Concord Happy Sales Bamboo Steamer (8 Inch) -3 Piece Multicolour

I bought this specifically to steam black Thai rice for desserts. I didn't need all the different sections but it's nice that they're there. It's not the most robust construction, but then it IS bamboo, and I didn't pay much for it. Shipping was free due to my Amazon Prime membership.It fit over my pot (of boiling water) perfectly. The steamer chamber I used did stain purple when I steamed my black rice. However, I expected that because that's what the black rice does. (I like the black rice because it's got a nuttier, chewier flavor and texture than regular white sticky rice, and goes well with coconut milk). I still have the other 2 chambers, though, which are not stained.If you are planning to use this to steam rice, you will need to put a wide coffee filter or other similar material (NOT paper towel!) inside the steaming chamber. Otherwise pieces of rice will fall through the woven bamboo. That's not the fault of the product, because it's not meant to steam rice. I just didn't want to spend the money on a full blown Thai rice steamer with the vase-shaped metal bottom etc.Other than that, it works like a champ.I haven't used this for veggies yet, but I am planning to. Will update when I do.

I never had a bamboo steamer but have recently read how steamers help broccoli retain the compounds necessary to form a cancer-fighting compound. It's a complicated question (steaming vs. microwaving vs boiling in water) but since I love broccoli, I figured I may as well get the most benefit from the vegetable. I love this bamboo steamer because it's compact, I can use either one or two of the trays, and it cleans up easily (as recommended, I use a little bit of parchment paper to keep the food off the bamboo). I've also steamed cauliflower and asparagus. For the asparagus, I cut the spears in half and put the woodier stalks in the bottom tray and the thinner tops in the top tray and it turned out perfectly. I haven't tried more esoteric steaming, such as shrimp, clams, or turkey burgers, but who knows, I may get motivated to do so soon! I love the size--perfect for 1-2 people. If you cook for a large family, it may be a bit small depending on how much they like their veggies!

I love the way the veggies cook and taste in this! Recommending to everyone. It's easy to use, easy to clean. My only negative is that for some reason the instructions said to keep it in a bag, but that made it moldy, even though I was sure it was completely dry when I put it away. (I washed it thoroughly and let it completely dry in the sun after that mold incident, and it's perfect again.) I'll have to research and experiment with the best way(s) to store it. But for steaming two or three kinds of vegetables, nothing I've tried compares. The bamboo itself seems to lend a kind of herbal flavor, and the veggies just come out uniformly and perfectly done. I haven't yet tried anything else in it, like fish, but I will. The price is right, you could easily and inexpensively even add more layers, and it's so much easier to serve out of and to clean than the aluminum folding kind I had. You just need a pot or pan (or wok) large enough to hold a bit of water and set the steamer in. Get one!

I have used this steamer for over a year now. I was new to steamers and had to do some research on how to use them. I use it by perching it on top of a pot that has a wide turned-out lip with the same diameter as this steamer. So I put about an inch-deep worth of water in the pot, perch this on top with the veggies in it. As soon as the water starts boiling with the steam rising from it, I start timing it. I typically keep the veggies a little crunchy, not let them get soggy. Most veggies such as broccoli cook in about 5 minutes. Some, like carrots, take closer to 8 minutes.The result is typically superb. The vents work very well and steam the veggies through and through. The natural bamboo lends a slight woody fragrance to the food. If you wash the steamer right away, and sit it on the dish drainer, it is easy to keep clean. I avoid using a dish scrub as the foam or scrubbing pad pieces can get caught in the bamboo. Instead, I use a plastic brush that I also use for my daughter's milk bottles.  Philips AVENT BPA-Free Bottle Brush . It works well to get any bits of broccoli/veggie out of the natural striations or splints in the bamboo, and cleans it with the least amount of effort.It looks very elegant too, and I have gifted it to a couple of my health conscious friends since I started using it.*** Philips AVENT BPA-Free Bottle Brush

Over the past couple of years, I have read a great deal of research on the harmful effects of modern day cookware. As a result, I have purchased items such as this bamboo steamer because it is a natural cookware. The first time I used a bamboo steamer, 3-4 dinners of steam vegetables imparted a somewhat bitter wood-like taste on the vegetables. Thus, I would recommend several cycles (~3-4) of pre-soaking the steamer and boiling water underneath it without placing food within it in order to help remove some of the bitter wood-like taste that may leech into your food. Once this has been removed the steamer works wonderfully and the steamed vegetables taste great!