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Morphy Richards 48780 Intellisteam Steamer | 
 enlarge | Brand: Morphy Richards
Category: Kitchen
List Price: £99.99
Buy New: £73.19
You Save: £26.80 (27%)
New (9) from £65.49
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 198
Media: Kitchen & Home
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 14.3
Dimensions (in): 15.6 x 15 x 13.9
MPN: MR48780
Model: 48780
EAN: 5011832027856
ASIN: B001CDKL62
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Pre-set time guide for different foods including chicken, fish, vegetables, rice and sauces so no more guesswork | | • | Cook times can be personalised and saved to memory for future use | | • | Auto keep warm keeps food perfect when cooking has finished for up to 40 mins until you are ready to serve | | • | 8.2 litre capacity | | • | Cooks complete meals for up to 4 adults |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk
The first time I heard of a "new" steamer being launched, my initial reaction was "what could be so great about another new steamer"? But the Morphy Richards Intellisteam has proved to be quite the innovation in a product area where one would think innovation would be tricky.
In today's world, we are all looking for a healthy eating lifestyle, but combined with time-saving and convenience. Now, your average steamer definitely caters for the healthy eating requirement, but most don't offer the best in convenience and time-saving. With the majority of steamers you have to control the timing and therefore have to keep an eye on what is going on throughout the cooking process, but nor with the Intellisteam.
The Intellisteam steamer from Morphy Richards solves all these problems. So, what is so different about it? The main, and significant difference is the fact that there are separate timers for each of the 3 compartments. This means that you can put 3 different food types in the steamer, set the desired cooking time for each compartment (either by using the presets or setting manually) and then switch it on. The machine then works so that all 3 elements finish steaming at precisely the same time.
So all you need to do is prepare, set the times, switch on and relax, as the Intellisteam does the rest for you. And once the food is ready, but if you are not, the unit automatically switches to a 40-minute keep warm function. As for cleaning, I just rinse the compartments out, empty the water container and your are done.
I have used the Intellisteam for a number of various foods, ranging from chicken and fish, to vegetables and potatoes. As a first time user of a steamer, I have to say you really do notice the difference in taste of steamed food. And as for ease of use and convenience, the Morphy Richards Intellisteam ticks all the boxes. -- Martin Sandmeier, amazon.co.uk
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Top quality steamer but you pay for the quality September 26, 2008
R. S. Bacon (Milton Keynes, UK)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
First impressions of this steamer were good. It looked like a high tech piece of kitchen equipment rather than a utilitarian, boring steamer. It would not look out of place in anybody's high-tech kitchen next to the microwave.
Having to program something that looked as though it had come from the star ship Enterprise was initially a bit daunting but the instructions were absolutely first class. They are really simple and clearly explained with step-by-step diagrams. An exercise in how instructions for kitchen appliances should be.
The information included comprehensive steaming details for vast range of foods and portion sizes. The timers are pre-set for ease of use but can be changed with just one touch of a button. And the high-tech looks can be kept gleaming due to the wipe-clean surfaces and removable food trays. An absolute doddle to clean. It even keeps my oven clean because I hardly use it any more!
One of the problems I usually have is getting everything to cook at the same rate so that it is ready at the same time. This steamer makes this problem child's play with its automatic cook-together function; this ensures that no container cooks its contents more quickly than any other and it all finishes at the same time. I don't know how it works all this out but it works a treat.
If you're not ready to eat it when it has finished cooking then the keep-warm function keeps it all warm for up to 40 minutes, very useful if you're in the middle of the latest soap episode!
There are some downsides to this steamer. By its very nature the steam obscures the food during cooking so you can't tell if it needs a stir. And if you're thinking of cooking up a gourmet dinner for six then think again: you can't cook more than a two-person portion of some items like pasta.
The manufacturer's seem to think you can even cook things like sausages in it and as a vegetarian I will never know how successful this might be. But I can't imagine eating a rather bleached looking piece of meat from this unit will do anything to cause the taste-buds to tingle. Let's be realistic, there are some food items that are just not meant to be steamed.
Compared to my budget steamer (the three dishes set on top of one another) this is the Rolls Royce of steamers. It's very efficient, extremely easy to use and produces excellent (in my case, vegetarian) results. Its stylish and minimalist appearance just adds to its desirability.
But you do pay for this quality and, just like buying a Rolls Royce, each individual must decide whether it is worth the money. In my case, I've given up on the awkward budget steamer and use this one all the time.
Brilliant! September 30, 2008
Mo (London, UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have to admit that I don't exactly leap for joy at Morphy Richards products as the items I've purchased by them - admittedly budget range - come off as cheap and tacky, sometimes with limited longevity.
You can't say that about this.
How it compares to other steamers I don't know as this is my first, and perhaps last due to really having only occasional steaming needs arisen from curiosity. I do however think it does it's job to the best of it's abilities for a pretty fair price. It's also very easy on the eye and doesn't weigh too much unpacked or consume any more space than the average large kitchen top item.
Usage isn't dissimilar to a microwave with the use of presets, but of course don't forget the water. Cleaning however, after, is a bit of pain, in the same way you have to scoop the tiniest of materials out of a food processor jug.
The quality of the food is good (and of course steamed food is touted as being better) but you'll find a bit of experimentation is required so that your needs are catered for exactly. Steaming is also pretty quick and you can use a variety of different food stuffs.
I give the item 5 stars because it's genuinely impressive and will be a great buy for those looking for a steamer; the competition doesn't sound as good.
I hope to persevere with more experiments in steaming but I don't think it will revolutionise my kitchen habits due to the preparative nature of foods I personally consume. But, for what is, you can't go wrong.
Brilliant but pricey September 23, 2008
Damaskcat (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have recently started steaming food and I find the taste is much better than most other forms of cooking. Potatoes for example taste how I remember them tasting from my childhood - when my mum steamed most veg. I have used it for all the vegetables, as well as chicken and boiled eggs, I have cooked since I got it and I'm hooked. This is a brilliant piece of kit and does exactly what it says on the box. It has three separate compartments which can be reduced to two by taking out a divider. If you're cooking a whole meal you can programme each compartment to cook the food for different times and it will be cooked at the same time. The food is automatically kept warm for up to 40 mins after it has finished cooking. The timings in the instructions are proving accurate even though they seem on the long side when you first read them. The first time I used it I must admit I stood over it to watch it did switch on when it was supposed to, but you can walk away and leave it and a buzzer will sound when the food is cooked. The steamer comes with two sauce dishes and two stands/baskets for things like fish and rice. The instruction book is all in English which means you don't have to search through lots of other languages to find the one you want, and there are seven recipes at the back for you to try. I have only two complaints to make - the price and the fact that the steam vents are on the outer corners which means you're likely to reach over them when you're taking the lids off unless you're very careful. If they were on the inside of each segment it would have been preferable. That said - this is the Rolls Royce of steamers and if you intend to do a lot of steaming I would recommend it in spite of the price.
Great stuff October 13, 2008
Wayne Redhart (West Midlands, UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Although I have to say that I was rather skeptical of the idea that a steamer could justify such a price tag, I can honestly say that its unique features are exceedingly useful. It's worth noting that there is NOT any capacity for having a count down until the steamer begins to cook (which would surely have been worth including?) but the way in which it organises the three compartments to finish together is extremely useful. The traditional tier system makes it rather awkward to add different things after cooking has begun and having three separate heating elements really is an excellent solution.
Aside from convenience issues, the quality of steam isn't exactly going to vary too much from steamer to steamer. However, those who regularly use a steamer to cook foods that require different cooking times would certainly be advised to think about paying the extra. Now I've got used to it, I would hate to go back to the incovenience of trying to accurately time separate foods (and being blasted by steam, when trying to add them to those that are already cooking). On the negative side, you'll likely find that the manual's guidelines for cooking times are rather dubious (just as the pre-set times are little more than a vague guide), so don't expect it do everything for you. It takes a little experimentation, to get the hang of timing. However, the 'keep warm' function is very helpful (although it would have been better to be able to do that on individual compartments, while others continue to cook).
Just don't get carried away with the idea of having to cook EVERYTHING in the steamer! The recipe book is rather overly ambitious about the range of foods you might want to put in. What reason is there to cook pasta in a steamer? Or steamed sausages? My steamed toast didn't fare too well either. Steamers may be extremely useful, but I wouldn't want to stray too far beyond fish and vegetables.
Top notch October 15, 2008
b4-its-2-l8 (London)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
As this gift was for my daughter, it's only fitting I give her the last word (and all the others you'll see below) for this review...
I have to say, I really like it!
I'm one of those people who's proud of the time they spend slaving away over a hot stove to bring together a huge meal for twelve all made from scratch. So, it's a bit of a weird feeling just putting the food in and leaving it! I mean, I don't even have to check it - which is nice, cos my glasses always get cloudy when opening the oven door.
It's very convenient, even more so if you're utilising the whole space and cooking a couple of meals, perhaps even different meals. So, if I want one chicken dish and another salmon it doesn't matter; no dashing between two pans, the oven and so on, it all goes in there, and there's plenty of space particularly with the extra black compartment boxes you can put in for sauces, rice etc.
I feel almost as though I'm not cooking, yet it's healthy, tasty, and doesn't involve a microwave (for me, these should only be used for some reheating, milk and popcorn).
The only thing that can be said against it (not so much against, just not as much for) is that when, like me, you're cooking for one and you don't always eat a lot, so you just feel like some steamed salmon and salad for example, the piece of salmon does look a little sad in that big machine on its own and it feels like a bit of a waste of water too. Maybe they could invent a mini version. But, but but but, I stress that this isn't really a downside as I do cook for other people too so I'm glad for it's extra space.
I am particularly impressed by being able to prepare sauces in it; I've never seen that function before on a steamer. In fact, I didn't know I could steam half the stuff that this thing can! It's a good machine, much more attractive than I've previously seen with steamers and more practical, easy to look after, easy to store away or would fit in on any work surface, and easy to use.
I mean, you just need to click the picture and go! It's very straightforward; I normally set five different alarms for the different components of my meals to try and get them all ready at once and there's still always one that's too early or a bit late, so I was both surprised and pleased to find how the Intellisteam completely eradicates that issue.
Thumbs up from me, a good investment, even if you're not time-strapped - you'll discover even more time, take up a hobby! Take a nap! Ooh, that reminds me - the icing on the cake; if you oversleep with your nap, maybe get too engrossed in your new hobby... s'all good, it keeps it warm for 40 minutes! That's pretty good in my books.
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