Oster CKSTSTMD5-W 5-Quart Food Steamer, White CKSTSTMD5-W

This steamer is just the right size for a family of two. We used it the first time on the day it arrived from Amazon, and the result was fantastic! It took 40 minutes to steam a bag of frozen dumplings. I set the timer to 30 minutes, but then had to add another 10 minutes to make the dumplings were cooked thoroughly. The two steaming trays were designed for food like in the picture: meat, chicken or fish at the lower tray and vegetable on top tray. But since we steam same product in both trays, we had to swap trays and add 10 minutes, as we thought the dumplings in upper tray were not cooked thoroughly. But as mentioned, result was fantastic. After that, we put the trays and lid in the dishwasher (on top level as recommended) and they came out fine and clean. The trays feel flimsy so extra care is required. I wish the trays and lid were made with heavier plastic or glass; I am willing to pay more for it. Washing the water reservoir is a bit of hassle as you need to take not getting water into the electrical part. But it only take a few minutes. It is certainly a starter steamer. For the price, if I can get a year use of it I would be happy. Here is my wish list: 1. Separate tray for water reservoir to make cleaning easy (grease and stuff will drop to the reservoir, so you have to clean it) 2. Heavier gage plastic or class tray 3. Some wire trays to lift food from steam vent If there is on with this size and all three items above, I would gladly pay for it. For now, I am happy with this steamer.

I tried to cancel this order, and buy a metal pot with a steamer basket but I couldn’t. I am glad I couldn’t. I have used this item every day since I received it. It is the perfect size for two people. I have used it for broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and reheating rice with a wet paper towel under the rice so it does not fall through the holes. It works beautifully. It creates a lot of steam quickly. There is a timer, so it shuts off automatically at the appointed time. The plastic is durable, and cleans up nicely in the dishwasher. You pour water into the base for steal. After finishing, you just pour out the water, and wipe it out. It is compact, and a great deal for the price. This unit is so much better than buying a big pot with a steamer insert that takes up a huge amount of space, is expensive, and pits, bends, and boils dry way too quickly, as I have experienced in the past with cheap pots and inserts. I highly recommend this item as a great compact alternative to the huge pot and steamer basket of the past. The only problem is that the timer only works one way: you can increase the time but you can’t decrease the time, so if your food is finished before the timer runs out, you have to unplug the unit from the wal, and let the timer time out. It’s not that big of a deal. I still love this unit.

When I decided to try to make some baby food for my son, I boiled his fruits and vegetables every week before putting them in the blender. Later, when he was older, I found out that doing that cooks all the nutrients out of them. So, when I had my next child, I decided to buy a steamer to keep things a little healthier. I purchased the Oster Food Steamer. To use it you fill the bottom compartment with water. There is a minimum line & a maximum line. I usually fill it right in between both. Then fill the plastic compartments with fruits, vegetables, meats or whatever else you want to cook. There’s a plastic ring you place in the middle to separate the two compartments. This allows you to make two different things at the same time. You can use them both or just one. After you cover it, there is a knob to use to set the amount of time to the steamer. It can take a while. I usually set it for about 40-45 minutes for fruits and 45-50 minutes for vegetables. This is to make the food very soft to purée. You can cook it for a shorter time to keep the veggies firmer. I’ve never used it for meat, so I can not speak on that. Some people have said that their steamer has leaked when used. I’ve only had that happen one time when I put too much water in it and it passed the maximum line. You have to be careful not to do that. Pros: -Easy to use -Lightweight -Easy to clean Cons: -Leaks if filled with too much water -The bottom compartment does bubble up and look foamy at times when cooking, but it doesn’t seem to hurt the fruits or vegetables It’s a plastic steamer with plastic compartments compared to other more durable steamers, but it gets the job done for me. I’ve had it for almost 8 Months, using it about once a week and it still works the same. I’m happy with my purchase.

I love love love this steamer. The very first thing we steamed was two heads of broccoli and they came out so tender and so moist. It was amazing. The next thing we did was cauliflower so we could make cauliflower mash. It would quite hold two full heads of cauliflower but what we put in there was super tender and so good. This is not a giant steamer....but it works as well as a big one. This would be perfect for 1-2 people to prepare a full meal with. We are a family of 5 so we are just steaming vegetables so far and it's been great. I've seen reviews where people say it leaks like crazy and that has NOT been our experience so far. It is smaller so we have been able to keep it on the counter without it getting in the way. The containers are a lighter plastic so hand wash only. For the $20 we paid, I feel that we already have our money's worth out of it. Love this thing!

Here's the one thing I don't like: I have a small household but vegetables are a hit here. The instructions say to try not to cover the vent holes by stacking the vegetables in the middle. I used both the top & bottom steamer levels for a prepackaged back of broccoli, cauliflower, & carrots to mostly accomplish these instructions which is not what the picture shows. However, here's all the good: I don't have to worry about ruining a steamer pot again because it shuts itself off. Another thing, it uses the water efficiently. I like my vegetables done but not mushy & I doubled the steamer time recommendation for the vegetables mentioned.It gave me a place to start & I did not cut my vegetables to smaller sizes. The 2 top levels are top rack dishwasher safe. The timer softly "ticks" similar to a wind-up kitchen timer while it's running but it doesn't DING loudly (which I like) when finished. If you're close by you'll probably hear it shut off but the orange light goes off when it's done too. Lastly, had I known how simple this was to use I would've bought it sooner & steamed the food that I had as it was going out of date rather than wasting money throwing it out when it was too late. It pays for itself even if you just used it for that.

To me, this is a perfectly made steamer. I'll tell you why... 1. It's not too big nor too small 2. It's very simple to use 3. It's easy to clean and pack away. 4. Very affordable 5. Most importantly, veggies are steamed to perfection and taste so delicious. Nevermind all those concerns about it not being BPA free and not being certified or approved by this one or that one, hey, we all still gonna die of something some day lol. There's a lot of things affecting our health these days that if you begin counting them, doomsday will catch you and your list still won't be complete. You may as well enjoy great tasting steam veggies while you're alive! Tip: don't steam pork or sausage in it. Well, I guess you can, but I tried pork chops and sausage once and while the meat does cook well, it was too messy for me. All the fat dripped down on the water reservoir and even after washing it had a porky smell. Had to clean it several times with Clorox to get the smell out. Chicken and fish are less fatty so maybe it wouldn't be that malodorous but it's not something I want to try. I'll just keep using it to steam veggies.

I read the reviews before I ordered this. They are very mixed. Here is my experience. In a nutshell, I probably wouldn't order this again because it doesn't have a drip tray under the bottom steamer basket and the top basket doesn't steam as well as the bottom basket. Yes, upon my first use of this steamer, the bottom basket filled with water and overflowed all over my counter. I emailed Oster through their website explaining my issue and asked for help. I received 3 emails: one confirming receipt of my original email, one stating my order for a steamer at $0 had been received, and then one stating my steamer was on its way. I would have liked a personal response telling me they were sending a replacement but whatever. I received the new steamer and tried it out. It didn't fill the bottom basket with water and it didn't over flow. Like I said, I'd prefer to have a drip tray so the food filled water that drips down would have somewhere to go other than into the area with the heating element AND the top basket doesn't steam as thoroughly as the bottom basket. However, it does work and I'm keeping it. So I emailed Oster through their website again to ask if they wanted the broken one returned. I just received an email stating that I will receive a prepaid UPS label to send it back to them. I'll do that as soon as it arrives. For those of you having the overflow/water filling issue, email Oster through their website. Fill in every blank, serial numbers, your address, everything. That's what I did and now I have a new steamer that works with very little hassle. I have a feeling they had a bad batch of steamers. They are very willing to rectify the situation.

I live alone so have no need for a larger steamer. After owning several larger ones over many years I saw this one a decade ago and purchased it. Recently I needed to replace it so bought another one through Amazon. This steamer is perfect for one or two people. I use it only to steam vegetables so cannot comment on it other uses. The size is perfect and the double baskets work well. I typically will place longer time required veggies like cob corn or carrots on the bottom and later add items like asparagus and broccoli to the top. I use it most nights during the week and have no complaints or issues. It's a compact, easy to use, reliable, easy cleanup steamer for a modest price. . I highly recommend!

Buen precio

Worked for a month

Great little steamer for one or two people Food tastes so much better using this steamer

Excellent but plastic a little thin

Es muy funcional, tiene un buen tamaño para preparar alimentos cocidos para 2 o 3 personas, la usamos sobre todo para verduras y se limpia muy facilmente. Mi unica recomendacion es que tengan cuidado con los vetabeles, manchan mucho pero si se pueden limpiar despues.