Nesco ST-25F Food Steamer: Full Review

The Nesco ST-25F is a 5-quart food steamer from Nesco that offers a convenient and healthy way to cook meals. It features a unique stackable design with two steamer baskets that allows you to cook two different foods at once without mixing flavors or nutrients. The bottom steamer basket has a capacity of 5 quarts, while the top basket holds 2.5 quarts. The unit has a timer with an automatic shut-off and a digital control panel with pre-programmed settings for vegetables, rice, fish, chicken, and meat. It's portable and compact in size but still gives you plenty of cooking capacity. With its stackable baskets and built-in programs, the Nesco ST-25F provides an easy way to steam cook healthy meals for families, couples, or singles. It aims to help simplify meal prep and reduce cooking time while preserving nutrients.

Design and Features

The Nesco ST-25F food steamer has a lightweight and compact oval-shaped plastic housing that measures approximately 11 x 11 x 9 inches. It has a 5 quart capacity stainless steel steaming pot with a vented tempered glass lid. The lid has a plastic handle and rim to allow for easy lifting.

The base has an integrated 800 watt heating element with an attached control panel. The control panel is made of plastic and features a dial with steam time settings up to 60 minutes, plus a steam and keep warm function. There is a single on/off button to start the steaming process.

Three stackable BPA-free plastic steam trays with handles are included, which allows steaming different foods at the same time. The trays have holes to allow steam circulation and condensation to drip down.

Overall, the simple manual design focuses on core steaming functionality rather than lots of preset programs or ancillary functions. The housing and accessories are lightweight and easy to move around and store.

In addition to the Nesco ST-25F, another great option is the Classic Cuisine 82-KIT1012-T22. This food steamer features a two-tier system that allows you to cook multiple dishes simultaneously, while also accommodating larger items. With a steaming capacity of 5 quarts, it's perfect for healthy cooking. It also has an automatic shut-off feature for safety, along with an easy-to-use control panel. This product is designed for convenience, making meal prep quick and efficient.

Capacity

The Nesco ST-25F has a 5 quart capacity which provides enough room to cook meals for families of 3-4 people. You can steam vegetables, fish, chicken, and more all at once with its spacious interior. The two stackable cooking trays allow you to cook on two levels, maximizing the 5 quart capacity. This gives you the flexibility to steam different foods at the same time that may require different cook times. For example, you could cook fish on one tray and vegetables on the other.

Some users mention being able to cook an entire meal for 4, including proteins like salmon along with potatoes and carrots, thanks to the large 5 quart size. The interior accommodates most 9 inch round casserole dishes as well, making it easy to cook meals in those and simply place them in the steamer. So if you're looking to steam cook meals for a medium sized family, the 5 quart capacity provides plenty of space.

In addition, the VEVOR HY-4401 offers a robust 4.8 quart capacity, making it ideal for family meals or meal prep. With multiple steaming tiers, it can prepare multiple dishes simultaneously, enhancing cooking efficiency. This versatile steamer is perfect for those who prioritize healthy cooking as it retains essential nutrients in food. Users appreciate its quick heat-up time, adjustable steaming times, and user-friendly controls, allowing for precise cooking tailored to different ingredients. The VEVOR HY-4401 is a reliable choice for anyone looking to streamline their cooking process while maintaining flavor and nutrition.

Settings and Programs

The Nesco ST-25F food steamer has two settings - high and low. The high setting heats up to 212°F and the low setting heats up to 167°F.

There are also two programs:

• Rice - This program is designed to perfectly cook rice. It steams rice on high for 15 minutes and then automatically switches to keep warm for 45 minutes.

• Vegetable - The vegetable program steams vegetables on high for 15 minutes. This is ideal for getting crisp-tender vegetables.

The settings allow you to customize cooking times, while the presets take the guesswork out for common foods like rice and veggies. Having both manual settings and programmed cook times makes this steamer very versatile.

Ease of Use

The Nesco ST-25F food steamer is designed for convenient use. The control panel is simple with an on/off button, function button to choose steam or rice cooking, and a timer. To operate, just add water to the reservoir, place food in the BPA-free plastic steaming trays, and set the timer up to 60 minutes. The 'keep warm' function keeps food ready for serving after cooking completes.

The water reservoir is easy to fill and drains completely through the drip tray for no-mess operation. The steamer base disassembles quickly for fast cleaning by hand or in the dishwasher. The exterior simply needs wiping down. Users mention this steamer is easy to use right out of the box.

Cooking Performance

The Nesco ST-25F food steamer delivers excellent cooking performance. Its speed and temperature allow you to quickly steam a variety of foods to perfection.

The unit heats up rapidly, reaching full steam in just minutes. Once at temperature, it provides a powerful steam flow that can cook vegetables and seafood in just 15-20 minutes. Meats and grains take a little longer at around 30-45 minutes, but that's still very fast compared to other cooking methods.

The steamer maintains a consistent 212°F temperature inside, ideal for properly cooking foods without over or undercooking. Foods come out evenly cooked throughout. Vegetables retain their vibrant colors, textures and nutrients. Meats are moist and tender. Fish and shellfish are gently poached without becoming rubbery. Even typically tricky foods like eggs and dumplings turn out perfectly steamed.

You can cook an entire meal at once thanks to the two stackable baskets. Simply load up both baskets and all the food will finish cooking at the same time. The baskets help separate foods while allowing steam to circulate all around for even results.

Overall, the Nesco food steamer delivers outstanding steaming performance to quickly cook a wide variety of foods to perfection. The fast heat-up, powerful steam flow and consistent temperature result in perfect textures and doneness every time.

Accessories

The Nesco ST-25F comes with two stackable cooking baskets and a basket handle. This allows you to cook two foods at once by stacking the baskets. For example, you could steam vegetables in one basket and fish in the other.

The baskets have little feet on the bottom so hot condensation can drip down and not re-condense on the food. The baskets and lid are dishwasher safe.

Optional accessories you can purchase separately include a cake pan, rice steamer, recess pan for hot dogs, and stacking pots for side dishes. This allows you to expand the functionality of the steamer beyond just steaming vegetables, fish, or chicken in the included baskets.

There is also a quick chill function if you purchase the Nesco QC-8 quick chiller. This allows you to rapidly chill foods after steaming by placing them in an ice bath in the QC-8.

Noise Level

The Nesco ST-25F food steamer operates at a reasonable noise level while in use. The combination of the clear lid and quiet motor are two design aspects which help minimize sound during operation.

The steamer does produce some noise from the boiling and bubbling of water and hissing of steam during the cooking process but the main metal and plastic parts stay rather silent. Users note the noise while steaming is not any louder than a traditional stovetop pot with a lid.

While the steamer housing itself stays quiet, the contents cooking inside can make some noise depending on what's being prepared. For example, vegetables popping and potatoes boiling in the steamer baskets are common sounds. The noise level tends to increase slightly as the water boils, but reduces again once the cooking temperature is reached and maintained.

Overall, the Nesco food steamer produces minimal noise that is reasonable for a cooking appliance. The sounds from boiling water and steaming are to be expected and do not make the steamer overly loud or disruptive to use. The noise level should not be an issue for most home kitchens.

Safety Features

The Nesco ST-25F has several useful safety features to prevent accidents and overheating.

It has an automatic shut-off that turns the steamer off after 12 hours of continuous operation. This prevents the unit from overheating if you accidentally leave it on.

The steamer also has a safety lock lid that prevents the lid from being opened when there is pressure inside. This lock ensures hot steam does not escape and burn you when cooking.

Additionally, the Nesco has a boil-dry protection feature. If the water reservoir runs out of water, the heating element will automatically shut off to prevent the pot from scorching or the unit from being damaged. This is an important protection for forgetful cooks.

Finally, the exterior of the steamer remains cool to the touch even during extended steaming times. The body does not get hot, so there is no chance of accidentally burning yourself on the unit when in use.

Overall, the Nesco steamer has good safety mechanisms to prevent kitchen accidents and malfunctions during use. The automatic shut-off and boil-dry protection give peace of mind when using this appliance.

Pros and Cons

The Nesco ST-25F steamer has several pros and cons to consider:

Pros

• Large 5 quart capacity holds a good amount of food
• Digital controls with preprogrammed settings for vegetables, rice, fish etc make it easy to use
• Stackable baskets allow cooking multiple foods at once
• Has a 2 hour timer and auto shutoff for safety
• BPA free plastic used in construction
• Parts are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning
• Operates quietly compared to other steamers

Cons

• More expensive than basic stove-top steamers
• Taller height may not fit under some cabinets
• Steam vents on top could lead to condensed water dripping down sides
• Exterior can get very hot to the touch while steaming
• No delay start function
• Basket dividers limit customization of food placement