Kitchen Reviews

It is always difficult to get a feel for the size of a thing when looking at a picture, even when they give you the measurements. Well, this baby turned out to be tiny! This set must have been designed for the smallest toaster oven ever made. I'd be afraid of roasting/broiling any type of meat in an oven this small for fear of a grease fire. It would probably be fine for rolls or fish, but nothing with any amount of fat. My toaster oven is much larger and this set is just too small to make it worth plugging it in.

great little pan and rack which only uses a bit over half the space in my toaster oven. Like it for applications such as: cooking sausage links on pan and rack, but also having room to do hash-brown patties in remaining oven space; or, doing hamburger on the pan and rack, warming frozen french frys on another tray all at once.

I use the bottom pan in my toaster oven all the time--baking a few cookies, reheating pizza, anything that requires a nonstick surface. I use the nonstick rack for cooling cookies or a loaf of bread from the breadmaker. I don't really use it to broil meat because my toaster oven doesn't get hot enough, and I probably wouldn't use this pan in a conventional broiler. But it's great for everything else, and much better than the flimsy pan my toaster oven originally came with.

I have to say that I am a bit disappointed with the quality of this steamer. For example, the walls (which are made of thin layers of bamboo bonded together) are a bit rough and unevenly bonded, and fastened into their circular shape with copper wire. Thin strips of bamboo are interwoven to form the base of each of the steamer sections. Today, I bought a Typhoon brand one (8" diameter), which, by contrast, is really nicely made of all natural materials, has a base made of thicker pieces of bamboo rather than thin strips, and cost less. Of course, the Norpro one will do the job and if you need a larger steamer, it should work just fine--I am just overall happier with the Typhoon product.

For healthy, nutritional, quick, low mess cooking, make almost any dish with a steamer. This steamer is mid range in terms of quality of material and build. It isn't the El Cheapo department store variety that is held together with metal staples, bound to end up in the trash can after several uses. With proper care, this steamer should last you several years. Soak the new steamer in cold water for a few hours when you first get it. Always store in an open air place to prevent mildew. Clean up is a breeze, just wipe with a paper towel, or if needed a quick dunk in soapy water and then rinse.

Steamers fit best on woks that are 2 inches larger than the steamer, therefore, a 12 inch wok would work best with this steamer. Other than the recipe on the side of the box, there is nothing in the box other than the steamer. You can cook or reheat your food by placing it directly on the bamboo, paper towel, leaves, parchment paper or by placing it on a heat resistant plate or in a bowl. Also, you can add or remove steamer layers while cooking. For even quicker food prep, if you're having noodles with the meal, you can cook them in the water in the bottom of the wok - a one pan meal. Steaming is truly quick and efficient cooking at its best.

I fill this 2-Tier Bamboo Steamer with fish steaks, such as sea bass or halibut, and veggies, such as asparagus or broccoli. Then I place the steamer baskets with the lid over a wok containing a cup or so of water, and, in about fifteen minutes, dinner is ready. I put the fish steaks on top of plain white folded paper towels, so it is easy to wipe off the steamer basket when done. I store the baskets on top of a hanging pot rack. Because these baskets and lid are 10 inches in diameter, they work best on a small to medium-sized round wok placed on a gas ring. I have found this method works better on a gas range rather than on an electric or ceramic stove top.