Steam cooking requires no fat, minimal time, and allows the ingredients' flavors to shine through while retaining maximal nutrients. This thousands-year-old technique works by enveloping your ingredients in a cloud of vapor and gently bringing it up to temperature in what is, essentially, a moist oven. This results in a faster cooking time without loss of tenderness. Even better, it's a hands-off method since peeking leads to a loss of steam.
Steaming food is easy enough with any pot and vented basket, but if your goal is pillowy mantou buns, juicy stuffed bao, flavorful whole fish, and tender-crisp vegetables family-style batches, a traditional Asian bamboo steamer is an affordable investment.
While purists and microwave steamers prefer all-bamboo construction, there is also a case to be made for bamboo steamers reinforced with stainless steel. The standard size for bamboo steamers is 10 inches, but smaller and larger ones are available. You'll need a large pot, deep-pan, or preferably a wok to insert your bamboo steamer into unless you also buy a steamer ring.
Best hand-tied rack: Mister Kitchenware 10-Inch Handmade Bamboo Steamer All-bamboo construction makes the Mister Kitchenware 10-Inch Handmade Bamboo Steamer a viable option for the stovetop or microwave.
Pros: Steel reinforcements for fragile points, handcrafted, won't warp or split over time
Cons: Some chefs don't like metal bands in case a metallic flavor transfers
If you're looking for a solid set of steamers that merges contemporary improvements with traditional craftsmanship, this triple-decker made of local-to-producer Moso bamboo will do the trick. Not only do its stainless steel bands look sharp, but they also provide function, sealing off the fragile top and bottom rims to keep them from splitting or scorching, respectively. They also help the steamers hold their uniform shape and nest perfectly and retain heat.
Some bamboo steamer purists prefer versions without reinforcing metal due to the potential transfer of a metallic taste to the food. It's of note that commercial dim sum restaurants often opt for models like this without any worry about the negative impact on the quality of their dishes. Additionally, the Hcooker brand has been hand-making bamboo steamers since 1097 — so it's safe to assume they know what they're doing. Plus, rare availability in marginally different sizes (7.1, 8.3, 9.4, and 10.6 inches at 1.5- to 1.7-inch depth) makes it easy to find the right fit for your existing cookware.
Best bamboo steamer starter kitBetter than average depth lets beginners experiment more freely.
Pros: Easy for beginners, includes extras like chopsticks and liners
Cons: Larger sizes only in diameter, no extra tiers
Novices itching to get started on their steaming adventure will find everything they need in this value-priced kit, which also makes an ideal gift set for the foodies in your life. A generous 50-count of steamer liners means not having to think about placing another order before you clear 25 double-stacked meals. The set even comes with two sets of chopsticks and a sauce dish.
The versatile three-inch depth also gives you wiggle room for things like buns and vegetables. In fact, it's twice as accommodating as other competitive models, which allows for more room for experimentation as you figure out what you'll be cooking most in your bamboo steamer. Plus, the uniform slats are easy to keep clean.
Although we're recommending this in the standard 10-inch size, this is also our top choice for the 12-inch for those ready to take on bigger batches.
Best eco-friendly bamboo steamer setAll its added accessories from liners to dumpling press are also earth-conscious.
Pros: Everything in the kit sustainably made, comes with extra tools
Cons: Only 2-inch depth, could run out of liners during bulk cooking
Bamboo steamers are already highly sustainable cooking tools, but this set kicks it up a notch. Not only is this handmade, open-weave, two-tier basket made of ethically sourced bamboo, its bonus accessories are also earth-conscious. The four reusable cotton liners are unbleached and eco-friendly, and the dumpling press and spoon are made of wheat straw, a non-toxic plasticine material that degrades at a similar rate to paper when disposed of.
Everything in the kit is BPA-free, and the steamer itself is free of glue, chemicals, and odor. Two sets of chopsticks complete the kit and get you dumpling-ready, from "make" to "ate."
Best hand-tied bamboo steamer rackA tight, double-woven lid retains steam better and holds its dome shape longer.
Pros: Wide slats held together with bamboo thread, reinforced lid, efficient cooking
Cons: Food can get stuck in bamboo leashings
This handmade tower takes basic, traditional techniques and improves upon them from top to bottom. For the former, a tight weave and cross-dome reinforcement seals in even more of that powerful steam; for the latter, hand-tied slats in the base of each basket allow more steam to pass through than more contemporary smooth cut strips.
Best of all, because there are no metal components, you can use it in your microwave as well as on the stove. With a 2.5-inch depth, the capacity is more than generous for either use. Two pairs of chopsticks, a sauce dish, and 10 liners round out this steamer set, an accessory that's extra important with hand-tied racks. Because they're fastened with bamboo lashings, there's more of an opportunity for food to get caught in them, so don't be shy about using these liners up before switching to a (literally) greener option like cabbage or lettuce leaves.
Best wood bamboo steamerA bamboo lid and traditional design keep this steamer close to its roots.
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For a visual profile more luxurious than bamboo but just as carefully handcrafted, try this Chinese cedar design from Hcooker.
Pros: Remains true to its heritage with regionally specific material and construction technique, available in nine sizes
Cons: Standard model does not have a reinforced trim
This riff off our best overall pick (also by Hcooker, whose makers boast over a thousand years of expertise in steam cooker manufacture) is a bold choice for its use of fragrant Cryptomeria fortunei, a cedar-type derivative of the cypress family. Handmade in 81 steps, same as its bamboo counterparts, this version has a lovely rich, darker color not naturally found in bamboo. Because they're created to preserve this natural hue, you may luck out and get a two-tone batch for even more visual interest.
The inside base is still bamboo, which is unfailingly the best platform for steam cooking, as is the lid, which is reinforced with a double-deck weave. Other practical details include a stainless-capped edge that protects the top only and helps with flush stacking; a deeper capacity than their standard model, which does not have the metal trim; and nine available diameters in up to three-tier bundles.
What to consider when buying a bamboo steamer
When purchasing, be sure to choose BPA-free high-quality bamboo and look for wider slats for better steam flow and hand-woven lids, which often boast a tighter weave for better steam entrapment. You'll also want to veer toward models joined with bamboo wick or stainless steel strips, and not glue, which may melt, or copper, which can corrode. All of our picks fit these construction criteria.
As for size, two tiers in a 10-inch diameter is typical and will serve the needs of most households for many years with proper care. That means allowing your steamer to properly air out for at least two days before storing it, and avoiding contact with strong odors it may absorb, such as dish soap or a scorched base.
Bamboo steamers FAQs
What is a bamboo steamer?
If you've ever been to a Chinese dim sum restaurant, you've seen them: those straw-colored round baskets, darkened with varying levels of absorbed moisture stacked precariously one atop the other in carts filled with hot water. This kitchen tool has enjoyed over 5,000 years of popularity without much evolution. To this day, they're made with skinned bamboo that's softened into pliability, then shaped into a circle, and held permanently in place with bamboo nails or lashings. The bases are slatted to allow steam to rise and cook the food, the containers nestling into each other until you reach the top level — however high you choose to make it — where a dome-shaped, tightly woven lid seals the vapor in.
Why you should use a bamboo steamer
Although fast-cooking metal steamers are commonly available, many Asian cooks still choose the old-fashioned models due to their ability to absorb moisture — which reduces the problem of condensation dripping down and making your dish soggy — and to avoid imparting any metallic taste or overcooking due to higher heat retention. And while rice cookers also provide a steam function, the ability to stack bamboo steamers and effortlessly batch cook also keep folks loyal to the old ways, even if these baskets don't last as long. However, they're environmentally friendly, highly sustainable, and inexpensive, reducing the footprint of their replacement on the earth and your wallet.
How to use a bamboo steamer
To use a bamboo steamer, you don't need much: just something to line it with and cookware large enough to accommodate it and a couple of inches of water with enough clearance that boiling bubbles won't touch the base. Any wide, deep pan or pot will do, but a wok is best if you have one—the curve of its bowl will hug the steamer and keep the bottom from scorching, as is more likely in a pot of pan due to the base's prolonged direct contact with it. As for linings, you can buy specially made perforated liners cut to typical bamboo steamer sizes; parchment, wax, or baking paper; or cabbage, lettuce, lotus, banana, or pandan leaves, the latter three of which may also impart their flavors.
