Does frugality have a limit?
This is my steamer basket. We use it quite frequently to steam vegetables and an occasional dumpling or two. But it’s long been dying a very slow death.
First it lost the three little legs that acted as stilts to hold the basket up out of the water. I’ve improvised since then by placing a wide-mouth canning jar ring in the water and setting the basket on top of it.
Next it lost the little rod and ring standing in the very center which allowed you to lift the basket out of the pot when the vegetables were done. I’ve improvised since then, by simply scooping the vegetables out of the basket with a slotted spoon. This is a little bit tricky though, since the basket is collapsible and since it is now on a very unsteady base (see above) I sometimes have trouble with the basket collapsing on my spoon while I’m trying to scoop.
Finally it has lost one of it’s “petals” which means that it no longer can open and close in one motion, because some of the petals always fall down. Also this leaves a hole so that when I am placing vegetables in the steamer basket, or scooping them out (see above) that I sometimes loose vegetables down the hole into the boiling water.
Now none of these problems are devastating, obviously I can “make it work” still. But do I really need to? If I take this steamer basket down with our recycling and throw it int he scrap metal bin can I just go buy another one already? Or do I need to use this one until it is actually rendered completely useless? (Or has it already passed that point in your opinion?)
What would you do?
Urban Pioneer Story 
My mother’s was at that stage for years and years. I didn’t know that steamers HAD little lifters until I bought my own cheapo one. When it loses TWO petals, that’s when it’s useless. You don’t lose much food with one petal gone.
But I also have a cute little green silicone one that I like. I don’t know if you have an opinion on silicone, but the colors are so bright and happy I had to get one. http://www.cobrandit.com/kitchenarts/steamer.jpg That’s the same brand that I have, only it’s spring green. They also had a really nice, warm, Christmas-y red.
So… yeah. My suggestion is: keep using it until it degrades further (it might stop there, it might die swiftly). If you find it too much of a hassle, perhaps consider buying one of the silicone ones?
Oh, and we usually scooped it out of the pot with two forks stuck into the petals. The whole she-bang comes out nice and easy.
PLEASE go buy yourself a new one, or else, stop by here. I have an extra. I think this has ventured into the realm of “false economy.” 🙂
Otherwise known as “too lazy to remember to buy a new one”. 😛
😀
OK Ladies–I can take a hint! And I thank you for giving me permission–new steamer basket-here I come!
I did the same thing! Ours kept losing half the petals, and I finally got tired of reattaching them so I put them in with some scrap metal recycling and got a new one. I have a much harder time throwing away things that cannot be recycled; at least with this it can be turned into something else useful 🙂