The number of individual baskets in a steamer or seats for eggs in an egg boiler (see “Type”).
In the first case
, 2–3 baskets are most often provided, depending on the volume of the device. A larger quantity is unjustified from the point of view of cooking efficiency - in “multi-story” designs, the products in the upper baskets potentially will not be able to cook properly, since there will not be enough warm steam reaching them. There are
4-basket steamers, however they are rare and usually have a 2x2 layout - 2 stacks of 2 tiers. The other extreme -
1 basket - is typical for the most compact devices (volume up to 3 - 4 liters).
In the case of egg cookers, everything is simple - the choice is based on how many eggs are supposed to be regularly cooked in the device at a time. The most popular options have a capacity of
7 - 8 eggs, less often -
9 - 10 eggs. This is quite enough, for example, to prepare breakfast for an average family. The minimum number of nests for eggs is 3, devices with the number of slots
≤ 6 pcs. designed for one, maximum two people. And in the most capacious egg boilers this figure can
exceed a dozen eggs.
The presence of an omelette tray in the design of the device. This function is typical mainly for egg cookers (see "Type"), it practically does not occur in steamers.
Strictly speaking, such a tray is an analogue of a steaming pan. At the same time, it can be used not only for omelette, but also for fried eggs and other similar dishes. The size, shape and material of the tray may be different, in some models of such "pans" more than one is provided; all these points should be clarified separately.
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