In our household we use our steamer all the time to cook nutrition-packed vegetables and, on occasions, fish fillets. It’s so simple and quick! At present we have a metal steamer but I am thinking of buying a bamboo steamer for a couple of reasons:
- A bamboo steamer absorbs some of the water so condensation is less likely to drip on the cooked food
- In general, metal steamers get hotter than bamboo steamers and sometimes the bottom of the cooked items are a bit dry
Our metal steamer works well but it does sometimes suffer from the problems noted above. Another reason I want to get a bamboo steamer is purely aesthetical – they simply look so cool, and are much more authentic if you plan on steaming Asian foods such as dim sum, dumplings or bao buns. We also very much like bamboo on Kitchen and Cook Shop as you can read here and here!
From doing some research, the only drawback with owning a bamboo steamer is that they are more delicate than metal steamers so require careful cleaning and dry storage. Bamboo is porous so only the very smallest amount of detergent should be used and the steamer must dry fully at room temperature before putting away to prevent the build up of mould.
Visit Amazon UK for the latest and greatest bamboo steamers available in the UK. I’ll let you know when I’ve bought mine and do a review on it.
Bamboo Steamers
The use of bamboo steamers dates back over 5,000 years, and the design has barely changed in all that time. The steamer consists of a layer with bamboo strips that allow steam through and a lid. The most commonly found bamboo steamers have two steaming layers (tiers) and a lid, but they can also be purchased with single steaming layer or three tier plus lid. They are available in a variety of sizes with the most popular being 8″ (20cm) and 10″ (25cm) in diameter.
Metal Banded Bamboo Steamers
It is quite common to find bamboo steamers enhanced with rings of metal. Manufacturers claim that these stainless steel bands help to more efficiently trap in moisture, and make the steamer more sturdy and durable. The addition of metal bands also adds a pleasing look to the bamboo steamer.
Thank you for reading this quick look at some of the UK’s top selling steamers made from bamboo. We hope that they help you make dim sum to perfection!
