14
Over 40 minutes?
17. If you intend to steam for more than 40 minutes
a) either keep an eye on the water level and/or the
timer, and top up the reservoir with boiling water at
about the half way mark
b) or set the timer for half the steaming time, then the
bell will alert you to top up the reservoir
Whole chicken? - No problem!
18. To steam a bulky item, such as a whole chicken, go to
10 (a) above, then:
a) Sit the chicken in the bottom basket
b) Look at the base inside the second basket
c) Press the retaining clips in towards the centre of the
base
d) Lift the base out
e) Fit the second basket on top of the first
f) Fit the lid to the second basket NB Don't remove the
base from the bottom basket. Putting food in the juice
tray is not a good idea.
Boiling dry
19. Don't worry - we thought of this and fitted a thermostat.
20. It's still not a good idea, as you lose control of the
cooking process, but it needn't be a disaster (more of
an "Oops - I hcpe no-one's looking").
21. In the event of a boil-dry occurring (that sounds much
better than "if you forget and let it boil dry", doesn't it)
the thermostat will cut off power to the element, but the
Power-on tight will remain.
22. The thermostat will cycle on and off until you remember
to add water, or until the timer returns to 0 and switch-
es off.
23. Turn the timer to 0, let it cool for a couple of minutes,
then top up with boiling water and start the timer.
24. When calculating the time needed, allow for the whole
of the time already spent steaming, and part of the time
between running dry and restarting, as the cooking
process will not have stopped immediately the reservoir
ran dry.
25. If you watch the cooking process, there's no reason why
the rescue operation shouldn't be 100% successful.
26. If it isn't, then a piquant sauce should do the rick - try
something with lemon or lime in it first. If all else fails,
ginger, garlic, or chilli will hide absolutely anything.
Emptying
27. When the timer returns to 0, the bell will sound, the
Power-on light will go out, and the steamer will switch
off.
28. Unplug the base unit from the power socket.
29. Everything will be hot - use oven gloves or a cloth - use
the handles.
30. Steam will escape from the baskets - keep hands, face,
etc. away from the area above the steamer. Don't lean
over it.
31. When lifting the lid, angle it to direct steam away from
your body.
32. Lay the lid on a plate or tray.
33. Lift off the baskets and set them down on plates
or a tray before serving.
34. Take care when removing the juice tray - apart from
being very hot, the juices are likely to stain if spilt.
35. Any water remaining in the reservoir should be left to
cool, then poured via one of the handles, to avoid get-
ting the timer switch or mains lead wet.
Timing
The times given in the cooking guide on the next page are
for a single layer of food in the bottom basket, used on its
own. You will need to extend these times.
a) if two or three baskets are used, as the same amount of
steam is having to heat a greater volume of food
b) if a particular food is cooked in the second or third bas-
ket. Generally speaking, the further the food is from the
element, the longer it will take to cook.
c) if food is layered within a basket.
You will need to experiment to find the times and positions
which suit your favourite foods and food combinations.
Fish is cooked when it appears opaque and can be flaked
easily. Cook meat until the juices run clear. Leaf vegetables
should be cooked as little as possible, to keep them green
and crisp.
Plunging into iced water will stop the cooking process
(plunging the food, that is).
The rice bowl
When cooking rice, add water to the rice bowl in addition to
the water in the reservoir. The volume of water added to the
rice bowl should be roughly one and a quarter times the
volume of the rice.
Put the rice bowl in the topmost basket. Juices from other
foods will alter the flavour of the rice, and the additional
liquid may make the rice mushy.
The separator
This fits across the centre of the smallest basket, although
it can be used in any of the baskets.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Unplug the steamer from the power socket and let it cool
down fully before cleaning.
Cleaning
Wash the lid, rice bowl, baskets, separator, juice tray, and
steam tube in warm, soapy water, then rinse thoroughly and
dry.