All-Clad Stainless Steamer Insert Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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Maintain the flavors, nutrients, colors and textures of your food, while cooking quickly using steam heat. An excellent method for the low fat preparation of vegetables, seafood, and poultry.

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