Oster's tiered food steamer is equipped with instant steam so you can start cooking immediately. It has a combined, 6-qt. capacity (3.8-qt. and 2.3-qt. bowls) and comes with fully collapsible steaming trays for easy cleaning. The large bowl includes eight egg holders for making soft or hard cooked eggs. It also has an external water fill system with a see-through reservoir: monitor the water level and you'll never run out of steam. The LCD display has a 95-minute timer. Cooking can be delayed for up to 12 hours, and with the Keep Warm setting, your food will stay warm while you prepare the rest of the meal. About Oster... in 1946, the first Osterizer Blender was introduced to kitchens across America. With its popularity came new products: the portable mixer, deep fryer, meat grinder and citrus juicer, each offering ease and convenience to people's busier than ever lifestyles. Does not use BPA free Plastic.

2-Tiered 6-quart capacity steamer creates instant steam for preparing all kinds of food

Delay cooking up to 12-hours; LCD display with 95-minute timer; auto keep-warm setting

External water-fill system with see-through reservoir; fully collapsible steaming trays

Includes 3.8-quart and 2.3-quart steaming bowl, plus 8 egg holders for soft-or hard-cooked eggs

Measures approximately 14 by 9-1/2 by 10-inch

Average Customer Review: ( 333 customer reviews )
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This steamer gets the job done better than I'd ever hoped. While it does take a little longer to cook with steam than in the microwave or on the stovetop (add 5-15 minutes of cook time), it is a more hassle-free way to prepare food. You don't have to constantly check your food to see if its burning or stir it. No more exploding eggs in the microwave or rice stuck to the bottom of the pan. Just load it up, set the timer, and leave it to cook. For example, I stuck a couple of frozen chicken breasts and a cup of brown rice in, set for 45 minutes, and left to do something else. Halfway through I poured in frozen vegetables and seasoned the chicken and rice. The chicken cooked through perfectly, the vegetables were tender, and the rice was perfect. Hard boiled eggs are easy too.

Clean up afterwards was a breeze. The plastic containers are easy to wash off, but the drip pan fills up quickly and when full is hard to get to the sink to pour out without spilling. Cooking directions and times are approximate, so there is some trial and error involved. But since I love it so far, I will definitely be using it several times a week and get lots of practice. I highly recommend.

418 of 439 found the following review helpful:

Mold + BPA (synthetic estrogen) = unhealthyMar 07, 2008
By Lee
This product would have been one step up from the previous generation of Oster steamers if it weren't for two major flaws.

Good:

-it's inexpensive
-the electronic timer works really well (this was the new upgrade from previous models)
-it's versatile especially for Asian cooking
-it works really fast

Bad:

- MOLD the steamer's water inlet, that also serves to help you measure how much water is in the steamer, is a great way to collect mold. Currently it is nearly impossible to dry this inlet completely without pushing a qtip or tissue through; and no, turning it upside down doesn't help since the inlet's curves are designed to keep water in. Cleaning this part is also near impossible for the same reason. This is just really stupid. Oster should spend more time testing their products. This should have been fixed before being released.

- As other reviewers have noted, this product made with #7 plastic. This material has a great chance of leeching biphenyl-A, synthetic estrogen, when it's heated. BPA is just not good for general health (it has links to causing obesity, cancer, heart problems, neurological problems and so on); for children the issues are even more complicated. Google can tell you all the details. This just isn't something you should put in contact with your food.

Summary:

Get a stainless steel steamer instead. Yes they are more expensive, but health problems are also expensive.

Amazon sells a couple:

Oyama CFS-B12U All Stainless Rice Cooker

Aroma ARC-838TC 8-Cup Digital Rice Cooker & Food Steamer

Stainless Steel Rice Cooker Model ME81 (Formerly ME8) - by Miracle Exclusives

99 of 102 found the following review helpful:

Excellent productMay 01, 2005
By Parents of 3
The Oster 5712 Food Steamer is an excellent buy. Yes, it is large but well worth it's size for a family of 5 vegetable lovers. It has all the features I wanted, such as; water level indicator, two steaming containers, and a timer. It also keeps the food warm after the steaming of the food is complete.I have used this product many times since it arrived. I have prepared complete meals at once. The clean-up is very easy and much less mess in the kitchen. No pots no pans. I have no complaints. I am very pleased with this product. It is stylish enough to place on the counter. I would most definitly recommend the 5712.

50 of 52 found the following review helpful:

Plastic may not be safeApr 05, 2008
By Jen Lee "JL"
The plastic that holds the food is made from Polycarbonate. If you look at the plastic containers it has the number 7 along with the letters PC. I just read a consumers reports article May 08 on the dangers of this plastic especially when heated! This is from the article: "Some studies showed adverse health effects from exposures of only 0.025 microgram per kilogram of body weight per day, yet a polycarbonate bottle with room-temperature water can leach 2 micrograms of BPA per liter.

I'm putting this on the shelf until there is more information on this plastic.

32 of 32 found the following review helpful:

Fantastic steamer!Sep 15, 2005
By Stacy Stewart
This is our second Oster steamer, and we are very happy with it. It's extremely convenient to use and it's much easier to clean than our old model was. I have only two complaints, and they are very minor. When the steamer is finished, the timer bell is a single quiet beep which is quite easy to miss. On the other hand, thanks to the keep warm function it's not as if the food is going to burn or get cold. We usually know how long the food is going to take anyway. Also, the cooking times printed on the steamer are not accurate. Although certain fresh vegetables are supposed to cook in 15 minutes, we find that it takes more like 30. All the same, we are very pleased with the steamer and would buy it again.

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