DCJ910 - Steamer BESTRON - Free user manual and instructions

USER MANUAL DCJ910 BESTRON

Please read this instruction manual carefully to use this appliance safely and to obtain the best results.

Connections to main supply

Make sure the supply voltage in your home is the same as the voltage marked on the rating plate of the appliance.

General safety instructions

1. Children are not aware of the dangers of electrical appliances. Never leave the appliance unattended during use. Therefore always keep the appliance outside the reach of children.
2. The appliance is only suitable for household use. Never use the appliance outdoors.
3. Certain parts of the appliance may become hot during use. Refrain from touching these areas so as not to burn yourself.
4. Make sure that the appliance and the power cable never come into contact with hot devices such as hotplate or naked flames.
5. Do not allow the power cable to hang down over the edge of the sink, worktop or table.
6. Make sure your hands are dry when you touch the appliance, the power cable or the plug.
7. Never submerge the appliance in water or another liquid.
8. The appliance needs to dissipate its heat in order to prevent fire. Therefore it is vital to make sure that the appliance has sufficient clearance on all sides and cannot come into contact with flammable materials. The appliance may not be covered up.
9. Do not use the appliance near explosives or flammable materials.
10. Do not use a metal scouring pad to clean the appliance. Fragments of metal could come loose and touch the appliance's electrical parts causing it to short circuit.
11. Always switch the appliance off if:

It malfunctions while you are using it.
Before you start maintenance.
- You fit or remove accessories.
- You unplug the appliance.
- You have finished using the appliance.

1. Only use an extension cord that is in good condition.
2. Never switch the appliance off by pulling the cable.
3. By rolling up the cable frequently or having it rolled up for a long time, the chance of a cable fracture is high. Be sure not to roll the cable too tight when storing the appliance.
4. Always engage a recognised, trained service engineer if the appliance or the cable is damaged, malfunctions have occurred and/or the appliance requires repairs.
5. Carrying out your own or having inexpert repairs carried out can cause considerable danger for the user.
6. We accept no liability for damage caused by incorrect usage or the ignoring of the regulations in this manual.
7. Use that does not comply with the manual is not covered by the responsibility and the warranty of the manufacturer.

Preparation

1. Put the base unit on a firm, level, heat-resistant surface, close to a power socket, and out of reach of children.
2. Steam will be escape, so don't put it near curtains, under shelves or cupboards, or near anything that might be damaged by the escaping stream.
3. Shorten the mains lead by winding excess lead round the cord storage area underneath the base unit.
4. Have dinner plates or a tray handy to put the baskets on afterwards, as they'll drip. This would be a good time to set out serving spoons, tongs etc. for emtying the baskets. Check the location of the oven gloves (or have a cloth to hand).
5. Fit the steam tube round the element.
6. Boil 1 L. of water in a kettle.

Filling the reservoir

1. Fill the reservoir to the MAX mark with the boiling water. This will give up to 40 minutes steam, top up the reservoir every 20 minutes or so.
2. Don't add anything to the water. Seasonings, marinades, etc. may damage the surfaces of the reservoir and element.

Topping up

1. If you intend to steam for more than 40 minutes, top up the reservoir every 20 minutes or so, or when the water level sinks to about half.

2. Use boiling water.

3. Pour it slowly into the reservoir via the base unit handles.
4. Keep an eye on the water level indicator - don't let it get above MAX.
5. Pour slowly to avoid splashing.

The juice tray

The juice tray protects the reservoir and the heater from juices produced by cooking the food. If these get into the water in the reservoir, they may damage the element and the surfaces of the reservoir.

Filling the baskets

1. Put the juice tray on top of the reservoir, and then for:

2. 1 basket fit the bottom basket (the smallest) on top of the juice tray and then put food into the basket.

3. 2 baskets put the second basket on top of the bottom basket, so the rim on its underside fits inside the wall of the bottom basket and then fill it.

4. 3 baskets put the third basket (the biggest) on top of the second basket, so the rim on its underside fits inside the wall of the second basket and then fill it.

5. To allow the steam to circulate, you should pack the food loosely in the baskets. Whenever possible use single layers of food and leave spaces between the pieces. When layering food in a basket, leave spaces between the pieces in each layer.

6. For uniform cooking you should try to cut all pieces of food in a basket to roughly the same size. Put longer pieces of food with long cooking times nearest to the reservoir. Put smaller pieces of food with short cooking times furthest from the reservoir. Don't worry too much about overcooking - steaming is a relatively gentle cooking method and a few minutes extra generally won't matter. Don't overcook fish - it'll chew like rubber and taste like cardboard.

NB: Juices from the upper basket(s) will drip into the basket(s) below. Don't put delicate flavours below strong flavours, or vegetables beneath greasy foods.

Steaming

1. Put the lid on top, so that its rim fits outside the wall of the topmost basket.
2. Plug the base unit into the power socket, switch the socket on, if switchable, and turn the timer to the required time (up to 60 minutes).
3. The Power-on light at the bottom of the water level indicator will come on and will remain on until the timer returns to 0
4. When the timer returns to 0, steaming has finished, the steamer will switch itself off, and the power-on light will go off. The timer is clockwork, not electronic, so it may tick for a bit after steaming has finished.

Over 40 minutes?

1. If you intend to steam for more than 40 minutes you either keep an eye on the water level and/or the timer, and top up the reservoir with boiling water at about the half way mark, or set the timer for half the steaming time, then the bell will alert you to top up the reservoir.

Whole chicken? - No problem!

1. To steam a bulky item such as a whole chicken then place the chicken in the bottom basket and lift the base out of the second basket on top of the first.

Boiling dry

1. The appliance has a built-in thermostat to prevent dry cooking when the water reservoir is empty. The control light will keep on burning.
2. Turn the timer to 0, let it cool for a couple of minutes, then top up with top up whit boiling water.
3. Then start the timer. The food has already cooked for a while so be sure to calculate the correct rest time.

After cooking

1. When the timer returns to 0, the bell will be sound, the Power-on light will go out, and the streamer will switch off.
2. Unplug the base unit from the power socket.
3. Everything will be hot - use oven gloves or a cloth - use the handles.
4. Steam will escape from the baskets - keep hands, face, etc. away from the area above the steamer. Don't lean over it.
5. When lifting the lid, angle it away to direct steam away from your body.
6. Lay the lid on a heat resistant plate or tray.
7. Take care when remove the juice tray - apart from being very hot, the juices are likely to stain if split.
8. Any water remaining in the reservoir should be left to cool, then poured out via one of the handles, to avoid getting the timer switch or mains lead wet.

Timing

The times given in the cooking guide on the next page are for a single layer of food in the bottom basket, used on its own. You will need to extend these times If two or three baskets are used, as the same amount of steam is having to heat greater volume of food. If a particular food is cooked in the second or third basket. Generally speaking, the further the food is from the element, the longer it will take to cook.

You will need to experiment to find the times and positions which suit your favourite foods and food combinations. Fish is cooked when it appears opaque and can be flaked easily. Cook meat until the juice run clear. Leaf vegetables should be cooked as little as possible, to keep them green and crisp. Plunging into iced water will stop the cooking process.

The rice bowl

When cooking rice, add water to the rice bowl in addition to water in the reservoir. The volume of water added to the rice bowl should roughly one and a quarter times the volume of the rice. Put the rice bowl in the topmost basket. Juices form other foods will alter the flavour of the rice, and the additional liquid may make the rice mushy.

The separator

This fits across the centre of the smallest basket, although it can be used in any of the baskets.

Unplug the steamer from the power socket and let it cool down fully before cleaning.

Cleaning

Wash the lid, rice bowls, baskets, separator, juice tray, and steam tube in warm, soapy water, then rinse thoroughly and dry. We do not recommend using a dishwasher, as this may affect the surface finish of the basket, etc. Wipe the base unit, inside and out, whit a clean damp of cloth. Stubborn stains may be removed with a little washing-up liquid, but make sure you remove all trance of it before using the steamer. Don't put the base unit in water or any other liquid. Don't use harsh or abrasive cleaning agents or solvents.

Dscaling

In time, scale deposits may build up on the interior surfaces of the reservoir and element. These deposits will impair the efficiency f the steamer, and may shorten its working life. To descale the reservoir and element, fill the reservoir with 600ml (1pt) white vinegar, plug into the power socket, and set the timer to 20 minutes. Ensure the kitchen is well ventilated while doing this, as heating the vinegar will give off an unpleasant smell. Don't fit the juice collector, baskets, rice bowl, or lid. After the 20 minutes its up, leave it cool completely, then pout out the vinegar and rinse the reservoir several times with cold water, to remove all trace of the vinegar. Pour from the end of the reservoir, to prevent liquid getting to the timer at the front, or mains lead al the rear. Dry the base unit thoroughly. Don't use any liquid other than white vinegar, and don't use a proprietary descaler.

Stacking and storing

The baskets have been designed to stack, to occupy less storage space than conventional steamers. Reverse the order of the baskets. Sit the largest basket on top of the base unit, put the middle basket inside it, and then put the smallest basket inside the middle one. Now put the juice tray inside the smallest basket (it's a tight fit), then turn the rice bowl upside down and put that on top of de juice tray. Turn the separator on its side and lay it on the rice bowl, then put the lid on top of the lot. The total height is less than 270mm (10½ inches)

Food	Weight / Size	Time (minutes)
Artichokes, fresh	2-3 medium sized	40-45
Asparagus	400g (1lb)	15
Beans, green	400g (1lb)	18-20
Broccoli	400g (1lb)	15
Brussels sprouts	400g (1lb)	15-18
Cabbage	1 head cut into 8 parts	20
Carrots, sliced	400g (1lb)	15
Cauliflower	1 head, cored	15
Courgettes, sliced	400g (1lb)	10
Mushrooms, fresh	200g (1/2lb)	10-13
Peas, green, shelled	400g (1lb)	12-15
Peppers, deseeded & sliced	1 whole pepper	10
Potatoes, white, all purpose, peeled & chopped	900g (2lb)	20
Potatoes new, whole	10-12	20-25
Spinach, fresh	250g (1/2 lb)	10
Whole chicken (unstuffed)	Up to 1.5 kg (3lb)	60-70
Chicken breasts (boneless fillets)	400g (1lb)	20-30
Frankfurter sausages (prick before cooking)	400g (1lb)	15
Prawns, fresh	400g (1lb)	6-8
Lobster tail, frozen	2 pieces	22-22
Fish fillets, fresh 6-13mm thick, plaice, mackerel, trout, etc	200g (1/2lb)	10
Fish steaks. Fresh, 19-25mm thick, salmon, cod, tuna etc.	200g (1/2 lb)	12-17
White rice, 2 servings	200g with 300ml water	35-40
Brown rice, 2 servings	200g with 300ml water	45-50
Couscous, 2 servings	150g with 300ml water	10-12
Pasta (spaghetti), 2 servings	100g with 500ml water	20

Warranty

The importer will give, under the following conditions, 36 months warranty from the date of purchase on this appliance, against defects, which have been caused by fabric- and/or material faults.

1. In the warranty period, as mentioned above, no costs will be charged for wages and material costs. Repairs, which are carried out under warranty, will not extend the warranty period.
2. Defect appliances or parts will automatically become property of the importer.
3. Every claim for warranty will have to be accompanied by a proof of purchase.
4. Claims for warranty can only be honoured by the dealer where the appliance has been purchased or by the importer.
5. Warranty is only valid for the first buyer and is not transferable.
6. Warranty is not valid, for damage caused by:

a. Accidents, misuse, wear and tear or neglect.
b. Wrongful installation, and/or use in a way contrary to the holding laws, technical standards or safety standards.
c. Connection to another voltage than indicated on the rating plate.
d. Unauthorised modifications.
e. Unauthorised repairs.
f. Improper packaging of the returned goods.

1. Claims cannot be made in case of:

a. Losses during transport.
b. Removal or modification of the rating plate.

1. Excluded from warranty are electrical cords, lamps and glass parts.
2. This warranty does not give a right to claim damages other than replacement or repair of defective parts. The importer can never be held responsible for damages or any other inconveniences caused by appliances, which are delivered by him.
3. Costs of transportation, packaging and freight insurance are always for the buyer's own account.
4. This appliance is not suitable for professional use.

Service centre

If the product doesn't function properly, please contact your dealer or an authorised service centre.

THE NETHERLANDS :

BESTRON NEDERLAND BV

Bestron Service

Moeskampweg 20

5222 AW 's-Hertogenbosch

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Internet: www.bestron.com