Cleaning Vegetable Steamers

by Lee Wyatt (last updated December 9, 2013)

If you already have a vegetable steamer in your home, then you know exactly how wonderful these appliances can be. What makes a vegetable steamer so wonderful is that they can cook your vegetables by using the power of, well, steam. However, there is one small problem that comes along with vegetable steamer, you need to clean them. Cleaning vegetable steamers, even the plastic ones, can often be a project that is a little difficult to get sparkling clean. The reason for that is due to the many little nooks and crannies that fill such appliances. Never fear since by following this simple method you can make the project much easier.

1. Pre-clean the steamer. Before you begin to soak your vegetable steamer, make sure that all of the vegetables have been removed. If necessary throw them away, save them for a compost bin, or give them to your dog. It really doesn't matter what you do with them, as long as you remove them from the steamer.
2. Soak the steamer. Fill a sink with hot soapy water, and place the steamer into the sink. Allow the steamer to sit for a minimum of four minutes to soften up any stuck on vegetables. The best thing to do is allow the steamer to sit in the soapy water until it cools to room temperature.
3. Wash the steamer. Empty the sink, and refill it again with hot soapy water. Do not make the water too hot to touch, but still steaming. The ideal temperature would be what you use for a hot bath or shower. Use a green scrubbie, or a scrubbing sponge to wash the vegetable steamer clean. Once you have completely washed the steamer, rinse off any remnants of soap that may still be on the appliance. Empty the sink of the water, and rinse it out.
4. Soak again. Refill the sink with hot water again. This time though, instead of using soap use either some lemon juice or white vinegar. Allow the steamer to sit in the hot water until the water nice room temperature before removing the steamer from the sink.
5. Rewash the steamer. Wash the vegetable steamer again as you normally would. This is basically a repeat of step three. Once you have finished washing the steamer, rinse it and double check your work.
6. Repeat as necessary. For any particularly difficult stains, you may need to repeat the entire process a few times. Do not be afraid if you have to repeat the process a few times.

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