Black & Decker Divided Food Steamer

Although I can do as good a job with rice by other means, I still prefer using the steamer. It frees up the microwave to reheat something, and the cleanup is a breeze since there is only one bowl that really gets dirty. However, the timer on my steamer does run a tad slow. I have to shorten the booklet's cooking times by 10% or so.


Painless way to add more vegetables and rice to your diet.   June 15, 2007
 56 out of 57 found this review helpful

I'd toyed around for years with the idea of purchasing a steamer as an upgrade to my Joyce Chen microwave steamer, and after reading reviews on Epinions and Amazon, decided on the Black and Decker HS900.

This steamer is capable of handling numerous varieties of fresh vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, potatoes, spinach, squash, carrots...), frozen vegetables, seafood and fish (fresh or frozen), chicken and frankfurters, rice (white and brown short, medium, and long grain), and other foods (eggs, apples, pears, prunes). Being vegetarian, I've used mine exclusively for fresh vegetables and rice. I've used it to make divine mashed cauliflower as a replacement for white potatoes, steamed sweet potatoes, and plan on trying some of the steamed fruits (baked apples).

About cooking rice: my favorite feature of the HS900 is the ability to perfectly cook all kinds of rice (white, brown and parboiled, short, medium, and long grain) with minimal fuss; you simply add water to the Reservoir, add your uncooked rice and additional water to the rice bowl, set the timer and walk away. In the past, I attempted to use a regular rice cooker, and was forever frustrated by the foamy, slimy, starchy mess that inevitably erupted as the rice cooked. However, not once have I had that problem with the HS900, even when I don't prerinse to remove excess starch. The rice always comes out perfectly tender and fluffy (try checking for doneness at the shortest recommended time).

One of the neat features of the HS900 is the Flavor Scenter Tray. By adding fresh or dried herbs, your vegetables are infused with flavor without adding extra salt. Recommended spices include thyme, cilantro, basil, dill, curry, and tarragon. In addition, under the steaming instructions, there are suggested spices paired with the appropriate food (dill for carrots, caraway seed for cabbage, etc.). You can also add extra flavor by using lemon juice, broth, or white wine to the water in the reservoir (when cooking rice, you add the broth directly to the uncooked rice). It's not recommended to use beer, red wine, oil, extracts, or fruit juices in the Reservoir, as they might stain (one of my complaints is that the plastic discolors very easily).

There are few parts to assemble, only the base, steaming bowl, drip tray, rice bowl, and a cover. Cleaning is generally simple: allow the bowl to cool, wash with hot soapy water, dry (do not immerse the base). According to the directions, the bowls, cover, divider and drip tray are dishwasher safe, but I continue to hand wash mine. Depending on your water, you may want to use filtered water to avoid chalky buildup on the heating element (if buildup occurs, simply fill the Reservoir with white vinegar and run the steamer without the bowls for 20 minutes).

One last word of advice: when the unit is in use, try to position it so that the steam is not directed at the underside of your cabinets. There are four powerful steam vents on the cover, and I can only imagine that repeated close-range steamblasting of woodwork might result in deterioration. Also, this may seem obvious, but always use potholders when removing the cover, and flip it towards you to shield yourself from escaping steam. My initial carelessness resulted in some painful minor steam burns!


Great gizmo   November 12, 2005
 27 out of 27 found this review helpful

This little item is great.
I cook a lot of rice so I though why not get a rice cooker? Turns out, I steam just about everything now. I am still trying to perfect the flavoring part and trying to find a good steamer book. But for the most part I love this rice cooker.

The instruction book tells you how much water and time to use for just about anything you'd want to have steamed, from vegetable to rice to meats.

And the price is really great too. When I was first looking at steamers, I though I'd have to spend close to $100 to get a decent one. Well no! $30.. How nice?


Yes, it does cook rice.   January 18, 2006
 19 out of 19 found this review helpful

I read reviews of a similar model (still B&D) and there seemed to be strong disagreement over how well this cooks rice. Granted, people who eat steamed rice everyday may be better served by a proper rice cooker, but for my household, this is absolutely capable (we eat steamed rice approx 4-5 times a month).

For other foods, it's worked great. I was a little skeptical about how often I would use it, since I have a metal basket steamer insert, but now that I have a very limited space on my range, this appliance is one of my biggest helpers. I never boil any sort of vegetable anymore, since I can steam them more easily and, of course, they retain more vitamins. I'd say I use the steamer 4 or more time a week, so it's never packed away.

I haven't tried out the flavor/scenter apparatus yet, though.

One note: the recommended steaming times in the users' manual may be a little too long for your preference. As always, watch and check the first couple of times you use it.

All in all, I have been surprisingly pleased with this.


Flavor Center More than a Gimmick!   May 25, 2006
 18 out of 18 found this review helpful

I absolutely agree that this should be a gift idea on everyone's shower/wedding/birthday lists. Just wanted to add that I consider the flavor steamer essential -- it's anything but a gimmick. People can never figure out how I added bay leaf flavor to my asparagus, or thyme flavor to the green beans. It's a clever way to add some variety to vegetables, especially if kids are eating them (but don't want to see any spices and herbs on the veggies themselves). Also, I can add something to the water (like wine), put one flavor in the steamer screen, and add another spice or herb to the bowl with the veggies. Creates nice complex layers of flavor.