(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best steamer cookware

I have actually. Here are my posts regarding it:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/fuucp/im_brewing_sake_aka_nihonshu_here_are_photos_of/

http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/ghsea/strained_racked_sakenihonshu_to_secondary_today/

http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/h0mfy/im_brewing_sake_and_heres_an_update_second/

http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/ixbh9/sake_brewing_update_and_racking_an_american_wild/

In response to your questions, firstly, yes the Sake kit from Midwest will work, but you'll need more materials than just the mold spores. I used the Taylor made method, as it was the best one I could find. There's not a lot of information out there on it. There are some other methods, but none were as sound or mature as Taylors.

I used this yeast, and it worked well:

http://www.wyeastlab.com/rw_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=43

I also had to buy one of these, which I steam over my huge wok:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TK1O1I

I also had to buy a three gallon better bottle and 20 pounds of hitomebore rice, which is the best, most polished rice I could find at my local Korean supermarket.

A tip would be to AT LEAST double your batch size. I doubled the Taylor made recipe and ended up with three gallons of finished sake in the bottles. If you count the first and second bits of potable nigorizake (the white, cloudy, unsettled lees), I suppose it would be about just under 4 gallons. Next time, I will perhaps triple the recipe, as it takes a long time to mature.

I'm just now starting to drink the finished product, and it came out really good. Next time, I will take the primary ferm temp down a couple more degrees. The racking leftovers aka nigorizake was good, but very fusel-laden.

BTW, the Midwest kit mentions citric acid being necessary. I didn't use any because I used the Taylor made method, which allows for some bacterial acid production to take place in conjunction with the fermentation. I think it worked well for my batch. If you go that route, you won't need acid additions unless you think its necessary down the line after some evaluation.

I actually use a huge pasta pot for when I prep veggies to steam. I can't recall what size it is offhand, but it's pretty decent sized without being a monster size. I use one of those steamer baskets like this to make it easy to do. I prefer to find the ones with a handle in the middle, but if space is at a premium you can get one that doesn't have that handle and just use tongs to pull out the veggies into another big bowl. The huge $1 seasonal wal mart bowls work great for that since they are cheap and are easy to clean. And they work great for when I put other preps in when everything is mixed together like chinese dishes, or eggs for breakfast burritos.

The accessory kit I was just gifted is for the 3qt. I do suggest if you want a good accessory, get a metal, not mesh, steamer basket insert. It makes cooking vegetables etc that have small pieces, so much easier!

I have done boneless skinless chicken thighs in mine with vegetables a few times. Pretty siimple - take the wire rack circle thing they include and wrap it with foil. Put it in the bottom of the instapot. Add your cooking water (however much for the larger instapot, mine says use 1 cup) Take your chicken and season all the pieces. Roll up the pieces so they fit neatly in the bottom of the pot, all in one layer. Next, take your raw veg and season those. If you rinse the veg quickly and shake off the excess water, the seasoning sticks better, and you get better flavored veg! Put the veg on top of the chicken. Close up the instapot and set for 8 minutes (yeah, really) Make sure the vent valve is closed, and let it cook.

I got a metal basket for mine, not a mesh basket. When you look at them, you can see why the mesh one would be awful to clean after - which is why I don't suggest getting that style.

this basket set is like what I was gifted today, but is sized for yours. I'm thrilled to get to try this idea, because the idea of doing something like lentil soup in the bottom, and then some veggies to put in it, in the top, and not have mush for veggies, is intriguing. Plus, these are good for doing desserts...I'm dying to find a low-carb dessert I can do in mine! Something like this would be neat to do things like broccoli beef and sauce in one and rice in the other - at the same time, for example. There's a ton of ideas to play with.

If you don't already have them, an immersion blender + Instant Pot = your new BFF. I would suggest buying this accessory kit:

https://www.amazon.com/Aiduy-Pressure-Accessories-Compatible-Instant/dp/B07MHWRSJL

Among the goodies included is a silicone egg-bite tray, which you can use to fill with food & freeze for future use, so you can make & freeze batches at a time. A few ideas:

1. Pureed veggies. Note that you can puree meats, like soft chicken (ex. boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked in the Instant Pot), so you can make things like pureed chicken & sweet-potato.
   
2. Flavored yogurt. Just blend fruit & yogurt, makes the yogurt taste better & adds fruit to the diet.
   
3. Blender smoothies. A great way to mix a lot of things. Spinach pineapple smoothies are actually way better than they sound, lol.
   
   When self-feeding becomes a thing, check out these reusable squeeze-food pouches:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H8DN35J/
   
   Lots of benefits:
   
   
4. Can be used for all of the food ideas above (smoothies, fruit-flavored yogurts, baby food purees)
   
5. Comes with a fill ring, which makes pouring easy
   
6. Can be put in dishwasher's top rack (huzzah!)
   
   Like you said, making baby food at home is way cheaper than buying it pre-made. Plus you can freeze it up in batches. The Instant Pot makes it easy to soften just about anything to the point where it will blend well, and the immersion blender lets you blend stuff up right in the pot. If you have the budget available, a Blendtec or Vitamix blender is pretty awesome because they can literally liquify meat (ask me how I know that). Plus you can make no-chunk fruit yogurts & various types of smoothies, whole juices, etc.
   
   One way to save on containers for freezer storage is to use Press 'N Seal wrap. It's similar to regular Saran wrap, but it has little suction cups on the inside to help it stick to itself, so you can actually lock out air. So prep the baby food, fill the silicone mold, freeze, pop them out, wrap each one in Press 'N Seal, then throw those in a large gallon Ziploc freezer bag, and voila!

You can spend 4-500 bucks on a Blichmann boilermaker, and I'm sure you'll be super happy - but its not necessary.

All you need is the pot itself, extra bells and whistles (ball valve, thermometer, sightglass) are 100% optional, it depends on what you want from your pot.

As far as guage of the steel, triple clad bottoms, aluminum vs stainless - there are pros and cons to it all. I would recommend avoiding the triclad bottom pots, however, as they tend to be significantly more expensive for little added benefit.

My personal recommendation would be the Bayou Classic 60 quart stainless steel. There's also an aluminum version.

If you really want the extra features, you can buy hardware and add it yourself for cheaper than buying it pre-made, but I would think about why you want those features before you spend the extra money.

A ball valve is good if you ever intend to build a system with pumps.

A sightglass is a nice to have regardless of your system, and helps you nail your volumes a little closer.

A thermometer is largely unnecessary since you can see when it is boiling. If you intend to do BIAB, you will probably want a quicker reading digital thermometer rather than the analog ones you'll see in most kettle therms.

First indoor grow! All advice welcome. Please, rip me up. Total noob at pruning, learning a lot for round two. They're too tall, and crazy.

I dumb lucked my way into these cuttings. So stoked. A grower buddy of mine just finished the same cut. Fruit punch and gasoline. I'm gonna make it into the craziest live rosin that I can.



Info:
2 x 600 watt HPS
Emerald Harvest Cali Pro line, following the recommended schedule. Using Bionova Silution for my silica through veg/strech.
I use tap water thats been oxygenated for 24 hours.
I also used the Emerald Harvest CalMag during veg/strech, but I think I'm gonna switch to one without nitrogen next time.
They're in 5 gallon dirt pots of Fox Farm Salamander Soil, recommended to me by the guy I got the cuttings from.
I found these racks on amazon that work perfectly for lifting the pot off the tray, allowing air under. They never sit in the run off.
Hand watered every other day. The Salamander soil retains a lot of water. It doesn't dry out every day, or even every other day. When they were small and vegging, they held water for 4 to 5 days.
I water 1.5 gallons each making about 40%-50% run off.
PH'd to 5.8.
AC in room set to 60F.
Dehumidifier in room set to 40% RH.

I had/have what I believe to be a bit too much nitrogen, so for the last couple rounds of water, I skipped the A&B, just did the bloom boost and sugars. I gave them a full nutrient load just before these pictures. I'm considering just running micro, bloom boost, and sugar for the next two weeks.

I use a vegetable steamer basket as my "false bottom."

I don't know if it's 100% necessary, but I haven't scorched my bag yet, so I can't really complain. For the price, why not have it? Also it works pretty nicely for its intended purpose as well.

Also, oven rack over pot = winning for draining the bag. I can hoist 20lbs of wet grain, but fuck if I'm gonna hold it over the pot. Oven rack solves that quite nicely, couldn't agree more.

You may want to check amazon. They have some pretty inexpensive SS pots that qualify for prime 2 day free shipping.

I got this from the Target on Elston (32 qt alumninum for $20). It isn't as nice as the stainless steel, but I've been using it for almost two years now without issue. Nice to have nice equipment, but I spend money on beer making ingredients.

Good luck with getting started!

This 1 quart steamer set I've had for six years gets constant use. It's great for one-person servings of vegetables or steaming longer-cooking veggies like brussels sprouts before adding them to a pan with other ingredients. Cheap metal tea/spice infusers are nice for making soups and containing things like whole peppercorns, and making fresh turmeric/ginger tea. Pinch bowls or spice bowls are useful for holding chopped veggies until it's time to add them to a dish. I have an immersion blender and food processor that get used maybe once per year.

Not silicone, but I love this one for my IP.
It's a clever design; the feet can fold flat, the center handle extends, and it can easily be removed with a fork to keep from burning your fingers.

I steam in a pot like this:

Oster 108132.03 Steamer, 1, Stainless Steel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BOVFHB0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qPXBCbQJ8HQEV

You put a little water in the bottom and put on stove on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, then when they are done I store whatever is left over in a glass container in my fridge. That will keep for 3-4 days.

It is possible to Steam in the microwave but for some reason I’ve always preferred how it comes out when I do it on the stovetop - I think because the veggies have a chance to drain better, so are less soggy, and I prefer using stainless steel and glass for my veggie steaming and storage, rather than plastics which I feel like microwave cooking uses more plastics.

Hope this helps :)

This is the pot I bought: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018EAV4M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Its listed at $60 now, but there was a special where I got it for $25.64 with shipping. Keep an eye out in /r/homebrewing, there are lots of deals posted.

I wish you luck but I don't love you yet sorry. One more tip on the subject- I recommend you don't brew drunk. You are dealing with lots of boiling hot water, and if you go that route, big glass carboys, and such, and you tend not to be as sanitary or as careful when you brew while drinking

You want easy vegetables? Get yourself a steamer cook set.

Fill the bottom with some water and toss your veggies in the basket. Let the water boil and take'm off when they've softened to your liking. Throw on some butter, or better yet, shell out for some John Henry's Pecan Rub and add a few shakes.

You'll find yourself eating more vegetables, which will make your mom proud and give you a healthy and shiny coat.

Whole chicken (bones)
onion
Carrots
2 tbsp fish sauce
Couple slices of fresh ginger
8 c of water

Cook in instant pot on soup setting for 2 hours.

The. Best. Ever.

And easiest! modern essentials and co instant pot steamer basket

I bought this steamer basket. Works pretty well and fits in the DUO60.

Doesn't seem to be available on Amazon.com, sorry if you are from the US :(. But I'm sure something like this or this would be almost exactly the same.

1 piece of advice that I'd add:

I have had a lot of luck steaming my wraps slightly before wrapping. It's a little bit of a pain because added step and because hot steam, but using one of these guys on a medium steam : https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Deluxe-3-Piece-Bamboo-Steamer/dp/B00005EBH8 really helps them be nice and soft and pliable (prevents breakage!)

[Jiffy Steamer](ESTEAM Personal Hand Held Steamer, 120 Volt https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0018ZHHS4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3pe5Bb11TY5A6)

I’ve used it for clothes and for some tapestries and it’s worked great!

I have the Jiffy ESTEAM. I love it. I hate ironing, and this replaces the iron for me with so much less work. It's small enough to travel with (takes up about the space of a pair of shoes) but doesn't feel like a crappy "travel version" the way some hair dryers and other electronics do. I use it on delicate fabrics, things I wouldn't feel comfortable ironing, and it works great. I'm in the US; I found the same steamer on Jiffy's Australian site, but it looks pricier.

Hey I went through this recently. I got one of these to start my steaming adventures and it worked great. Crab, specifically.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UZE3BFM/ref=asc_df_B00UZE3BFM4863719/

BIABer here, my take:

1. 5 gallon pot fine for 3 gallons
   
2. you'll need a smaller pot or broiler pan or something (whatever you have handy in kitchen) to help you squeeze the bag, you'll also want to get a false bottom for the pot so you don't scorch the bag if / when heating on stove top.
   
3. 5 gallon fermentation vessel is fine
   
4. tips:
   

• squeezing the bag won't lead to tannins (people who say so haven't done it)
  
• I put my pot in a heated oven to keep mash temperature
  
• Link below for a false bottom I use:
  EDIT to add another tip: add heated water to the grain vs. adding grain to heated water (takes much less time, results in very few dough balls).
  
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WACYZU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For Yogurt, I boil milk in IP and then transfer it over to a Insulated Casserole, basically it doesn't culture inside the IP and yes I do not use the Yogurt button. I have always made yogurt at home even before the existence of IP and now I basically use IP for boiling the milk, for the exact same reason as you that I don't have to monitor it like on a stove top.
When making multiple items that need to be boiled or steamed but not together I use [this.] (https://www.amazon.com/Stack-Stackable-Steamer-Insert-Sling/dp/B072N6N96Y).
I have yet to find a way to sear meat as well as steam veggies! But tbh the only reason I haven't bought a second one is because I don't have the counter space. Go for it!

I was thinking this too. I know that OP listed a crock pot as a no-no but I think it could be safe as long as you follow proper electric safety guidelines. They're designed to be left on for a long time so if you fall asleep while it's on, your house isn't going to burn down or anything. I could be wrong, but I don't think a crock pot could be any more dangerous in this situation than a microwave. If you leave chicken or pork in a crock pot for about 8 hours on low, when you take it out, it's so tender you can shred it with two forks so no knife needed to cut it. Add in veggies and then put some insta rice in the microwave and you have a meal.

I think you could also look for "College Dorm recipes" because most of the time in dorms, they don't allow anything other than a microwave. I remember people got pretty creative with recipes back when I lived in dorms. Here is my first link from Google.

I also have seen steamers that were designed to be used in a microwave. Like this. Also in the related product suggestions there is stuff like a microwave pressure cooker and rice cooker. Could those be helpful?

You could steam them. I've tried several methods and steam is the best IMHO.

Here's a steamer set if you want one

It looks like this is the exact same pot, only for almost twice as much as the other one. Still a good deal if you don't find it through Target.

I had never used a pressure cooker before, but when I made the decision to get one, I decided I was getting everything I thought I might need, so I bought the 6 qt ultra, an accessory kit, glass lid and a cookbook.

I've fallen in love with this thing. The first thing I made was hard boiled eggs for deviled eggs. We've also made barbecue chicken wings, rice, chili, and popcorn.

I cook most of my lunches in a multilevel bamboo steamer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00005EBH8/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?pc_redir=T1). I usually cook one portion of lean protein in the bottom, and two portions of veggies in the top. I prep the food right when I wake up (10 min), then let it cook while I shower/ shave (20 min). Put it into a Tupperware container and you're good to go!

Here's one. My mom has one just like it and I have spent WAY too long playing with it.

My parents had a noodle strainer that folded in and looked like a UFO, I used to play with that.

Edit: this one. Guess it's a steamer, I used it to strain my KD...

https://www.amazon.ca/ZYLISS-Stainless-Vegetable-Steamer-11-inch/dp/B00UZE3BFM?th=1&psc=1&source=googleshopping&locale=en-CA&tag=googcana-20&ref=pd_sl_xxp7dm6t4_e

You can use a trivet of sorts to keep it off of the bottom and get closer to the direct heat at the top. I recently picked up one and it worked flawlessly as you can control the height at which you want it. I used it at the lowest raised height to bake some biscuits using real coals, turned out perfect with no bottom scorching + they were so tasty.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007WACYZU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NIPPDbK3C5TNT

I ordered a 32qt tamale steamer. the same one that everyone talks about that's from Target, but with free shipping!

also, do you suggest bags to boil my hops in so that I can skip straining?

I have this one, I really like it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0792RSPZY/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1

BIAB in a 8-10 gallon kettle. You can get a 8-gallon kettle with lid for under $50 shipped or (better) a 10-gallon kettle without lid for $40 shipped. Cheap and easy way to do all-grain.

EDIT: I use the 8-gaalon kettle (used to be cheaper) and it works well, but in retrospect, I would go with the 10 gallon for more versatility. Make sure you insulate the kettle with a coat, blanket, or sleeping bag while mashing, as it tends to lose heat quickly.

Wow that's gonna be hard. You can go waay 90s, and use microwave egg poachers/bacon racks/griddle/steamer. We had one of those egg poacher things when I was a kid and it worked fine for a long time. I wouldn't expect any of those things to last forever, but they're cheap and should last you at least a couple years.

With those, obviously you could make bacon & eggs. You could also steam cauliflower for cauli mash?

I like this steamer basket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HCBDF2/

You can use something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Handy-Gourmet-Tier-Microwave-Steamer/dp/B000U6BPL2

or even just put them in a microwave bowl with a little water in the bottom (only about a tablespoon or two if they're frozen, because they will already have water in the form of ice crystals) and cover it loosely.

I got something similar to this or this, although mine has two equal sized pans. I like it because I don't have to clean out the main pot, just remove the pans, dump out the water, and put it back into the cooker. It's also nice because the food won't burn and stick to the pans.

I used this one, and it fit perfectly...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00194DVJI/

(tried an IMUSA steamer pot on my first build, and it was no bueno).

These are them right here

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0792RSPZY

$26 for a 8 gallon pot

direct link

http://www.amazon.com/Imusa-Steamer-Pot-Aluminum-32-Quart/dp/B0018EAV4M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347708541&sr=8-1&keywords=32+quart+pot

8 gallon tamale steamer for 26$, can't beat that ^^

How about a veggie steamer as a cheap false bottom. http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Large-Stainless-Vegetable-Steamer/dp/B00004UE8F

Just buy a microwave steamer. It is reusable and you only have to buy it once. Plus you can do a lot more food at once.

This is the reason these exist.

I also BIAB and have worried about scorching. On my next brew, I'm going to use a vegetable steamer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004UE8F/ref=redir_mdp_mobile) to keep the bag off of the bottom.

My pressure cooker came with a steaming tray. I just put that in the bottom and put the food to be steamed on it, with some water underneath. You could probably do the same with a steaming basket or similar item.

Something important to note, though, is for items with a short steaming time, the cooking speed improvements of a pressure cooker (roughly 3x as a rule of thumb) don't necessarily apply, because even with the higher boiling point of water, there's time required for the food to heat up and the cooker to get up to operating pressute. So if you need to steam something for an hour in a regular steamer, you can steam it for 20 minutes in a pressure cooker. But if it needs to steam for 15 minutes, you can't do it in 5.

Check these out: https://www.amazon.com/Update-International-STR1050-Steamer-Chrome-Plated/dp/B007WACYZU/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=steamer+rack&qid=1555042347&s=gateway&sr=8-4


Sometimes you can find it at your local asian store, or restaurant supply store. But it's really inexpensive. I suggest investing in one if you are really worried about the toys touching the bottom of pots.

It looks overcooked. When you overcook broccoli (and cabbage) the cell walls break down and it sets off a reaction that makes sulfur compounds. It turns the broccoli brown, makes a bad smell and taste.

We cook out broccoli in a steamer. Put water in the lower pot and put it on medium-high heat. Cut up the broccoli. Wash it and put it in the upper pot. (This has holes to let the steam in.) Make sure the lower pot is boiling. Cover and steam for 4 minutes.