Product Description

Oster's tiered food steamer is equipped with instant steam so you can start cooking immediately. It has a combined, 6-qt. capacity (3.8-qt. and 2.3-qt. bowls) and comes with fully collapsible steaming trays for easy cleaning. The large bowl includes eight egg holders for making soft or hard cooked eggs. It also has an external water fill system with a see-through reservoir: monitor the water level and you'll never run out of steam! The LCD display has a 95-minute timer. Cooking can be delayed for up to 12 hours, and with the Keep Warm setting, your food will stay warm while you prepare the rest of the meal. About Oster... in 1946, the first Osterizer?? Blender was introduced to kitchens across America. With its popularity came new products: the portable mixer, deep fryer, meat grinder and citrus juicer, each offering ease and convenience to people's busier than ever lifestyles.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #393 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Oster
• Model: 5712
• Dimensions: 14.40" h x 10.00" w x 10.80" l, 5.90 pounds

Features

• 2-tiered 6.1-quart-capacity steamer creates instant steam for preparing all kinds of food
• Delay cooking up to 12 hours; LCD display with 95-minute timer; auto keep-warm setting
• External water-fill system with see-through reservoir; fully collapsible steaming trays
• Includes 3.8-quart and 2.3-quart steaming bowl, plus 8 egg holders for soft- or hard-cooked eggs
• Measures approximately 14 by 9-1/2 by 10 inches

Customer Reviews

My new favorite toy...
I saw this steamer in an ad in Runner's World and just had to have it. Since going on the South Beach Diet, I've upped my intake of eggs, fish, chicken, and vegetables tremendously. And because I live an extremely active lifestyle, I never have time to wait for things to thaw before cooking. I was defrosting frozen meat and nuking scrambled eggs and frozen vegetables in the microwave everyday when I did some reading and found out that microwaving destroys over 90% of the healthy vitamins and nutrients in foods. Researchers have found that steaming is the best way to preserve nutrients if you have to cook a food.

This steamer gets the job done better than I'd ever hoped. While it does take a little longer to cook with steam than in the microwave or on the stovetop (add 5-15 minutes of cook time), it is a more hassle-free way to prepare food. You don't have to constantly check your food to see if its burning or stir it. No more exploding eggs in the microwave or rice stuck to the bottom of the pan. Just load it up, set the timer, and leave it to cook. For example, I stuck a couple of frozen chicken breasts and a cup of brown rice in, set for 45 minutes, and left to do something else. Halfway through I poured in frozen vegetables and seasoned the chicken and rice. The chicken cooked through perfectly, the vegetables were tender, and the rice was perfect. Hard boiled eggs are easy too.

Clean up afterwards was a breeze. The plastic containers are easy to wash off, but the drip pan fills up quickly and when full is hard to get to the sink to pour out without spilling. Cooking directions and times are approximate, so there is some trial and error involved. But since I love it so far, I will definitely be using it several times a week and get lots of practice. I highly recommend.

Mold
This product would have been one step up from the previous generation of Oster steamers if it weren't for one very major flaw.

Good Points:

-it's inexpensive
-the electronic timer works really well (this was the new upgrade from previous models)
-it's versatile especially for Asian cooking
-it works really fast

Bad Points:

- MOLD the steamer's water inlet, that also serves to help you measure how much water is in the steamer, is a great way to collect mold. Currently it is nearly impossible to dry this inlet completely without pushing a qtip or tissue through; and no, turning it upside down doesn't help since the inlet's curves are designed to keep water in. Cleaning this part is also near impossible for the same reason. This is just really stupid.

Oster should spend more time testing their products. This should have been fixed before being released.

Excellent product
The Oster 5712 Food Steamer is an excellent buy. Yes, it is large but well worth it's size for a family of 5 vegetable lovers. It has all the features I wanted, such as; water level indicator, two steaming containers, and a timer. It also keeps the food warm after the steaming of the food is complete.I have used this product many times since it arrived. I have prepared complete meals at once. The clean-up is very easy and much less mess in the kitchen. No pots no pans. I have no complaints. I am very pleased with this product. It is stylish enough to place on the counter. I would most definitly recommend the 5712.