Customer Reviews

Biggest Loser AS-1500-BL 2-in-1 Double-Up Multi-Tier Food-and-Whole-Grain Steamer

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Read all the way to the end.

Tried 11 Oster's and 8 Black & Decker steamers over the past 2.5 years. Oster's electronics went out. B&D's plastic cracked in dishwasher and fell apart. We steam 2x per day fully loaded.

The Taylor made Biggest Loser Steamer so far exceeds both the others. It's still new - only 3 weeks of use - but it's design is obviously well thought through. Easy to read numbers on the timer, back-lit water level indicator, power on light easy to see across the kitchen. Nice colors and lip handles on water part means you don't have to wait for it to cool down to take apart. Plastic is thicker so we hope it won't crack in the dishwasher.

UPDATE: Less than 2 months of use, like a hot marbel dropped in cold water, the CLEAR plastic parts are shattering. Only the CLEAR plastic, NOT the GREEN plastic. Both are washed together in the dishwasher. AND the knob now turns only clockwise. It's jammed if we try to turn it counter-clockwise. Just ordered another black & decker which holds up the best.

I don't know how to reduce the # of stars, but now I give it a 1 star.

Looks like we're the biggest loser.

I use my vege steamer everyday, beginning with oatmeal and ending with veges & rice. This will be my fourth steamer in 2008. So far, it's the best one. It's a good size. The two containers are large enough to handle almost anything and the rice bowl is bigger than the Rival rice bowl I had. It's attractive. It actually looks good sitting on the counter. Adding water while cooking is easy to do. The handle for the lid is away from the steam vents and the timer dinger is loud enough. It's starts steaming almost immediately. Seriously-almost immediately. I love it. It's so much better than the two Oster's (one old and one brand new) and the Rival (brand new) that I've gone through this year. I would recommend this to anyone. So far. The Rival waited about a month before it quit working. I'll get back to you if this one goes kablooey.

I love rice. In SE Alaska in the 70's and 80's, transportation to import food was limited and expensive. Pound for pound, rice was cheap, it kept forever, and a nice plate of Calrose went great with a salmon steak.

In college where access to kitchens was extremely limited and cooking in the rooms was banned, cooking rice became tougher. I never was a big fan of Minute Rice in a hot pot. Then, I learned about the incredible world of the rice/food steamer.

I have always loved the classic variety like this steamer where you set the timer and set the basket and bowl is set over a reservoir of water that is heated. This makes the perfect set it and forget it appliance. When I got married and my little steamer became too small, I began searching for a large steamer that was as reliable as my first small steamer (which was a Black and Decker that lasted over 5 years before I gave it away when I bought I larger one).

My wife and I bought this after having a poor experience with a Black and Decker steamer that barely lasted a year.

This steamer works just like any other manually timed steamer. You assemble the basket, put your food in and steam away. It worked great on anything I put in there.

However, the bond between steamer and user was not to last. After about 11 months, the steamer began malfunctioning. After plugging it in and setting the timer, the appliance would turn itself on and off at random. After cleaning everything I could and letting the appliance sit for a few days to try and drain any capacitors in the electronics, the situation never improved. Unfortunately, this appliance had to follow my last Black and Decker to the recycling plant.

When it worked, this steamer worked great. 1 cup of white rice, one cup of water, and 35 minutes made perfect rice. When I was making soup, I would steam my veggies in here before adding them to the soup to drastically save cooking time in the pot. A nice piece of cod seasoned with a sprinkle of Old Bay placed in the steamer made an easy baked fish dish that was almost impossible to mess up.

Short appliance life aside, I found the appliance a bit confusing the first few times I used it. While it was easy to figure out, the plastic "basket" portion of the appliance is not built like any other I have seen. There were a few extra pieces that I was not used to. I am aware of the fact that this is due to the double tier design. It is just something that takes a very short time to get used to.

The clear plastic was quick to spider web after a few months of use. This does not affect how the appliance works and personally I could care less, but this could be important to a person to whom looks are important.

Finally, the appliance just did not last. It lasted about as long as my last rice steamer. I purchased this particular one hoping it would last longer than the steamers put out by the big name brands, but alas it was not to be.

Overall, the steamer does what it is supposed to. If you like to steam a large quantity of items at one time, the double tier design is an excellent feature. If the electronics would have held up, this would easily be a 4 star appliance.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS STEAMER. I AM ABLE TO DO VEGES., CHICKEN AND GRAINS, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. NO PROBLEMS, WHATSOEVER WITH THIS PRODUCT. I WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO ALL, WHO ARE LOOKING FOR A QUICK, EASY WAY TO PREPARE HEALTHY FOOD.

I have been using this steamer for over a year, several times a week (often several times a day!) and love it. I do not put it in the dishwasher, so perhaps that is why others are having problems with theirs. I just know that mine is great!

I love this for making rice because I could never get it right on the stove but still use the pan steamer for veggies.

I always wanted a food steamer. I really didnt know which one to buy. THen I saw the biggest loser steamer and decided to try it. I cannot tell you how easy it is to use, how good the food taste and how much I enjoy steaming. This is one of those items that you buy and really utilize. I havent mastered the rice yet, but I will. The price is so reasonable. I recommend it highly.

I have decided that this is the greatest product that I have in my kitchen. It steams the best veggies and rice, I haven't tried hard boiled eggs yet, but it steams awsome shrimp and chicken, I have even put a roast in with potatos and carrotts, turned out great!!

Great steamer, have had no problems and am able to cook large quantities at one time or multiple foods. Am very happy with the product and would recommend to friends.

What a rip off! The materials used in the "Bigest Loser" steamer are of the lowest quality imaginable. The"Biggest Loser" name is the only thing that markets this "product". I'd be surprised if the containers hold up for more than a month. I envision a long line of replacement purchases (are these even available? At what price?)if I want to continue to use the one I've purchased. It's also unclear whether the heating element will be made unusuable by hard water.

Where's my Rival steamer when I need to replace it - after more than 10 years of service, hard water or no? There seems to be plenty of room in this market for a serious replacement product - all other options are woefully lacking - especially this one, which, on Amazon appears to be the closest choice Biggest Loser AS-1500-BL 2-in-1 Double-Up Multi-Tier Food-and-Whole-Grain Steamer