputation for lifespan when used and cared for properly. With regular cleaning and maintenance, you can expect this steamer to provide 5-10 years of service before parts may start to wear out. The main areas to watch out for are the water reservoir sealing gaskets and the heating element, which could eventually fail after extended use. But overall, customers report getting many years of reliable steaming from this model.

Warranty - This steamer comes with a 1 year limited warranty from Hamilton Beach. The warranty covers defects in materials or workmanship. It does not cover normal wear and tear or damage from misuse. You'll need to register your warranty online or mail in a card to activate coverage. Note that the expected lifespan of 5-10 years exceeds the 1 year warranty period. But the warranty provides protection in case you get a defective unit or experience premature part failures within the first year.

Safety

The Hamilton Beach Digital Food Steamer prioritizes safety in several key ways.

First, it has an auto shut-off feature that turns the steamer off after 1 hour. This prevents the steamer from running indefinitely if you forget to turn it off, reducing the risk of fire or other damage.

Second, the steamer has a stable, sturdy base that keeps it steady on your countertop. The heavy plastic housing means you don't have to worry about the steamer tipping over easily.

Third, the parts that come into contact with food, including the steaming trays and rice bowl, are all BPA-free plastic. This means you don't have to worry about harmful chemicals leaching into your food while steaming.

Finally, the steamer's exterior remains cool to the touch while operating. The heating element and steam are contained inside, so you won't burn yourself on hot surfaces. The transparency of the water reservoir also allows you to easily check the water level at a glance.

Overall, Hamilton Beach clearly made safety a top priority in the design of this food steamer. It takes steps to reduce risks and give users peace of mind.

Price

When it comes to price, the Hamilton Beach 37530A 12-Cup Digital Food Steamer offers excellent value for money. At around $60 USD retail, it's very competitively priced compared to other food steamers in its class.

For a 12-cup capacity stainless steel steamer with digital controls, the Hamilton Beach model is actually quite affordable. Many competing steamers with similar features and capacity can cost $80-100 or even more.

Considering its generous capacity, consistent performance, and durability, the price of the Hamilton Beach 37530A seems very reasonable. It delivers excellent functionality and quality that you would expect in a much more expensive food steamer.

So if you're looking for an inexpensive way to start steaming healthy meals at home, the Hamilton Beach Digital Steamer gives you great bang for your buck. You get an efficient, user-friendly appliance capable of steaming vegetables, seafood, chicken and more for families or gatherings.

Overall, this food steamer provides excellent value for the price. For the quality and performance it delivers, the Hamilton Beach 37530A 12-cup model represents a great value purchase.

Pros & Cons

The Hamilton Beach 37530A digital food steamer has several pros and cons to consider:

Pros

• Large 12.7 quart capacity allows you to cook complete meals efficiently
• Two stackable tiers provide flexible capacity options
• Digital timer and touchpad controls make it easy to set precise cook times
• 60 minute timer with auto shutoff adds safety and convenience
• Heats up quickly and steams food evenly
• BPA-free plastic construction is durable and easy to clean
• Dishwasher-safe parts save time on clean up
• Affordably priced for a large capacity, multi-tier steamer

Cons

• Lid can be tricky to properly align when stacking tiers
• Water reservoir is difficult to fill with narrow opening
• No delay start function
• Short power cord limits positioning in kitchen
• Outer housing may stain over time from water exposure
• No keep warm function means food can overcook if not promptly removed