It has no plug, and it fits the pan you already own
A steamer insert does what an electric steamer does without occupying a socket or a shelf, and its only real specification is fit. An adjustable folding basket spans a range of diameters and suits a mixed cupboard; a fixed insert matches one pan exactly, sits more stably and holds more. The dimension that is never printed and always matters is clearance: the basket has to hold food above the water with the lid still closing, and a tall insert in a shallow pan does neither. Stacking tiers multiply capacity on one ring. We compare fitted diameters, adjustability, tiers, clearance and materials.
20 cm (7.9 in) rack · food-grade stainless · raised rim · also a cooling rack · fits standard pots
A flat 20 cm (7.9 in) stainless rack rather than a basket: it lifts food clear of the water, doubles as a cooling rack, and costs less than a coffee.
Best for: Steaming a plate of dumplings or a bowl of custard inside a pot.
Folds 14 to 23.5 cm (5.5 to 9.3 in) · 10 cm high · 2.5 cm (1 in) feet · fits pressure cookers · stainless · dishwasher safe
The only folding basket here that publishes its height and its foot clearance — 10 cm (3.9 in) and 2.5 cm (1 in) — and states that it fits pressure cookers as well as pots.
Best for: A kitchen with a pressure cooker as well as pots.
≈ $42
Folds from 14 to 23 cm (5.5 to 9.1 in) · 430 stainless · three feet · petal design · compact storage
A folding petal basket that spans 14 to 23 cm (5.5 to 9.1 in), so it fits nearly any pot in a domestic kitchen, with three feet to hold food clear of the water.
Best for: Vegetables, in whichever pot is free.
Ø 17.5 cm (6.9 in) · 304 stainless · fixed basket with a handle · also a colander · perforated base
A fixed 17.5 cm (6.9 in) basket in 304 stainless with a handle, which makes it a steamer that can be lifted out hot — and a colander the rest of the time.
Best for: A pot you own and use often, where a fixed basket beats an adjustable one.
Ø 20 cm (7.9 in) · 11 cm (4.3 in) high · Cromargan 18/10 uncoated · oven safe to 250 °C (482 °F) · matched to Function 4 pots
A fixed 20 cm (7.9 in) insert in uncoated Cromargan, 11 cm (4.3 in) deep, stated oven safe to 250 °C (482 °F) and designed to match WMF’s own 20 cm (7.9 in) pots.
Best for: A WMF kitchen, or anyone with a 20 cm (7.9 in) pot who steams often.
≈ $120
A basket that is too wide will not go down, too narrow it tips. The diameter is the only measurement that decides compatibility.
A folding basket costs a few euros and turns any saucepan into a steamer, with no space lost in the cupboard.
A basket that sits too low dips into the boiling water and the vegetables end up boiled. The stated foot height decides what actually happens in the pan.
Measure the internal diameter of the pan at the top. A folding basket covers a range of diameters, a rigid basket only one.
Just below the basket, without touching it. Too much water boils the food instead of steaming it.
Imperatively: without a lid the steam escapes and the cooking no longer happens. It is the most frequent mistake.
It is pointless: salt does not rise with the steam. Season the food directly in the basket.
A perforated sheet of baking paper, or a few lettuce leaves under the fillet. Both work equally well.
The hinges slacken after a few years of intensive use. For a few euros, it is an accessory you replace without regret.
Yes, allowing for the times: put the longest in first and add the quick one partway through.
No: steam does not carry salt, which stays in the water and attacks the steel of the base. Vegetables are salted after cooking, in the dish.
The diameter decides everything, the lid decides the rest: without it, there is no steaming. A folding basket costing a few euros is enough for ordinary use and stores flat.
We show a column only when four utensils in five publish its value. The rest would stay empty and settle nothing.
| Model | Price | Material |
|---|---|---|
| Silit 1529.6024.01 | $42 | Stainless steel |
| WMF 0766206380 | $120 | Cromargan 18/10 stainless, polished, uncoated |
| Aomig AM7-ZL-FBA | — | 430 food-grade stainless steel |
| Aosiingarx 015 | — | 304 stainless steel |
| LYSPBAO LY123-01 | — | Food-grade stainless steel, stated rustproof and heat resistant |
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for cookware and kitchen knives and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.
Most recent revision in this category: September 3, 2026.
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
