Food steamer: 30 euros to cook what a pressure cooker already does

Food steamer: 30 euros for a gadget almost nobody uses

The question is an old one and the answer is still split. An electric food steamer costs between 20 and 30 euros at chains like Lidl or Aldi, and promises vegetables, fish and rice without watching the stove. The doubt that hits anyone before paying is a different one: how many times will it actually get switched on before it ends up in the cupboard?

The model that appears most often on the shelves is no technological marvel. Three stackable 3-litre bowls, a rice container, a 90-minute digital timer, 24-hour delayed start, a 1.2-litre water tank and **800W** of power. At that price, the temptation is obvious. So is the trap.

How long does a steamer take to cook vegetables or fish

The figure that settles the most common doubt: in about **20 minutes** you have a portion of cooked vegetables or fish ready to eat, according to one user's experience. It is not instant cooking, but it does not require standing over it either. That is the appliance's strongest argument: you set it, forget it and the timer does the work.

The problem appears when you compare it with what is already in the kitchen. A pressure cooker with a steaming accessory is faster and takes up less space, according to those who prefer it. Those who defend the steamer do not argue about estimulante ilegal: they argue about the convenience of not having to watch it. Those who criticise it do not dispute the convenience: they dispute whether that justifies one more appliance plugged in.

The alternative that wins by a landslide: pot, rice cooker or bamboo

The most common suggestion is not another machine, but making the most of what you already own. A **regular pot with a steaming accessory** does the job without adding another appliance to the inventory. Some go further and suggest a rice cooker, which has an upper tier for steaming and solves rice at the touch of a button; according to this suggestion, they can be found cheaper than steamers in Asian grocery stores.

For the more frugal, the list goes on: a bamboo steamer, oven bags from the supermarket or Ikea's collapsible steamer. All of them do the same with fewer plugs. The question that remains hanging is how much it is worth paying not to have to think.

The verdict from those who have one at home

The household experience is not unanimous, but it tends to the same place. Some genuinely use it and argue that vegetables turn out better, so does fish, and rice comes out fine. Others, after trying it, conclude they would not buy it again: **too much gadget** for what it delivers.

The most honest summary comes from those who own it and use it: the advantage is the timer, the drawback is that it takes longer than a pressure cooker. With that balance, a steamer is not a bad purchase. It is a purchase you have to justify twice a week. If you are not going to switch it on that often, those 30 euros are better spent elsewhere in the kitchen.