Pasta pot, steamer and stock pot, all in one!
Written: Mar 16 '08
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Pros: This is the most utilized specialty pot in our kitchen.
Cons: The steaming function is not my favorite.
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend this for the pasta insert and stock pot uses; for steaming there are better alternatives out there...
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| ivplay's Full Review: Fagor Stainless Steel Multi Cooker/Steamer 8-Quart |
If your household has children in it as does ours, I am sure that you make macaroni and cheese frequently. In addition to this staple of the American diet, Italian dishes based on a pasta of some sort can be found frequently cooking in our kitchen. During a recent foray into the kitchen store of choice at the local mall, I happened upon the Fagor 8-quart Stainless Steel Multi Cooker/Steamer and had to buy it. My wife scoffed at me, claiming that it would be relegated to the cooks boneyard in our kitchen, a space in the cupboard taken up by gadgets, pots and pans that I purchased with great expectations with little follow through. I assured her that was not the case, to which I received a skeptical glance...
What is it?
The Fagor 8-quart stainless multi-cooker/steamer is a utility pot for many uses in the average kitchen. The base of the pan is an 8-quart stock pot/dutch oven which can be used by itself for cooking soups, stews and broths. A punched stainless insert that sits on the lip of the stock pot allows for cooking pasta, potatoes and the like that the user wants to take out of the pot without dumping the boiling water. An additional punched insert which is shallower in depth can be used to hold vegetables up out of the water and steam them as the fancy strikes. Topping it all off is a glass lid that sits tightly over the pot and/or either insert as needed. Present in the glass lid is a small hole with a metal grommet for allowing steam to escape during the cooking process.
Both the stock pot and the pasta insert have two stainless hollow handles attached for easy relocation while the steamer insert has a metal wire handle which sits inside the cooking area while steaming. Take care when picking up any of the pieces, especially the steamer, as the handles will absorb heat through use. The glass lid has a stainless handle in the center of the lid which is generally cool to the touch, although again take care when removing it to avoid any contact burns.
Use
Much to my amusement and my wife's chargin, we both use this pot very frequently for our cooking needs. Getting water to the boiling point in this pan is quite easy, as the metal is fairly thin and therefore transfers heat well. Care must be taken if using this to create soups and stews, as the fast rate of heat transfer can lead to localized burning of the contents at the bottom of the pan. For this reason I generally use a ceramic lined 16 quart stockpot as opposed to this pot for creation of my own homemade broths, both chicken and beef. If this were your only pot for this use be sure to stir often to avoid burning of the contents.
Cooking pastas and potatoes with the Fagor 8-quart cooker is a cinch. Simply get the water boiling, insert the pasta sieve and pasta and boil to the directions. Once the pasta is cooked to perfection, pull the insert and carefully transfer to the sink where you can rinse the pasta off with cold/cool water to stop the cooking process. Be sure to stop the cooking of the pasta slightly earlier than directed if it will be added to a dish and baked; this will avoid the rubbery texture of overcooked pasta in the dish.
We have used the steamer insert a few times, although my wife and I have found that new products such as the steamer bags for microwaving work quite well and require less cleanup. It is a tossup to me whether the additional trash created via using the bags offsets the water usage from steaming vegetables, so we have gone both ways as the fancy strikes us. In use I don't particularly care for the steaming in the Fagor as the handle sits inside the pot as the vegetables steam, making it difficult to catch the wire handle. The possibility of burns goes up as this flops around while I try and catch it, although to be fair I haven't actually burned myself with it. It does the job, if you wish to use the pot for this purpose.
Care
Since the pot and inserts do not come with a non-stick coating, they are dishwasher and oven safe. That being said, the manufacturer and I both recommend that you hand wash them. The abrasive nature of dishwasher soap will start to scratch the pot and inserts and the intense heat can 'yellow' the stainless steel as well. Besides, stainless steel pans are not all that difficult to clean! If you have stuck-on foods that get difficult to dislodge, simply deglaze them. As soon as you are done cooking the food and remove it from the pan, add enough water, broth, etc. to cover the crispy bits and bring it to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, scrape the bits lightly with a wooden spoon and in general they will come right off. The pot is now a snap to clean with a soapy rag. I recommend hand drying the pot directly after washing, as this will keep the water spots from forming.
So what do I think?
As I mentioned earlier, my wife thought this would fall to the pots and pan boneyard, never to see the light of day again. Fortunately for me, this didn't turn out to be the case! Both my wife and I use this frequently for our pasta cooking needs, and cooking potatoes in this is a snap as well. I have used the 8-quart pot by itself to make several soups and stews, and so long as you take care to stir often and monitor the heat you will be making great creations in no time. The pot heats up quickly and distributes heat very evenly, making this a good choice for your kitchen needs. I recommend this cooking system from Fagor and give it a four star rating.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 49
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