Alright, let’s talk about dim sum baskets. Figuring out the right size wasn’t exactly straightforward for me when I first got into making dumplings and stuff at home. I remember just wanting to steam some siu mai I’d made, you know?
So, I went down to the local Asian market. Saw a bunch of bamboo steamers stacked up. Honestly, I didn’t think too hard about it. I saw a smaller one, maybe like 6 inches across? Looked cute, didn’t take up much space. Seemed like a good starting point. I grabbed a couple of tiers and a lid.
Got home, all excited. I laid out my siu mai in the basket. And immediately I noticed, man, you can’t fit much in there. Like, maybe 5 or 6 dumplings, tops, without them all squishing together. Cooking for myself? Fine, maybe. But having a friend over? I’d be steaming batch after tiny batch. It was just slow and kinda annoying.
Realizing the Problem
The other thing was my stove. My gas burner’s flame ring was wider than the base of that small basket. Felt like a lot of heat was just escaping up the sides, not really steaming efficiently. Plus, trying to stack three of those tiny tiers felt wobbly on my pot.
So, that first small set? Didn’t get used much after the first couple of tries. It just wasn’t practical for how I cooked. I needed something bigger.
Trying Again: Going Bigger
Next time, I paid more attention. I thought about a few things:
- How many people am I usually cooking for? Mostly just two, but sometimes four.
- What am I cooking? Usually dumplings, sometimes bao (buns), which need more headroom and space.
- How big is my main cooking pot that the steamer will sit on?
- Where am I going to store this thing?
I ended up getting an 8-inch set. This felt way better. It fit comfortably over my medium-sized saucepan. I could fit a decent amount of dumplings (like maybe 9 or 10?) without crowding. When I made char siu bao, they had enough room to puff up.
Then I thought, maybe 10-inch? I saw those huge ones they use in restaurants. But honestly, for my kitchen, an 8-inch felt like the sweet spot. It handled enough food for a small group, fit my existing pot well, wasn’t a nightmare to clean, and I could actually find a place to stash it in my cupboard without too much hassle.
I stuck with the 8-inch. Got myself three tiers and a lid. That setup has worked out great for me for years now. It’s big enough to be useful, small enough to be manageable. Sometimes I see those really big 12-inch ones and get tempted, especially for steaming a whole fish, but then I remember storage and my pot size, and I stick with what works.
So yeah, that was my journey with dim sum basket sizes. Started too small, learned it’s not just about how it looks but how it actually works in your kitchen, for your needs. The 8-inch turned out to be my perfect fit.