Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

THIS is an improvement on the previous model? Uh, not even close. During my first use, this "steamer" had not produced enough steam to fog the sides of the lower level within 10 minutes. After 15 minutes, a bit of steam began to be apparent on the lower tier, but the top tier was still completely steam free. I kept putting my ear next to the base to make sure it was working and even went so far as to lift the tiers (after 15 minutes) to view the heating unit/steam production. It was minor at best. Based on the same, this steamer is a toy/joke compared to the previous model. Also, the plastic tiers are made of much thinner/flexible plastic and feel/likely are much cheaper as a result. The previous version of this steamer was larger, made of better plastic, and started steaming almost immediately. I used to cook everything in it and loved using it (even if it could be a #$%@! to clean). The vegetables I attempted to steam tonight (broccoli and cauliflower) would have been done in 15 minutes with the previous steamer and this baby hadn't even gotten all of the lower tier's vegetables warmed up. Too bad, really. I like the space-saving design, the metal warming unit, and the easy-to-add-time dial. Unfortunately, these improvements are lost in comparatively poor performance, cheaper materials, and obviously MUCH longer cooking times.