5.5 Quart Digital Steamer

Make mealtime more exciting and your plate more nutritionally balanced with colorful, vitamin-packed foods. It’s easy with the Hamilton BeachDigital Steamer. Add your choice of vegetables, seafood, or chicken breasts and you’re minutes away from serving a satisfying steamed meal the whole family will enjoy. With a Food Steamer in your kitchen, you can take advantage of the bounty of healthy, in-season produce at your local farmer’s market or grocery store. If you’re lucky enough to have your own garden, you can reap the rewards and the satisfaction of steaming your own freshly picked vegetables.

Once you add gently steamed vegetables and seafood to your meal rotation, canned and frozen foods lose their appeal. Don’t be surprised if the Digital Steamer earns a permanent place on your kitchen counter because it’s so versatile and easy to use. Fill it with water, place one or two of the transparent bowls filled with food atop the base and set the cooking timer. You’re free to complete other tasks as food steams, because when your food is ready, it sounds a beep and automatically switches to warm for one hour.

Steaming a balanced meal
The Digital Food Steamer lets you prepare a whole meal in one, easy-to-use appliance. You can steam seafood or chicken breasts in the bottom bowl and vegetables in the top. Since food cooks faster in the bottom bowl, always place food with longer steaming times on first, closer to the base. Another option for cooking different types of food is to place one bowl (filled with food with longer steaming times) onto the base and steam first; then later add the second bowl filled with food that has shorter steaming times. For example, green beans and squash have shorter cooking times; foods with longer cooking times include red potatoes, sliced carrots, chicken breasts, and fish steaks.

Steaming white and brown rice
The rice bowl is designed for steaming rice and small amounts of food inside the steaming bowl. To steam rice, place rice and water into the rice bowl. Fill the water reservoir to the MAX line, place the rice bowl inside the lower steaming bowl and top with the lid.

Food that is ready when you are
The next time you have a workout, sports activity, or meeting that interferes with your family’s mealtime, let the Digital Food Steamer take over. To set DELAY START, fill the water reservoir to the MAX line and place food into one or two steaming bowls. Press the up/down arrows to set your delay time. When your delay time expires, food will steam for your selected cooking time, then switch to warm for up to one hour. Do not use DELAY START for raw fish, seafood, meat or poultry. Start time can be set up to 24 hours in advance for ultimate convenience.

Get alerted when the water level is too low
This steamer will automatically turn off if the water runs low. It will power off, beep, the display will flash '- -', and the LOW WATER light will illuminate. To add water you don’t have to take the steamer apart; simply pull out the water drawer and gradually fill with water. Check the viewing window to see water level, and restart the steamer.

Three Ways to Steam

1. Single Steam Bowl - use to steam rice or a single type of food
2. Two Steam Bowls - use to cook two different foods at the same time
3. A Single, Larger Steam Bowl - remove the divider between the bowls to steam large foods such as corn on the cob or a head of broccoli

Test Kitchen Tips:

• Cook eggs from soft to hard-cooked by placing the bottom of either the upper or lower steam bowl with the egg holder side up. Place up to 8 large eggs upright in the stand, then fill the water reservoir to the MAX line. Place the drip tray on top of the water reservoir, add the steam bowl, and place the lid securely on top. Then just set the cooking time according to the type of eggs you desire for perfect eggs every time!
• Cook larger foods like corn on the cob or a head of broccoli by placing both the lower steam basket and upper steam basket on the water reservoir. Remove the bottom of the upper bowl to create a single, larger capacity steam bowl great for steaming larger foods.
• Steam an entire balanced meal at one time by using both the lower steam bowl and upper steam bowl at the same time. Steam seafood or chicken breasts in the bottom bowl and vegetables in the top! Food cooks faster in the bottom bowl, so always place food with longer steaming times in the lower steam bowl, closer to the base.