Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer Reviews

• My new favorite toy...

  
  By on 2004-02-17
  I saw this steamer in an ad in Runner's World and just had to have it. Since going on the South Beach Diet, I've upped my intake of eggs, fish, chicken, and vegetables tremendously. And because I live an extremely active lifestyle, I never have time to wait for things to thaw before cooking. I was defrosting frozen meat and nuking scrambled eggs and frozen vegetables in the microwave everyday when I did some reading and found out that microwaving destroys over 90% of the healthy vitamins and nutrients in foods. Researchers have found that steaming is the best way to preserve nutrients if you have to cook a food.

  This steamer gets the job done better than I'd ever hoped. While it does take a little longer to cook with steam than in the microwave or on the stovetop (add 5-15 minutes of cook time), it is a more hassle-free way to prepare food. You don't have to constantly check your food to see if its burning or stir it. No more exploding eggs in the microwave or rice stuck to the bottom of the pan. Just load it up, set the timer, and leave it to cook. For example, I stuck a couple of frozen chicken breasts and a cup of brown rice in, set for 45 minutes, and left to do something else. Halfway through I poured in frozen vegetables and seasoned the chicken and rice. The chicken cooked through perfectly, the vegetables were tender, and the rice was perfect. Hard boiled eggs are easy too.

  Clean up afterwards was a breeze. The plastic containers are easy to wash off, but the drip pan fills up quickly and when full is hard to get to the sink to pour out without spilling. Cooking directions and times are approximate, so there is some trial and error involved. But since I love it so far, I will definitely be using it several times a week and get lots of practice. I highly recommend.
  
  

• Excellent product

  
  By A28FTHACADWZBK on 2005-05-01
  The Oster 5712 Food Steamer is an excellent buy. Yes, it is large but well worth it's size for a family of 5 vegetable lovers. It has all the features I wanted, such as; water level indicator, two steaming containers, and a timer. It also keeps the food warm after the steaming of the food is complete.I have used this product many times since it arrived. I have prepared complete meals at once. The clean-up is very easy and much less mess in the kitchen. No pots no pans. I have no complaints. I am very pleased with this product. It is stylish enough to place on the counter. I would most definitly recommend the 5712.
  
  

• The newest kitchen's pet.

  
  By A1L8PL08LOYO9L on 2006-02-01
  This device is so easy to use and clean that it is the focus of our healthier cooking every single night. From chicken to veggies, this unit makes dinner so fast and so easy, all without extra grease.
  
  Try this:
  Chop one yellow squash, three red potatoes, one carrot, one bunch celantro, one onion, and toss in olive oil and crushed garlic. Put in the rice tray and cover with foil in the top compartment for one hour.
  
  You will fall in love with a machine.
  
  

• Mold

  
  By ABSYIF0ONC2AF on 2008-03-07
  This product would have been one step up from the previous generation of Oster steamers if it weren't for one very major flaw.
  
  Good Points:
  
  -it's inexpensive
  -the electronic timer works really well (this was the new upgrade from previous models)
  -it's versatile especially for Asian cooking
  -it works really fast
  
  Bad Points:
  
  - MOLD the steamer's water inlet, that also serves to help you measure how much water is in the steamer, is a great way to collect mold. Currently it is nearly impossible to dry this inlet completely without pushing a qtip or tissue through; and no, turning it upside down doesn't help since the inlet's curves are designed to keep water in. Cleaning this part is also near impossible for the same reason. This is just really stupid.
  
  Oster should spend more time testing their products. This should have been fixed before being released.
  
  

• Fantastic steamer!

  
  By AX4L8PH9V5S9O on 2005-09-15
  This is our second Oster steamer, and we are very happy with it. It's extremely convenient to use and it's much easier to clean than our old model was. I have only two complaints, and they are very minor. When the steamer is finished, the timer bell is a single quiet beep which is quite easy to miss. On the other hand, thanks to the keep warm function it's not as if the food is going to burn or get cold. We usually know how long the food is going to take anyway. Also, the cooking times printed on the steamer are not accurate. Although certain fresh vegetables are supposed to cook in 15 minutes, we find that it takes more like 30. All the same, we are very pleased with the steamer and would buy it again.
  
  
• Technological Dream Come True
  By A2TRD66XAJE3EA on 2006-03-08
  After 10 years of use very day, my old Black and Decker Food Steamer died. Since B & D doesn't seem to make large capacity steamers any more, I opted for this Oster model. A lot has changed in 10 years and Oster seems to have packed some pretty wonderful features into the 5712. It cooks food a lot faster than my old B & D; I suspect because the holes at the bottom of the tray are larger so the food steam cooks more quickly and because the heating element is newer and more efficient. It's very easy to clean and put back together for future use. I am very impressed by the self timer and the keep-warm features. They are both very easy to program. Buy this at TARGET for $29.95. It's the exact model for a lot less money and no shipping charges.
  
  
• Great Pick!
  By A29RIVA3E03OER on 2005-03-17
  I researched steamers for weeks reading reviews before I bought this one. Couldn't be happier. Once opened it has never left the counter and gets used almost daily. I have used it for rice, fresh vegtables and frozen vegtables, and fish. I have set the timer estimates and I have been a little under and need to reset it but so far I haven't gone over. The rice has been perfect everytime. Alot of the reviews have said the all purpose steamers don't work for rice and you have to buy a rice steamer as well. I found this one did a great job. It does not produce a large quantity bit fine for 2-4 people depending serving sizes.
  
  
• Killer Steamer (Rice Steamer)
  By A3DTBTA7O5VFHI on 2006-04-06
  This thing is great! Steamed fish and rice... I'm in heaven. Target has them for $29.99 but eventhough their tag says, "model #5712" the box says, "model #5715"... same steamer. Well worth the money.
  
  
• OUTSTANDING! But it can be purchased new much cheaper...read on
  By A191U44PTU82NK on 2006-11-09
  Outstanding...that is the one word to describe this product, it's reliability, and performance. You'll be cooking everything and anything in this just to try it out. Steaming is IT for the wholesome taste, vitamins, and nutrients foods provide unless you just eat it raw.
  
  Not sure why they include a recipe book...nothing to do with the steamer. They just want you to get the cravings (and the pocket book open) to buy the Bread Maker, the Juicer, the blender, and the entire line of Oster appliances.
  
  Not to be knocking Amazon or any of its merchants, but we have seen (and bought ours) at Target for $29.99 and Lowe's hardware had them for the same price. These are not sale items, this was just their standard price points.
  
  So save yourself $20.00, order it online, no tax, no waiting in line, sometimes they offer free shipping.
  
  
• 23 reviews so far, and all 5 stars! This is a great product!
  By A38IHFOP1EGM7C on 2006-11-20
  I'm a single 47 year old guy. I'm not a great cook. I've lost 25# (am now down to 168) and am trying to eat better. This makes it easy! No more nuking junk food, or frying food covered in fat, just steam it. No more worries about burning things (the smoke detector used to be my warning that dinner was done). I bought the Oster 5712 last week. I've cooked boiled eggs, frozen chicken breast, Contessa stir fry frozen oriental dinners and frozen fish in it so far. It rocks! Tonight I'm going to cook diced chicken breast and wild rice with seasonings in it and I'm 99.9% sure it will turn out great even though I've never tried it before. This baby makes cooking easy. Cleaning it is also easy. No burnt food on it, just hot water. For cleaning it's almost like is has already been soaking in hot dishwater. Just a bit of soap and spray it off. As far as price vs functionality this thing is a steal! - Joe
  
  
• Plastic may not be safe
  By A2LQ8CUTQVK7BE on 2008-04-05
  The plastic that holds the food is made from Polycarbonate. If you look at the plastic containers it has the number 7 along with the letters PC. I just read a consumers reports article May 08 on the dangers of this plastic especially when heated! This is from the article: "Some studies showed adverse health effects from exposures of only 0.025 microgram per kilogram of body weight per day, yet a polycarbonate bottle with room-temperature water can leach 2 micrograms of BPA per liter.
  
  I'm putting this on the shelf until there is more information on this plastic.
  
  
• Large, efficient steamer
  By A20CDE4QSHKGZU on 2006-01-17
  I use a steamer 4-5 nights a week, so I wanted a heavy duty replacement for my old Black & Decker one. The Oster 5712 is the most powerful and efficient steamer I've ever used. The digital controls allow for precise timing, and the foods I've cooked have turned out perfectly every time.
  
  This steamer does use more water than my old ones, and you'll get the best results by filling the water resevoir well past the minimum mark. Also, use distilled water instead of tap to prolong the life of the heating element.
  
  
• The best kitchen appliance EVER!!!!
  By A1GZ1GYW7KGW5E on 2006-02-15
  Okay so maybe that is a bit dramatic, but your way of cooking may change dramatically w/ this mean little machine. Do you have one of those metal flying saucer steamers? THROW IT OUT. This is the crock pot for healthy people. I can cook just about ANYTHING without using butter or oil and the food remains moist and tasty. We always avoided cooking seafood, feeling that it was too much of a hassle. Last summer we ate seafood steamers once or twice a week. To eat that in a restaurant would have depleted the bank account. You can even make BANANA BREAD, and it is good. Poached eggs, steamed fish, and the PERFECT rice come out of this contraption.
  Clean up you ask? Since you are not using butter or oil that creates a glue to the pan(imagine, that is in your body), clean up is a cinch.
  I will use this steamer until one of us dies, and if it goes first I will go out and replace my dear Oster.
  
  
  
• Very Satisfied - Great Product
  By A2T7QGBMFQEW30 on 2006-08-03
  This steamer is a lot better than my old Black & Decker, lighter, easier to clean, and actually costs less than the B & D did 8 years ago! Has many great features but the best thing is you can walk away without worrying about food burning or sticking. This is a healthier alternative and safer to use than a microwave. Easy cleanup too.
  
  
• Great Product
  By A1PPOTWREQH7XJ on 2005-07-22
  I have used 3 different steamers prior to this one. If you steam foods this is the product for you. I love the different tiers, allows steaming of different foods requiring longer cooking times while preparing other foods to be steamed. Steaming eggs is a breeze. This is a quality product that looks nice and it cleans very easily. If you choose this steamer yo will not be sorry.
  
  
• Very expensive on Amazon.com
  By A3FQYA92CDRZGK on 2005-12-28
  It is a good product, but the same steamer cost's $29.99 at Target.
  
  
  
• Wonderfuly Flexible Steamer
  By A1TPBV0OXUM8LD on 2006-03-10
  From the unpacking to the eating - great experience. The 2 containers of different size alows a large choice of quantity to steam. The control panel is natural to operate and the dispaly size very comfortable. I like the feature allowing adding water during steaming. The weight of the unit is surprisingly light. I can't think of any feature that is missing.
  
  
• Steamer worked well, but shoddy workmanship
  By A1MUHC7EQ7VQNN on 2007-07-16
  I've owned this steamer for nine months now, and used it regularly.
  
  The steamer has never gone through a dishwasher, or been subjected to any corrosive agent or high temperature, other than those produced by the steamer itself.
  
  Yesterday, the steamer's rice dish and one of the steaming trays cracked, simultaneously and in several places, apparently due to heat related stress. This is unacceptable for a steamer.
  
  while it does steam foods nicely, I'd suggest looking harder to find something built to last.
  
  
• Great Steamer
  By A1NOYWXCDAHMOD on 2005-08-05
  I use it about 3-4 times a week.
  
  Rice, Chicken, Fish, or Frozen Veggies....it all tastes great and is healthy for you as well.
  
  
• I love this steamer!
  By A2DXFI46OKWC8G on 2007-11-06
  The only thing I don't like is that I waited so long to get this Oster electric steamer.
  
  I love rice but I use to have the way of thinking that just boiling it is good enough, why spend the money for a steamer? Thats crazy.
  
  Well, I ended up looking for a steamer after being talked into it, and narrowed it down to the Oster 2 Tier electric steamer, even though I was skeptical think I may of wasted some money.
  
  I was very impressed as soon as I opened the box. It was really well made. Nothing flimsy about it. Good solid construction. All the pieces fit nice and snug together. Really great design such as the water intake, water level monitoring, digital read out, handles for the bowls.
  
  Ok, but I was still thinking, how can rice be that much better being steamed? So the same evening I followed the simple instructions. I have to say it was the neatest thing in the world watching it quietly steam up. When it was done, a good digital beeper went off to let me know.
  
  Wow, I never seen rice puff up like that. It was amazing. I also never had rice that fluffy before either. It didn't have that gummy residue like when boiling it. Just nice soft fluffy rice.
  
  Cleaning it afterwards was easy. Just soak the bowl and drip tray, and the main base just pour out any left over water and towle dry.
  
  Ok, that was rice. And loved it. So to take it the next step, the next day I steamed some chicken in it. Again, superb results that can't be beat. You usually pay an arm and a leg for chicken that tender in a good resturaunt.
  
  Next day after that, tried it with both tiers. To steam rice and chicken. The results again were incredible. Steaming pork and beef I found is flawless too.
  
  Shrimps, lobster tails, clams steam up perfectly with this as well. I couldn't 'and still can't' belive the results with this.
  
  Don't let the picture fool you though. The picture looks like its rather on the small side. Its big enough to get a good meal for a few and have left overs easily. This Oster steamer can steam some serious food.
  
  The only thing I wish is that I got this along time ago. I can't live with out my Oster steamer now.
  
  I have never used any other type, and I'm sure their great, but for the low price, and the excellent quality that this produces in foods can't be beat.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  
• Just a few design flaws
  By A14XULA608M2V8 on 2007-11-28
  Overall, this is a good product. It does a good job on vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, carrots, beans). I haven't had as much success with fish, but maybe that's my fault. I haven't tried rice yet.
  
  Just two design complaints:
  
  1. It won't let me set the time to less than 4 minutes. I hate it when the engineers think they know what's good for me better than I do.
  
  2. The drain hole in the water reservoir has a raised grommet which makes it impossible to completely drain it. I do not like putting it away with water sloshing around inside.
  
  Because of these two details, I probably would not buy this model again. I'm sure most steamers are able to steam, so the little details makle the difference.
  
  
• great for rice
  By A6F5XMVQROA8H on 2004-10-07
  We have the older version of this and it is the easiest way to make rice. I will never be without this.
  
  
• The best steamer !
  By A1KI1KSCKHCZVG on 2005-11-08
  I have bought this steamer after seeing the reviews, I am glad I did! I use it 4-5 times a week. steam Eggs, stuffed green peppers, buns, fish, vegetables, noodles... especial to warm up frozen food is far better than microwave. The timer is extremely useful. It has saved me a lot of time. It really worth every penny you spend on it. The design is really smart, it only heats up and steams a very small portion of the water from the reservoir, very efficient and fast. I strongly recommend it for healthy, quality and convenient living.
  
  
• Outstanding
  By A35WC0H3FHSBM3 on 2007-01-20
  I am a firm believer in amazon reviews as I think real people's comments are more reliable than manufacturers' promises. I actually picked this up at Target before coming across the amazon review. I made an incredible dinner tonight- Snow crab and scallops with broccoli and cauliflower. I am single and often find it pointless to cook big dinners for myself. With the steamer it was so nice to just portion out just enough for one and it is so easy. Just put your food in the baskets and walk away. It'll beep when dinner's ready! This is one of the best products I have bought in ages. Don't sacrifice nutritous, amazing dinners just because you are cooking for one! Worth every penny and so easy to clean- much easier than a Foreman Grill.
  
  
• Hard boiled eggs
  By A3FFPYPKRNDW8Q on 2007-06-14
  Bought this steamer a year ago. It does a good job on the expected rice and veggies.
  
  But it shines in the hard boiled egg department. No more overcooked/undercooked eggs. Just pop them in the egg steamer tray set for 15 minutes and perfect eggs. No need to babysit a boiling pan of water. Great if you're making lots of eggs for a party
  
  I've used it to do shrimp in one level and orzo in the other. With a little practice you will learn when to add the second steamer basket so both are cooked at the same time. Small instruction book is very well written.
  
  All winter I cook steel cut oats with dried fruit. I fix it the night before, store it in the steamer bowl in the fridge, start it next morning. By the time I'm done with my shower my breakfast is ready.
  
  At harvest time I steam my tomatoes, cool them and put them in freezer bags. When I need to make tomato sauce it's just defrost, add spices and reheat in the steamer.
  
  
  
  
• Good value, works well, not perfect
  By A8E6QXKIALS43 on 2007-06-27
  It has worked reliably for almost a year now. It does the job and has good capacity. Cleanup is easy, just use a soft brush and rinse. The one drawback is that the drip tray has no handle to grab so you must wait for the thing to cool down before a full tray can be removed or else you have to dump the hot, dirty water over the side. There really is no excuse for this. Don't the designers use this stuff?
  
  The water tank is large enough for most cooking and reheating, but will run out if steaming more than around 45-60 minutes.
  
  I am surprised that Oster does not offer accessories for this thing. I had to look all over town to find small fruit cups to use for poaching eggs. It seems to me that they are missing potential sales by not offering accessories.
  
  Pros:
  Electronic timer is simple and effective
  Large capacity
  Reliable (so far)
  Easy cleanup
  Pleasant looking appliance
  Reasonably priced
  
  Cons:
  Lacking a handle for the drip tray
  Water reservoir could be larger for big jobs
  No accessories
  
  
  
• Almost, but not quite a good unit
  By A1VN8NNYQF3NOL on 2008-04-24
  I bought this unit to replace a Black and Decker steamer we had used for years that finally died.
  This unit appears to have everything, but in usage, it has a huge shortcoming.
  Pros:
  You can add water without removing the food trays. (A big plus, this is why we bought it)
  Large oval steamer that fits food without trimming
  
  Neutral:
  The digital timer. Really no easier than the dial my previous unit had
  
  Cons:
  The drip tray (The tray that goes under the food and catches the condensed steam) has no handles on it. This may seem like a minor inconvenience, but the very first thing we prepared in our new steamer was a corned beef for St. Paddies day. After about 30 minutes the drip tray was full (the CB takes 2 hours) and needed to be emptied. Now my old B and D steamer had handles on the drip tray, but no handles on this one.
  So now I am faced with a problem, how do you remove a tray full of steaming dirty water out of the top of the steamer with no handles?
  After scratching my head I used a pair of tongs to pick up the tray. This worked OK the first two times, then the tongs slipped the third time and I gave my counter, and myself a bath in dirty hot water.
  The last time, I used a turkey baster to suck the dirty water out. Talk about time consuming.
  All they would have to have done was mold a couple of handles on the drip tray, like Black and Decker did.
  ::: Sigh:::
  So close, yet so far from a perfect unit.
  
  
• This Steamer Rocks!
  By A3K81DT34Y9BPI on 2006-12-27
  I researched on web for days before deciding on The Oster 5712 Food Steamer and it is an excellent machine. The FIRST night we steamed mixed vegetables AND Snow crab. I was able to get about 2 lbs of snow crab in the big basket. I bought it based mostly on reviews on Amazon and they were very accurate. I confess I bought it at Target for $29.95, though I was ready to buy on Amazon if price was close.
  The clean-up is very easy and much less mess in the kitchen. No pots no pans. I have no complaints. I am very happy with this product. The kids thinks it is way cool after seeing how easy it was to do the crabs. I most definitely recommend the 5712.
  
  
  
• Karen
  By ATTQS6GPRF506 on 2007-04-02
  The only complaint I have is that the steamer didn't have instructions about the water level for different foods. I know from using my old steamer (not the same brand) that some foods have to be cooked using the high water level and some use the lower water level. Since this one did not have it in the instructions I am having to guess at it, other then that the steamer works awesome.
  
  
• Accident waiting to happen
  By A358PYHV8VJT9W on 2007-05-17
  Product cooks food fine. The issues comes with the "Auto Keep-Warm" feature with the key problem being "auto." Te timer went off and dummy me assummed the unit turned off. After an hour, I went to clean the unit. Because the "auto keep-warm" feature is defaulted "auto" and thus automatically on (I didn't do anything to turn it on), I burned my hands from the steam still being produced.
  
  The "auto keep-warm" feature should be disabled and the user should be required to take steps to turn it on, but instead it's "auto."
  
  
  

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