Do I need to have a device such as a double boiler in the kitchen? The reviews, benefits and harms of this device have many times become the topic of discussion on online forums and talk shows on television. Consider the manufacturers who are engaged in the production of this type of equipment, and try to find out if the double boiler and the food cooked in them do any harm.
Saturn
For almost twenty years (since 1996), appliances from Saturn have been present on the home appliance market and fill a niche that consists of the necessities of every housewife. Having started its activities in the Czech Republic, over time, the manufacturer began to cooperate with more than 90 factories in Turkey, Taiwan and China.
The steam cooker Saturn offers is a great option for the general public. The prices for double boiler are determined by all possible parameters and lie in the range from 20 to 50 US dollars. So, we will consider the parameters by which the models of double boiler available from the Czech manufacturer differ in the production and sale.
The main parameters that interest any consumer
1. Power. The value of this parameter for a double boiler can be 400 W (the simplest and most inexpensive options), 800 W, 850 W, 900 W. The most powerful steam boiler SATURN (model ST-EC1180) has a power value of 1000 watts.
2. By the method of controlling this kitchen appliance, there are distinguished double boiler with mechanical control (handle-switch) and electronic (push-button control with display).
3. The number of tiers and their capacity. These characteristics directly “say” how many dishes can be prepared at the same time and in what volume. There are two options - two- or three-tier double boiler, with a capacity of 2 l, 2.5 l, 3 l, 4 l. Also tiers can be equipped with special slots for cooking eggs. If there are any, then there are either four or six.
4. A separate item is the volume of the container for rice. Its value ranges from 0.5 liters to 1.5.
5. The tank for water. Cooking in a double boiler requires (in the case of low-power devices) from 0.25 to 0.44 liters, for more powerful devices you need up to 1.2-1.8 liters of water. Most options have a water level scale; where it is not there, the auto-off function is added when there is not enough.
6. The timer. There are ordinary timers, which after a certain time simply turn off the device (the “auto power off” function is present in absolutely all models), while others are additionally equipped with a sound module to notify of the end of work. The time for which you can start a timer is 60 minutes (mostly), and a couple of variations with 75 and 90 minutes.
Product Reviews
What is more often said about the company SATURN, namely about such a device as a double boiler, reviews (benefits and harms, ease of use, etc.) from customers:
- Double boiler look stylish and fit perfectly into the interior;
- there is a two year warranty;
- quickly and tasty we get dinner without being distracted by its preparation;
- there are no recipe books and instructions, but, fortunately, there is the Internet;
- reasonable prices in combination with high quality.
PHILIPS
This is a company that has existed since 1891 and is engaged in three areas - medical equipment, innovative lighting equipment and consumer goods. Since 1914, the company opened its first representative office in Russia in St. Petersburg, and now there are at least eight major cities. Now the staff is 115 thousand employees, and the company's revenues are estimated in billions.
The first Philips double boiler appeared in 2008. From the start, it had many functions, and the latest models even more so. The simplest Philips double boiler can be bought for $ 20-25, and the price for the most powerful model reaches $ 150.
There are several simple options - two tiers, a normal timer and mechanical control, and the rest have many additional functions (maintaining heat, turbo heating, an indicator that indicates a small amount of water), pre-set cooking modes, and more. The removable parts of the double boiler can be washed in dishwashers.
PHILIPS double boiler, specifications
1. The power of the PHILIPS double boiler starts at 900 watts. The most powerful ones have a value of 2000 W, an intermediate value of 1350 W is also found.
2. The method of management. More models are electronically controlled, but there are also mechanical ones.
3. The number of tiers and their capacity. Two or three tiers with a volume of bowls from 2.5 to 3.5 liters, in which there are recesses for cooking eggs in the amount of six pieces.
4. Capacity for cooking soups, rice, stewing dishes. Present in all models except two-tier. Also double boiler equipped with a special container for herbs. It is located at the bottom of the device, directly at the steam outlet in front of containers with cooked food. You can put your favorite seasonings in it so that the dish can be saturated with their aroma.
5. The tank for water. Volume variation - 1 liter, 1.1 liter, 1.4 liter, 1.5 liter, 1.6 liter. All options have a water level scale, and are also equipped with a shutdown function in case of lack of water in the tank.
6. The timer. As in Saturn's double boiler products, there are regular timers, and the time it takes to start them is 60 minutes. In other cases, there is a digital timer, in places with an indicator of the remaining cooking time, and with an audible alert about readiness.
Other aspects
The PHILIPS company, or rather its double boiler, customer reviews (benefits and harms, problems of use, etc.) have the following:
- Eco-passport for all products. The emphasis is on the fact that the company cares about environmental cleanliness and human health.
- High cost, but also excellent multifunctionality.
- A double boiler, the instruction for use of which is useful to any housewife, has this very instruction in case of complex technological equipment. In simple double boiler it is not.
- Technical aspects of management are not always clearly and clearly indicated.
- It is inconvenient to wash the grates; food is clogged in them. Those who do not have dishwashers need to buy brushes, because cleaning with a sponge is not very easy.
An interesting kitchen appliance is a double blender. So, for example, the Avent double boiler from PHILIPS is a unique device for young mothers.
In it you can cook food that will retain its beneficial substances as much as possible due to heat treatment by steam, and immediately make mashed potatoes out of it.
Steamers from German manufacturers
Other companies are also focusing on the release of a popular device at home. Braun - a company engaged in the production of household electrical products, offers a small assortment of this product, with only three items.
All of them are of the same type, have the same characteristics. Braun (double boiler) is a powerful 850 W steam generator, mechanical control with a timer for up to 60 minutes, automatic shutdown at the end of cooking. The total volume of the bowls (there are only two) is up to 6.2 liters. All models have two-liter containers for rice, as well as baskets for cooking eggs. Models vary in design and price. The approximate cost is 40-60 dollars.
If we talk about the company Braun, the double boiler reviews (benefit and harm, technical side) have the following: among the minuses of these devices, consumers indicate the absence of an indicator of the amount of water. Occasionally there are complaints about the quality of the timer. Otherwise, most buyers respond only positively.
What is the question of the dangers of double boiler related?
The main thing that worries buyers is the effect of steam on plastic containers. Undoubtedly, plastic is convenient, both in everyday life and in production. But under the influence of elevated temperatures, the plastic releases a certain amount of chemicals, which, with constant regular ingestion into the body, can lead to disruption of the endocrine system. Such studies were recently conducted by the guys from CertiChem, PlastiPure and employees of Georgetown University. The study was based on materials that are actively used on the market, including those announced as not containing bisphenol-A. This chemical substance is highly active, and the same Braun company mentioned above, in the characteristics for double boilers, indicates the high quality of the material of the products and the absence of BPA in it. But according to the results of the experiment, it is clear that in addition to this bisphenol, there are many other substances in the plastic that negatively affect the human body.
What is the way out of this situation?
If you are very frightened by the fact of using plastic in double boiler, which is understandable, but you want healthy food, then a steamer pan may be the way out of this situation.
Its advantage is that the material from which it is made is most often stainless steel or anodized aluminum. In general, the pan that you use daily, but it is not simple, but a double boiler pan. The principle of operation is the same as that of an electric device, adjusted for the lack of a timer and warning equipment. You yourself must follow the cooking process, the availability of sufficient water and so on. It is even easier to use a steaming basket.
It can be placed in a suitable container already in the farm, and voila - the double boiler is ready. The instructions for use are simple - put the products, cover, follow the water. This is the easiest and cheapest way to get healthy food, unless, of course, you put this for yourself a priority in nutrition. Fried lovers such food will not be very familiar, and to force to consume fish or steamed vegetables is very difficult. Of course, in food cooked traditionally in sunflower oil, there are a lot of harmful substances released at elevated temperatures, which cause diseases of the cardiovascular system. But if you are thinking about your health and looking for a way to at least reduce possible risks, steaming can be a way out.