After I saw Gwyneth Paltrow and Chef Mario Batali talking about their favorite kitchen gadgets on Oprah a few weeks ago, I thought maybe I should check into getting a  Gaggenau food steamer like the one Gwyneth talked about.  (You know, because if you see it on Oprah…well you gotta have it.) Turn’s out that Gwyneth’s Gaggenau steamer is a bit –ok a lot–out of budget for me, but there are alternatives.

I like this layered food steamer by Deni, which would allow you to cook a main entree and side dishes at one time.  It has a 90-minute timer, a water level indicator, and an option for keeping the food warm when it finishes cooking.  The Deni 7550 steamer is available at Cookware.Com for $49.99.

Did you know that cooking with steam rather than boiling or frying retains as much as 50% more vitamins in the food you eat?  Here’s an interesting article which includes the benefits of steaming.