Bamboo Steamer Bottom
notes: label: Description
content: This three-tiered bamboo steamer is a type used throughout Asia to steam vegetables, breads, fish, dim sum, fruits, in fact, different things that might make up an entire meal, all at the same time. The things to be cooked are placed in the tiers and the whole steamer is placed over a pot of water heated by the electric, gas, or charcoal of the stove below. The lid, placed on the top tier, then covers the foods until they have finished steaming, and the foods can then be served directly from the steamer. The steamers were particularly favored by “health food” advocates, along with new fans of Asian cuisines, because the cooking method used involved no added fats.
label: Description
content: There are metal steamers available, though bent bamboo is still the traditional material used throughout Asia and now, wherever people have adopted and adapted Asian foods for use elsewhere. Such a steamer was probably not the first Asian cooking tool imported for use in the United States for cooking all sorts of foods, including the increasingly popular Asian-style foods that came into use after World War II. The Hibachi for grilling, the wok for stir frying, rice cooker/steamers for rice cookery, and the tiered steamers have been popular here since the 1950s.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Food Culture
label: Subject
content: Eating
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: Food
label: See more items in
content: FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Betty Jean Boudreau
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2011.0238.01.c
label: accession number
content: 2011.0238
label: catalog number
content: 2011.0238.01.c
objectType: label: Object Name
content: bamboo steamer bottom
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: bamboo (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 3/4 in x 9 1/2 in; 6.985 cm x 24.13 cm