Jack of all trades, master of none.
You’ve probably heard the phrase. Having a variety of skills is good but not if it means you aren’t very good at anything and have a passing knowledge of each, at best.
Modern microwaves are the same where they claim to do a variety of different cooking tasks beyond the usual heating of food and beverages. Are these functions really unique and do they work differently from one another?
One relatively new feature that microwaves offer is a steaming option. Steaming vegetables for example is seen as a tasty and healthy option for food preparation. You can also steam other foods like fish, dumplings, eggs and rice. The question is, how does the food taste when it’s done?
If you plan on regularly steaming food, you are better off getting a dedicated steamer. While a microwave can steam certain foods successfully, you won’t get the same result as a true steamer and some foods can dry out in a microwave, with a resulting poor consistency and taste.
Also, cheaper steamers make it difficult to season foods or use liquids if the food trays are perforated since it’ll drip through which can ruin other foods steaming below it and just make a mess.
Is the steam feature on a microwave usable, does it produce nice-tasting food and is it worth using? Below we’ll discuss the microwave steaming option plus the other three options including the most expensive built-in steamer option.
This way, you can choose the best option that works for you.
How does a microwave steam feature work?
One of the first things to note is with many microwaves, the different cooking settings that you have access to are just marketing gimmicks. Click here
to read a story where a microwave oven expert explains that the different cooking “options” on a microwave are basically just adjusted power settings and nothing more.
A microwave steam option requires you to place the food to be steamed in a microwavable bowl with a separate cup filled with water. When the microwave steam option is activated the cup of water is heated so it produces steam and cooks the food.
In theory, this is what happens.
While I’ve boiled food such as vegetables and even eggs in the microwave, it always involved soaking the food in a bowl of water to cook it. So you’re immersing the food with water so that it doesn’t dry out and by heating the water in the bowl, you cook the food.
But back in the day, microwaves didn’t have a specific “steam” feature so you would use the normal power setting. And generally speaking, you could cook vegetables – both frozen and raw – and you could poach an egg or cook rice among other things.
But in each case, the food you were cooking was actually immersed in water rather than relying on a separate container to house the water that would be heated to create the steam. So it wouldn’t dry out but would still get cooked properly.
How does a food steamer work?
There are four main types of food steamers that exist and they work slightly differently with varying results.
Here they are from cheapest to most expensive:
Plastic microwave steamer
This is a hard plastic steamer that you fill with water in a tray, then add your food to another tray and then pop in the microwave. The cheapest of the three options, it’s only requires a microwave oven, not necessarily one with a steamer feature.
While you could use it for veggies I’d be surprised if you would have the same success for higher end dishes such as fish filets especially when you season foods. Seasonings can be difficult to clean from clear plastic so it’s worth keeping in mind.
While many reviews online for these products suggest they work well for fish, unless they’ve also used the next options on the list for steaming, you really don’t know how the options compare.
You can purchase these products for around $15 to $30 but you do get what you pay for. Then again if you are a single person (these products have a smaller capacity compared to the options below) and just want to steam veggies and some fish, it might suit your needs and budget.
Microwave oven with steamer option
Some microwave ovens come with a Steam or Steam/Simmer feature and it might work in different ways depending on the model you own. I have a microwave with the Steam/Simmer function and tried it to steam carrots with poor results.
A typical entry level microwave these days can be had for $50 but you’re going to have spend more money – $400 and up – for a microwave with enough wattage with the steaming function. Many of the microwave with steamers are over the range models which increase the cost, too.
My experience using my microwave with steamer wasn’t great. I followed the instructions. I cut up the carrots, placed them on a plate and added a cup of water on the side that will be heated to produce the steam.
The result? The carrots were dry and still firm. Had I continued “steaming” them they may have been more well done but even firmer and dry. When I opened the microwave there was really not much steam emitted, even though I was using the steam option.
What if I’d have placed the carrots in a bowl of water instead? Well, in that case I’m just boiling them which I could easily do on a stove or in a regular microwave, right?
Having also used the two options that we’ll discuss below (electric and built-in steamer) with great results, I quickly gave up on this microwave option. I am not into wasting food and experimenting with a jack of all trades option when I know there are better choices for steaming food.
Speaking of which…
Plug in electric food steamer
These are small appliances that get plugged in as you would with any other appliance. They are typically marketed as vegetable steamers and food steamers. You’ll often see listed uses as steaming vegetables, rice, fish and other foods.
You can choose plastic and glass options made by companies like Hamilton Beach, Cuisinart, Oster and many lesser known brands. Prices typically range from $30 – $50 but more expensive brands are also available.
Glass will be more expensive but it’s easier to clean than clear plastic which will discolor over time particularly with carrots and when you use spices.
With these models you fill the bottom of the tray with water and then place your food on the trays above. These shelves have small holes for the steam to pass through. The water in the tray gets heated and produces the steam which rises up and cooks the food through the perforations.
With this sort of steamer you can pretty much do any type of food that a steamer is good for. It’s very versatile and relatively cheap to buy. It won’t give you the same level of quality for higher end dishes like fish as the last option, but it can still work.
And if you like adding spices to foods, it can quickly discolor the plastic trays and will leak onto the foods below. I’ve had good success with this type of steamer mostly with vegetables and rice.
Built in steam oven
Major companies like Siemens and Bosch produce built-in steamers that are installed right into your kitchen cabinetry and typically cost $1,300 to $4,000 with many high-end brand name units being at least $3,000. They aren’t cheap but they do work well and are the most versatile of all steamers.
These steamers can do anything that is steamable. They are the most powerful steaming option and typically come with two large trays: One that is perforated for vegetables and another that can be used to steam eggs, fish, rice and other dishes.
A water tank is filled and inserted into the dispenser in the steamer to provide water to be heated and steamed. Because this style of steamer is basically like an oven and because it’s the most powerful option, you can very effectively steam food quickly and evenly.
When you turn the steamer on and set your timer, it takes several minutes for the steamer to reach its proper operating temperature and then the steaming will begin and timer starts to count down.
If you open the steamer oven while it’s operating (not recommended due to the danger and it also increases cooking time) don’t be surprised if a very hot rush of steam comes out so be sure not to get too close as it’s very hot. It’s like a super hot sauna.
Examples: You can hard boil eggs in around 10 minutes depending on how hard you want them. Raw veggies can be steamed in 20+ minutes. Same with fish filets. Rice is a little over 20 minutes. I’ve tried each one – including seasons rice and fish – with very tasty and efficient results.
The best part of this professional level steam oven? It depends on who you ask but the biggest benefits are:
- High level of consistent steam for quicker and even cooking.
- Ability to steam fish and eggs which lower level machines might not do nearly as well.
- Large capacity trays mean you could for example steam fish on one level and various veggies on the other, at the same time.
- The steamer tray without perforations can be very good for retaining liquid and also for seasoning foods, something you can’t do the other two steam options as well since their food trays all have perforations and would drip or leak liquids and seasoning.
- Stainless steel trays are sturdy, large and easy to clean. Metal is also far more conductive to heat than plastic.
Summary
In my experience, a microwave oven with steamer option might work for some foods but will not give you the tastiest results for steamed food. Once you’ve determined your budget and desire to steam, you can figure out if a separate steamer product makes sense for you.
If you just want to do basic food steaming once in awhile and might fall off the wagon at some point and stop using it, a microwave oven with steam option might suffice. But for an extra $50 or less, you can buy a plug in steamer that will perform better in my experience.
And if you really want to get steaming everything you can and you have the budget and space in your kitchen, a built-in steam oven might be the way to good. It offers the highest quality, best level of steam and most capacity to steam the most food at one time. Plus, it enables you to add spices and liquids to foods since units generally come with at least 1 stainless steel food tray with no perforations i.e. it has no steam holes so it will retain liquids. That makes it easier to get clean than white plastic too.
If you are considering a new microwave oven, click here to read my article on the built-in over the range microwave that I had installed along with my personal experience and comments. If you’re particularly concerned with having a strong and efficient fan to remove fumes, you’ll want to read this.