Black & Decker Flavor Scenter Steamer Plus Food/Rice Cooker
Written: Mar 14 '02 (Updated Sep 29 '02)
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Pros: Perfect Veggies, Perfect Rice, Seasoning Screen, Bowl Divider, Timer, and Inexpensive
Cons: Cannot Use Under a Cabinet
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend this product for great tasting steamed veggies and excellent rice.
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| mountainhigh's Full Review: Black & Decker HS900 Flavor Scenter 8-Cup Rice Coo... |
Cooking rice in a pot of boiling water on top of the range became a dreaded task due to boil overs and constant watching of the rice so it did not start burning after the rice soaked up the water. Steaming our favorite veggies was ok with a steamer inside a pot on the range but it became a stuffing and rearranging process to get the veggies to fit. When I saw the Black & Decker Flavor Scented Plus Food Rice Cooker, model HS900, I thought this would be worth it if it made my life in the kitchen easier. And, that is exactly what this has done; made my life a lot easier in the kitchen.
What the Black and Decker Rice Cooker Has and What is Its Use?
Base Unit: This is the bottom part of the unit where your heating element is and all the components fit onto. The base unit has a timer for up to 75 minutes and dings when your time has completed. It also has an orange light that indicates it is on. Inside of the base unit are 3 fill lines: low, medium, and high. On the back side of the base is a steaming guide for asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, chicken breasts, clams, fish fillets, green beans, hot dogs, frozen peas, shrimp and white rice that suggests what spice to use, the fill line for the water and the time to set it for. You can only add broth, lemon juice or white wine to the water in the base unit as beer, red wine, or fruit juices may stain. The base unit cannot be immersed in water or placed in dishwasher. You can pour hot, sudsy water into the reservoir and rinse. If discoloring of your base unit occurs, after time you may also pour vinegar into the unit and allow steaming for 20 minutes.
Drip Tray: The drip tray is used when you are not cooking rice and contains the Flavor Scenter screen in the middle of the tray for your spices. You do not have to add any spices but by using the drip tray it prevents juices or fats from dripping into the water and spewing up into your steaming bowl. Depending on the type of food you are cooking you can use the juices for your gravies or sauces. The drip tray may be used in the dishwasher.
Steaming Bowl: This is a large clear plastic bowl with small holes on the bottom to allow the steam up and small raised ridges to allow the food some height and a handle on each side. The lid consists of the same material with a handle on each side and has 4 steam vents. Do not place the steamer underneath a cabinet since the release steam may cause cabinet damage. The steaming bowl holds up to 6 cups of food for example, 4 large artichokes or 1 1/2 pounds of broccoli or 1 1/2 pounds of cauliflower. The lid can be turned over and used as a trivet for the steaming bowl after your food is done. The vegetables always have turned out delicious!!! The bowl and lid is dishwasher safe.
Divider Bowl: This is a white plastic unit that has a handle that sits inside your steaming bowl that will hold approximately 1 1/2 cups of food. It's primarily used to let you steam two foods at once for instance, broccoli in the steamer and sliced carrots in the divider.
Rice Bowl: The rice bowl is a white plastic with a handle on each side. When cooking rice, you would first add water in the base unit, and then put your rice bowl onto the base unit and add your rice, water or broth, and seasonings directly to the rice bowl. No more boil overs or burnt forgotten rice!!!! It tastes so good. You can also use the rice bowl for cooking vegetables or foods with sauces, poaching chicken, fish in liquids, or reheating foods like casseroles. The rice bowl is dishwasher safe. You can place up to 2 1/2 cups of uncooked rice in the rice bowl that would make approximately 8 - 8 1/2 cups of cooked rice. If you need to make the most rice allowed, the cook time would be approximately 48 minutes. Otherwise for making 3 1/2 - 5 cups of cooked rice the cook time would be 35-42 minutes.
Examples of Foods and Cook Times:
Fresh Veggies:
Artichokes: 35-38 minutes
Asparagus: 14-17 minutes
Beans/Green or Wax: 16-21 minutes
Broccoli: 13-16 minutes
Brussel Sprouts: 18-20 minutes
Cabbage: 20-23 minutes
Carrots: 16-19 minutes
Cauliflower: 18-20 minutes
Potatoes: 30-45 minutes
Spinach: 12-14 minutes
Frozen Veggies:
Broccoli - 16 oz. bag: 20-22 minutes
Cauliflower - 20 oz. bag: 18-20 minutes
Cut Corn - 16 oz. bag: 13-15 minutes
Mixed Veggies - 28 oz. bag: 23-25 minutes
Peas - 16 oz. bag: 14-16 minutes
Seafood and Fish:
Clams - 1 dozen: 9-18 minutes (depending on size)
Shrimp - 1 lb.: 12-14 minutes
Fish Fillets: 1/2 lb.: 9-11 minutes
Salmon Steaks: 22-24 minutes
Swordfish: 19-21 minutes
Tuna: 19-23 minutes
Other Foods:
Chicken Breast: Qty. 4 - boneless: 22-24 minutes
Hotdogs: Qty. 8: 13-15 minutes
Eggs (to Hard Cooked): Holds 12, 35 minutes
The guide contains recommended steaming times, recommended water fill lines, suggested spices and cooking tips for a variety of fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, fish, chicken, fruit and hard cooked eggs.
The warranty is 2 years.
I hope this review enlightens you on a product that would be extremely useful in the kitchen and inexpensive to buy.
Thank you for reading my review and I hope you found it helpful in your decision making.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 30.00
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mountainhigh
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