Customer Reviews

Zojirushi EJ-PC50 Gourmet Food Steamer

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is the only steamer I have experience with so I don't know if it's better or worse then others. It cooks decent rice in less time than a Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker which I also own. Rice cooker results are more predictable and you can make a lot of rice in a large rice cooker. The steamer is less sophisticated but if you only cook 2-3 cups of rice, this steamer is all you need. Vegetables come out very good but you need to watch them, because every vegetable requires different cooking time. Overall I like this steamer but these are some negatives: 1) If you steam a lot of vegetables the bottom water collection tray may overflow. 2) In summer time in hot and humid climate, more steam in the kitchen is the last thing you want. 3) When I use a tray for steaming fish, it collects water, and fish sometimes comes out boiled rather than steamed. Regardless of the above, this is a good way to prepare food and sometimes the only way.

This is a neat kitchen tool...easy to use and clean! I've used it several times for steaming green beans and I will probably use it only for steaming veggies, rice and other food that don't have a strong smell (Asian dumplings and buns, custard, etc). I'd be a little wary of cooking fish in it just because the "fish" smell may be difficult to wash off.

For the price, and for the ease of cleanup alone, this steamer is fabulous. I have used the "fan" inserts for pots over the last 200 years (so it seems), and bought this steamer as part of my ongoing effort to build the ultimate kitchen in the small space that I now have availabe. I figured that a plug in appliance like this would free up a burner for a real pot.

Wow! So far, I have used it for broccolli, asparagus, carrots, green beans, eggs, and fish. It is so far ahead of the pot inserts in terms of speed and quality of the finished product, that the two do not even remotely compare. One reviewer had a problem with brown rice. I have not tried to cook brown rice with it yet, but I know that rice needs a lot of water. This may not be the best machine for brown rice. A dedicated rice cooker might be the answer here. On the other hand, if you want PERFECTLY steamed veggies of any variety, even two or three at a time, and want them done to order with a bell to indicate that it's time to serve them, buy this gem of a machine.

Cleanup is a dishwasher snap, and for those who worry about draining vitamin content from their cooked greens, a full stack of produce yields only a few ounces of condensate in the pop out drip tray. There may be better out there, but until I see it in action, this gem has my vote.

I have used this several times since my purchase a month ago. It's very easy to use and clean. The veggies turn out wonderful. I have not used this for rice but it looks easy enough as well. I like having two bowls to work with. I think it's plenty big for a family of four. Many more than that and you might want to use a larger steamer. The directions recommend not adding any seasonings to the veggies (in the water) but I found that you can add to the veggies directly and they are still very good.

We have been very satisfied with our Zojirushi food steamer. Our vegetables never tasted so good! It makes for very healthy eating. The water does seem to run fast through it but don't be fooled - there is still plenty of water in the resevoir that will last to completely cook your vegetables. We have steamed a variety of things in this and everything comes out wonderfully. We haven't done rice though. Buy a rice cooker\steamer for that. This is an excellent product at a great price. I am buying one for my father.

...but it worked great first try on some carrots. Yes, it did put an orange ring in the plastic, but oh well. I'm not sure how to clean the water resevoir tho, since you can't open it and pour it out. I'm writing to Zojirushi and we'll see if they have suggestions.

Definitely worth what we paid for it tho - a good bargain!

I have had mine for several months now and it works great. It is quite versatile in terms of different food items, even though I have used it only to steam vegetables, and occasionally (white) rice, and it does great with both. I have not tried eggs, meats or fish (and probably never will, even though I might try eggs someday). The only drawback is the small size (one cup) of the rice bowl. It would be adequate for one or two people, but not for larger quantity. It cleans easily, except the water container which cannot be opened and takes a long time to dry on the inside. I bought it mainly to steam vegetables, and it is wonderful at that. I definitely recommend.

I came back to update my original review and was surprised at some of the negative comments.

My family does not care for steamed fish, so I cannot address that issue. It does a great job, however, on rice, vegetables, and boiled eggs at any level of hardness you like.

I can, however, address the issue of water on the counter. I use mine at least 2 or 3 times a week and it didn't take me long after purchase to discover that not all of my counter tops are level. I located the area of the one which is, however, and never had the overflow problem again.

I bought it in May, 2001, and it stopped working in July, 2002. That involved a toll-free call to Zojirushi in California, a part which cost all of $7.50, and ten minutes' worth of my time in changing out the part. Now, in July of 2004, it still works like a champ. It's hard to beat that kind of staying power - not to mention repairabilty - in small kitchen appliances these days.

I will definitely buy from Zojirushi again.

This is the only steamer I have experience with so I don't know if it's better or worse then others. It cooks decent white rice in less time than a Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker which I also own. Rice cooker results are more predictable and you can make a lot of rice in a large rice cooker. The steamer is less sophisticated but if you only cook 2-3 cups of rice, this steamer is all you need. Vegetables come out very good but you need to watch them, because every vegetable requires different cooking time. Overall I like this steamer but these are some negatives: 1) If you steam a lot of vegetables the bottom water collection tray may overflow. 2) In summer time in hot and humid climate, more steam in the kitchen is the last thing you want. 3) When I use a tray for steaming fish, it collects water, and fish sometimes comes out boiled rather than steamed. However there was no odor left after steaming fish. Regardless of the above, this is a good way to prepare food and sometimes the only way.

It is my first steamer ever have and it turns out to be a great help for my cooking. I use it to cook fish,veggie,egg and some asian dim-sum, all turned out to be great. And I have no problem in cleaning it,hand-wash or machine-wash. I would recommend this to my friends and hope that it is durable-at least before I become a good cook :-).