Steamer pots

Which steamer for your stove

All four hold 3 quarts and come as a set: the pot, an insert that holds food above the simmering water, and a lid. Three are clad stainless steel for any stove, induction included: the All-Clad D3 Everyday (tri-ply, with a glass lid you can watch through) and D5 (five-ply) go in the oven and under the broiler to 600°F, and Hestan’s ProBond Luxe to 800°F. Vollrath’s Wear-Ever is bare aluminum and Vollrath says it does not work on induction.

Only Hestan allows the dishwasher for every part. All-Clad says to wash both of its pots by hand, though the D3 Everyday’s insert may go in the dishwasher; Vollrath doesn’t say, and recommends washing by hand. Hestan’s pot has the one cooking-surface figure here, 8.5 inches. Both All-Clad inserts are made in China and their pots in Pennsylvania with global components; the Hestan is made in Italy and the Vollrath in the USA.

A steamer pot spends most of the week without its insert, so it helps to know what the pot is on its own. All-Clad sells the D3 Everyday’s pot as a 3-quart sauce pan, the one here that doubles as an everyday saucepan for rice, sauces and vegetables. The D5’s pot is sold as a casserole and Hestan’s as a soup pot, for soup, stock and blanching.