How tall is the pot? It sounds good but I primarily want an asparagus steamer. Has anyone used it for this purpose? Any problem with longer stalks?
606543
I've used mine for cooking/steaming asparagus. It's ca. 8 inches inside. I love my little pot, but treat the steamer basket gently. I've used mine to can vegetables and it's great for small batches.
606544
Very handy pot. Could use two but have to settle for the one. I mostly boil eggs...it is so easy and fast. If I ate asparagus alot I would probably use it for it. I love my pot. I think I will try boiling potatoes next time.
606545
I recognized this instantly as the perfect asparagus pot for me. (Whoever donated it to Goodwill didn't know what they had!) I am happy to say that it steams asparagus quickly, while taking up very little room on the stove. I just measured a bunch of raw asparagus from the store. It measures 10" tall.The pot is 8" inside, but we always cut off some of the ends, right? The silicone steamer basket handle is nice, making it comfortable to pull the basket from the hot pot. I happily use this tall pot often. I would buy it for full price if I had to!
606546
It's about 8" tall inside the basket allowing a little lid clearance. Works wonderful for asparagus. If I have taller stalks from my garden I try to halve them into nice portions.
606547
it is more than tall enough to hold asparagus - but i would say that it's so much more useful than for just asparagus!
606548
this works great for asparagus.I have also used it for small articokes and for potatos and squash as well as for boiling eggs. great steamer. Marianne S.
606549
20cm I use it as my asparagus steamer, perfect for that as well as steaming other veg. Bev
606550
It's perfect for asparagus and just about everything else you can imagine, it stays on my stovetop all the time and is my "go to pot".I love it so much I'm thinking about purchasing a second one.
606551
It is approx. 8-1/4" tall. When this pot was advertised on QVC, they showed it could be used for asparagus, though I primarily use it for sweet corn, pasta, and eggs.
1984965
If I can cook with this, anyone can, because I am an awful cook!! Nevertheless, I got this because I thought it would help me eat more veggies as I'm a bad veggie eater. You fill the reservoir with water, place the veggie holder right on top of the reservoir, plop in the veggies (including asparagus) and set the timer for about 12 minutes or so. I sprinkle on some Goya seasoning for flavor but you can do whatever you want. This is a great little steamer and I highly recommend it.
228500
Yes you can do as described but it isn't really steaming but rather boiling the veggies. The legs on this unit are nubs and not long enough to lift veggies put of water. A steam basket would be more appropriate. There is one made of stainless with 1" legs built to open (blossom like a flower) to fit the vessel being used to cook with. BTW it doesn't take a few inches to steam veggies for most families. The less water used the faster the water will create steam.
1828665
I prefer to put corn with husk still on into microwave rather than boil all the flavor out of it, so I would never use this to cook corn and I found it not very successful for cooking asparagus which is why I purchased it in the first place. I have donated this item to the Thrift Store.
728351
HEY Caitlin S....they make steamer baskets for regular sized pot and pan....if the steamer basket that they make does not fit try putting a stainless steel colander in the pot with a lid that fits...it will not be as efficient, but it works and have done this many times...all depends on the diameter of your stock pot if the factory basket fits or not, what i do works......john
228501
Yes you can do as described but it isn't really steaming but rather boiling the veggies. The legs on this unit are nubs and not long enough to lift veggies put of water. A steam basket would be more appropriate. There is one made of stainless with 1" legs built to open (blossom like a flower) to fit the vessel being used to cook with. BTW it doesn't take a few inches to steam veggies for most families. The less water used the faster the water will create steam. I popped over and looked. Do an Amazon search for steam basket and you will see several better suited for steaming. As for this cast iron trivet, I own several and use them for braising meats on the stove top. Yes you can do as described but it isn't really steaming but rather boiling the veggies. The legs on this unit are nubs and not long enough to lift veggies put of water. A steam basket would be more appropriate. There is one made of stainless with 1" legs built to open (blossom like a flower) to fit the vessel being used to cook with. BTW it doesn't take a few inches to steam veggies for most families. The less water used the faster the water will create steam. I popped over and looked. Do an Amazon search for steam basket and you will see several better suited for steaming. As for... » Read More Yes you can do as described but it isn't really steaming but rather boiling the veggies. The legs on this unit are nubs and not long enough to lift veggies put of water. A steam basket would be more appropriate. There is one made of stainless with 1" legs built to open (blossom like a flower) to fit the vessel being used to cook with. BTW it doesn't take a few inches to steam veggies for most families. The less water used the faster the water will create steam. I popped over and looked. Do an Amazon search for steam basket and you will see several better suited for steaming. As for this cast iron trivet, I own several and use them for braising meats on the stove top. « Show Less
1203160
Have you gotten any answers to your question? I am also curious if you can steam vegetables or frozen dumplings in the VitaClay unit. Perhaps you just need to add a stainless steel steamer basket inside on the bottom and go from there? For that reason, I would like to know exactly how big the clay pot is- what is the diameter? If I place a standard steamer basket in there, How much room would be left over? Finally, can I program it to run for the few minutes needed to steam vegetables? Or is it set to specific increments?
762980
I have one of these steamers and it is awesome. I do not have a manual but I would think you can find one online doing a google search? It is a relatively simple steamer though so I am not really sure you would need one. I steam all kinds of vegetables in mine and the time varies depending on the vegetable and the amount in the steamer as well as the microwave power. I would recommend experimenting with the amount of time needed for various items and then record or make a mental note for future reference. I can tell you that a pound of Asparagus takes 8 min. in an 1100 watt microwave. I microwave a large stalk of Broccoli for 12 minutes and let it stand in the steam another 15 minutes before serving and it is perfect. Baby Carrots take about 9 minutes , peas and sugar snap peas take about 8 or 9 minutes. Letting what ever you steam stand about 15 minutes to complete the cooking process is important. Good Luck and hope this helps.
1636165
If you were going to buy this pot for the insert, why wouldn't you use the set? You can use the Cuisinart for something else. I often have two veggie steamers going at once. I use an old unstable, collapsable steamer insert in one of my other pots and put asparagus spears into that one.No problem with large spears, if it is a bit tippy upon taking it out. My Oggi steamer holds the carrot coins or cauliflower florets. It is a very nice pot.
1641441
I planted mine asparagus in a raised bed, approx. 6 ft x 7 ft. The crowns are 10 inches deep. I started getting asparagus the first year but did not harvest any. This is the second year and I get a few almost every day. MG.
582520
Agree with other comments. I love this canner and even have used it as a stock pot for large batches of soup but I am concerned that since the height of the pot is 9" you may not have enought room unless you are doing a steam boil with less water. Quarts, pints, and half pints have worked wonderfully for me.
2171849
The inside diameter is approximately 5 and 1/2 inches. I own Calphalon cooking ware, but I purchased this Circulon unit because I wanted something smaller to cook asparagus or four ears of corn on the cob. Works luck a charm! The inside basket makes steaming so easy. No problem with clean-up! Because the handle of the lid is taller than most pots, I turn the top inward to fit in my cupboards. My daughters bought themselves one each because they liked how mine steamed.
703322
The steamer is super flexible, and we use it in our 7" pots all the time. Works great.
1129917
I'll do my best to answer this qustion. The inside diameter of the steamer basket is 9.5 inches at its' widest point and 4 1/8th inches deep. The pot depth is 5 7/8 inches. When inserted, the steamer basked goes into the pot approximately 1 3/4 inches.I use this steamer regularly. In fact, I used it today to par-steam two pounds of Brussels Sprouts for freezing. I could not be happier with the product. It gets a great deal of use in my kitchen.
45036
I love this steamer, much better than any I have ever had because the legs are quite long and raise the steamer above the bottom of the pot about two inches (approximation) Never a problem about running out of water even if the cook is a little inattentive. The legs are also very sturdy.
2124303
this raised bed is FANTASTIC! i've had it for 3 years, and it still looks wonderful. my asparagus is finally ready, and it did great in this bed. i'm not a green thumb by any means, so that's saying something. i would suggest that you make sure that the soil below the bed is rich as well. i live in NC, so it's mostly clay. if i ever put another bed in, i will make sure to dig an additional 6" or so below and add better, organic soil, since the roots of asparagus run deep. i should also say that i had other plants in this bed, along with the asparagus, and they all did well. good luck!
1882513
If the only thing you want to do is steam veggies, it may not be the best appliance. I use it as a pressure cooker for beans, a rice/grain cooker, a soup pot (great because you can saute right in the pot before you put in water or stock) and a slow cooker. I really love this appliance and use it regularly. That being said, I usually steam my veggies on the stove top in a stainless steamer pot.