Tamale Steamers are used primarily for making tamales and are often called a "Tamalera." Typically two tamaleras in different sizes are kept on hand. A "Tamalera" can be very large (32 Qt.) since tamales are made at Christmas time in large quantities for family gatherings. Numerous adaptations have been made on the basic tamale, including vegetarian tamales, chicken tamales, and even chocolate tamales. A tamale steamer does just what it says, steams tamales. Since tamales play such an important role in Latin cuisine, anybody that loves to cook Mexican dishes will appreciate this wonderful item. While some tamales are fried, baked or grilled, authentic tamales are steamed. You really haven''t tasted tamale until you tried one that has been cooked this way. IMUSA tamale steamers are a tall metal bucket-like pot with a perforated metal divider that sits at the bottom to keep the tamales out of the hot water. The tamales are stacked upright inside the bucket.
