Customer Reviews

All-Clad Stainless Steamer Insert

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This insert has been hanging in my kitchen for some years now, and I was recently given another. The new one is made in China despite the exorbitant All-Clad price, though it doesn't seem to make much difference. Both are equally unsatisfactory, except perhaps for draining vegetables, and there are more convenient ways to do that.

First, the steamer fits only one of my many pots --an LTD saucepan. And it doesn't fit it well. The little bead that rests on the pot rim is too shallow to make a good seal even with the pot the insert is made for, and hopeless with any other. Steam whooshes out over the pot rim without going through the veg, and the bad seal cools the steam and sogs the vegetables. The pot lid doesn't fit the insert very well, either, and drips cooling condensate into the vegetables --more sog.

The steaming surface is inches above the water (unless you boil an awful lot of water, when it bubbles up into the veg and sogs them). The steam doesn't circulate well and probably isn't hot enough to start with. An inch or so of water always steams better than 3 or 4 inches --don't ask me why.

The steaming surface is inadequate. All the holes are on the bottom, and kind of in the middle of that, and what steam reaches the top, or business half, of the steamer doesn't circulate well. More sog.

What with one thing and another, no quantity and no type of food cooks very well. Well, it's not too bad for Persian-style rice --the kind you pre-cook slightly, then finish by steaming.

Alternatives? Any folding steamer will do a better job. You can find a nice big one that will fit into your 13" LTD frying pan, if you're lucky. Take a pair of pliers and pull the lifter stem out of the middle (it's not much use anyway). You can get a lot of clams into this rig. Or use a smaller folding steamer in any pan --LTD pans with their tight lids are my favorite. The sauciers have domed lids which work even better.

If you have a steam canner, put a bamboo steamer and its bamboo lid on the plate (the big ones just fit). This makes the best steamed food ever, but it's a bit cumbersome for everyday.

I bought this insert to use with my all clad LTD 9 piece set that I bought a few months ago. I use the steamer with the 3qt sauce pan a LOT. It cleans up very easily, looks beautiful, and fits nicely into my sauce pan. Some people are complaining about steam escaping from the pan. Don't let this deter you from buying this steamer. Steam is SUPPOSED to escape. If no steam escaped, you'd basically have a pressure cooker!

This fits both the 3 and the 4 qt non loop handle saute pans. It's great. I know that there is cheap folding steamer that folds out and works sort of with steaming, but every time I tried to get the food out the thing collapsed and I had to go fishing. This one sits firmly on top and the food cooks through very nicely.

If you've got the 3 or 4 qt pot, get this, you'll be glad you did.

Having used a double boiler type steamer insert for a number of years, I was pleasantly suprised to find that All-Clad made a steamer insert with a stay cool handle when I switched over to their line of cookware a while back. Having burned my hands a number of times with the old steamer, the stay cool handle alone makes this item a worthwhile addition to your collection. It does a great job of steaming vegetables. I have not tried it with clams or fish yet, but I'm sure it would perform well. Contrary to what another reviewer wrote, I have found that not that much steam escapes from the sides of the pot when in use. I believe this steamer to be far superior to the collapsable-type steamer insterts. Well worth the money, in my opinion.

I was excited to add this piece to my All-Clad collection, but I'm a little disappointed with it. It doesn't fit my pans very tightly; a good amount of steam escapes from between the insert and the pan, rather than going up into the chamber with the food. It doesn't have the heft of other All-Clad pieces, either. I think that one of those inexpensive, collapsible chrome steamer inserts that fits down inside any pan works just as well. On the up-side, this item cleans up easily, doubles as a fine colander, and is likely to out-last a collapsible chrome steamer. I'd buy it again, but I wouldn't have as high expectations of it.

I purchased this steamer several years ago and use it frequently to steam fresh vegetables. It fits perfectly into my 2-quart All-Clad saucier, which is wider at top than the 3- and 4-quart saucepans into which it's said to fit. I put an inch or two of water in the saucier, insert the steamer, and cover with the saucier top. I was surprised to see the reviews mentioning steam escaping. I have never had steam escape and the vegetables have always been perfectly and uniformly steamed -- even when I fill the steamer to its rim with kale. I gave the steamer four stars instead of five only because of the length and weight of the handle (which probably helps to keep it cool, I suppose). I agree it cleans up nicely, even if I put it in the dishwasher instead of hand washing it, and it still gleams like new!

A must have for steaming veggies or small amounts of seafood. Fits perfeclty within a 4-quart All-Clad pot and makes a great seal with verry little loss of steam for efficient steaming. Easy clean-up. We highly recommend this steamer!

This is a wonderful steamer insert. It is perfect for steaming veggies and also for steaming dim sum (delicious!) or whatever your heart desires. It fits perfectly into the 3 and 4 quart saucepans and 3 and 4 quart casseroles. I primarily use it in my 3 quart saucepan. I have never had any loss of steam and it is very easy to clean. I store it right in one of my 3 quart saucepans. It is made of high quality 18/10 stainless steel and is built to last. It is a must have for your All Clad collection. Highly recommended! A+!

I have to agree with the other negative reviews. This insert loosely fits the All-Clad 3-Quart Casserole Pan I bought with it (which I could understand if I were trying to use it with another brand). It being from the same line and company one would think that someone would have tested how well it worked. As with all All-Clad products it's built very well but who cares about that if it doesn't work properly. Someone else mentioned all the perforations are in the bottom of the insert, it would be better if there were holes in the sides as well. I think my artichokes would cook a little faster if tons of steam wasn't rolling out from in between the insert and pan. It works, just not very well.

We have a lot of All-Clad Cookware and until recently I was happy with it. We purchased this to go on top of 4-quart saucepan and it is a VERY BAD fit... I actually sent it back to All-Clad with explanation and they sent me back another one that was equally bad fit. I just called them and the rep on the phone put me on hold for a while and when she came back from hold she told me that she had just tried out one that they had there & that it was "Supposed to Wobble like that."

I consider this VERY poor craftsmanship and will never buy anything from All-Clad again.