I can't figure out how to use this in any pot I own. The weight of the food instantly makes the basket cave in & everything falls into the water.Help?
474739
I may be misunderstanding you but this is not meant to float. You only put a small amout of water (I do about an inch in a small sauce pan) and then you sit this steamer at the very bottom of the pan. You dont want to put too much h20, where, say, if you were steaming veggies, they end up under water and being boiled instead.
474740
It's not supposed to float. Fill up the water to the top of the feet. You may have to add more water as it steams.
474741
Make sure you have all 3 (or more) legs attached to bottom. Mine only came with 2; had to throw it away.
474742
In the photo, rack is shown folded up for storage. You just grasp the opening in the center gently and pull outwards to open it. You put water in the pot (about a half inch--you're steaming, not immersing), set the opened rack in the pot and add the food, and set the pot on the heat. That little thing in the middle with the ring on it is handy for sticking in a fork to lift the rack out of the pot (but it's easy to tip and spill). If it's in your way just unscrew it when it's cool to remove. It is not necessary to the function of the rack. Hope this helps.
42659
Prior to putting basket into pot I sometimes put my vegetables in first. Then I lower basket into pot and add remaining items. Works for me all the time.
261971
So far we haven't used it much. We have been scared to. The 12 & 16 quart pots stick and burn all the food we have tried to fix in them. I guess I would say I don't trust what might be unseen in the water. We just use it as a decorative item. Your call but it is made out of the same stuff as the pots. I wished I had read the comments before we purchased the three items. A big waste of money. IMO. James
1631069
Hi I already threw the pots away. The problem was not food get to stick to them but the handles fell off. When I checked, I found the handles were simply glued to the pots and there was no screw or any permanent fixfure to secure the handleshandles were simply glued to the pots. I complained to Amazon but there was no feedback. I stronly recommend you buy other pots somewhere else.
177026
You may have to keep it in the frig, which defeats the purpose. This is what I have to do since the butter falls into the water every time. It's worthless.
754378
I would suggest elevating the steamer in the pan then pour water up to half way of steamer. This is to prevent direct contact with the base of the pan so it will not burned. I use a veggie steamer rack that will fit in the pan. You want to make sure the lid for the pan is tightly sealed so water does not evaporate rapidly.
2094750
I've only used the pot for water and one basket to hold whatever I'm steaming (I only cook for myself). But I s'pose something could be boiled in the water simultaneously.
2252143
Thank you for your message to Hammacher Schlemmer. No, the basket does not allow for some water to remain. Please contact me if you require additional assistance. Thank you.
957514
My suggestion is that you check the seal on the lid and make sure that you are seating and locking the lid on properly. As far as the steam making a mess---you are probably not letting the pot cool down enough before you release the pressure. Please, read the book!
1828955
Try using the pot as a water-measuring device. I found that the water-level window can be deceiving--it gets fogged up making it difficult to see the real water line. If you add too much water it leaks out through a little whole on the back of the unit and puddles around the bottom.
2149842
Dear Al,Thank you for your inquiry.We recommend to warm up some water on the stove then remove the pot from stove and put the lid on so it can create a suction and reshape it's self.Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.Sincerely,Tonia D.
2036790
Yes. The basket drops deep into the pot so it should be fine. I do small, medium and full pots and never had an issue. Love it.
893070
Right, it doesn't come out of the frame which I thought was a little weird too. You can put the whole pot w frame in sink to wash. Maybe being soldered to the frame gives it stability?
645653
I'm no expert but it sounds like (1) the rubber ring is not properly seated, (2) the lid isn't properly seated (it took me a while to get it right), or (3) the pot is defective. If you can, contact the manufacturer. They are the experts. Good luck.
666142
I saw this site had replacement pots. http://vitaclaychef.com/replaceable-inner-pot--4.htmlI would like to know which model you got? Can you program it in 1 minute increments?The reason I ask is that I thought it might work as a steamer, if I used a steamer basket inside.Also, do you have any favorite recipes?
1617388
I use a heavy stainless steel stock pot. This works far better than a plastic bucket.
1118668
Sure, you can fry up big batches of anything in this. The larger basket sits at the bottom of the pot, the shorter one has a lip on it so it sits at the top of the pot, so depending on how much oil you use, you could use either one or both of the baskets for frying. We bought this pot to do an old fashioned shrimp boil, worked great for that, but we've also tried frying a turkey which it what it's made for and that was fun. I used it this fall for canning. It was great to do all that boiling water bath outdoors instead of in the kitchen. I've more than gotten my money's worth out of this pot. Sure, you can fry up big batches of anything in this. The larger basket sits at the bottom of the pot, the shorter one has a lip on it so it sits at the top of the pot, so depending on how much oil you use, you could use either one or both of the baskets for frying. We bought this pot to do an old fashioned shrimp boil, worked great for that, but we've also tried frying a turkey which it what it's made for and that was fun. I used it this fall for canning. It was great to do all that boiling water bath outdoors instead of in the kitchen. I've more than gotten my money's worth out of this pot.
1524389
Sorry, i really dont know., because i removed the handles in order for the basket to fit perfectly inside my pressure cooker. I use it to steam veggies and fruits.