Oster Rice Cooker - 10 cup - 5712 Review

I decided to buy the Oster 5710 rice cooker/food steamer after my doctor told me that my cholesterol and tri levels are bad. Steaming would definately be healthier than deep fat frying. I've got a stove top steamer and a Tupperware steamer, but the Oster two tier steamer sounded more convenient and also had the option of cooking two items at one time.

The Oster steamer includes a base that creates the steam and in seconds, a drip pan to catch water and food particles, two steam baskets, a rice dish and a lid for the top. This is not a basic rice steamer, and it's definately not a 10 cup rice steamer. Oster makes those, but this is a cooker steamer with a rice dish that might hold 6 cups of rice.

If you just want to steam rice or one vegetable, you can do that. Just use either the small or large steamer basket and lid. With rice, you need the rice tray, so the grains do not fall through the steam holes.

If you want to cook two items at one time, then you need to check the times in the booklet. Generally, you add one basket and the lid. Cook. Then add the second basket with the item that takes less time to cook. This can be done at any point in the cooking time. So, you can cook two things at once, but they likely need different cooking times.

The big selling point is the two tier system with Oster. You would think they would include recipes and information about the timing and adding the second basket. They do not. The included booklet is not very helpful. The Oster web site has only three steamer recipes and none specifially for the two tier. You are on your own to figure this out. I'd suggest keeping notes. Once you lock down the times on level one and two and the combinations, this is a very nice product. It does take some time to get it all figured out.

There are a lot of things that I do like about the Oster steamer. It does steam vegtables very well. Great taste. It has an auto warmer function. Keeps the food warm if the steamed food gets done before other foods cooked on the stove. Clean up is really easy. The whole unit breaks down. Then it stacks so does not take up a whole lot of space.

Some things I don't like such as the fact that they don't include any real recipes. Also, the unit is clear, but it steams up, so you really can't see the foods. The times listed in the booklet leave the rice soupy. Cut down on the water as listed. You can steam decent rice, but you have to figure out the times. Write them down, so you remember. Although fish and chicken do well, red meats are not so special steamed. Not a good plan. Use a crock pot on red meats and pork too.

I do like the Oster cooker steamer. I use it mostly to steam vegetables. I just pour in the veggies, set the time and go about my business. For frozen veggies especially with small pieces like corn, the rice dish works great. Rice is good in the included rice dish if the water and times are adjusted. Seafood and chicken are tasty.

This wasn't quite the great full dinner kitchen appliance I hoped for to start with, but as I'm experimenting, it is getting closer to what I had in mind. Oster really ought to hire someone to play around with this kitchen gadget and write up some combo recipes as well as tips and hints. I can already see the possibilities, but I wreck some foods in the quest to get the most from this two tier steamer.