Getting a Food Steamer

2 Dec 2009 - During the last Family Cottage meeting at Sis Lai Mui's house, Jeannie and Jessica were sharing with me the wonders of having a food steamer. The old cat was present as well, so I did not have to repeat what they said to him. Basically, Jeannie was saying that she cooks on a daily basis, and I was super impressed. As she has to work, she cannot afford to spend a lot of time to cook dinner, so she bought a food steamer. According to her, she steams her rice, veg, fish, meat...etc all at the same time and she is free to go do her own things until the timer goes off. Its convenient and time saving.

So the old cat and I were thinking... hmmm not bad huh??? Steaming is a not only a healthier cooking option but also helps retain nutrients and minerals from food. Well, dinner for us is usually tabao-ed from the same food stall at Jurong Point, and I can't help but notice that outside food is really a lot more oily that home cooked food. I only cook once a week, sometimes once a month. Cooking is tiring you know? So now we are thinking of getting a steamer! We intend to use it twice a week on weekdays (normal cooking can be done on weekends when there is more time). Hopefully as what Jessica and Jeannie say, the food will be ready in 20mins!

The old cat and I have been trying to find reviews of food steamers and now we have (or rather, I have) short-listed two from Tefal and one from Philips.

Tefal Vitamin Plus Steam Cuisine VC4003



Tefal VC1016



Philips HD9140


Went to Jurong Point to check out these models but sad to say, both Harvey and Courts do not carry the Tefal VC4003 steamer. In fact, the promoter at Harvey told us that this model has been discontinued. I called CK Tang and Taka to check and confirmed that his statement was true.

The old cat prefers the Tefal VC1016 cos it has a bigger basket and is cheaper ($99.90), but I prefer the Philips HD9140 cos it has a digital timer and looks sleeker and nicer. LOL. It is of course more expensive - $149. But then, I was thinking... what if we end up using it only once a week, or worse, use it for a few times then decide to chuck it aside to gather dust?? Kitty was saying get the cheaper one to "try out" first... and I hate to say this, but yes, what he said makes sense. But I really like the look of the Philips!!! But then... I think most probably we will get the Tefal VC1016.... just in case we don't use it often enough to make our money worth it, lol. If all goes well, I'll pop by to Kong Tai before church this evening to get it. Hehe, I like buying appliances from Kong Tai. The prices are cheaper. Take the Tefal VC1016 for example. It is retailing at $99.90 at Courts and Harvey, but Kong Tai is selling it for $80++ (less than $90)!

For now, I shall start planning what food to prepare using the soon-to-be-purchased food steamer!