Anybody got suggestions on what's the best steamer to buy?  I'm racking my brain trying to find a good steamer online (none here in TN) and can't figure out which would be the best kind to get.  I see some with a deep basket, then some have a steam rack that looks so shallow I wouldn't think even shrimp could fit between it and the lid.  

Any suggestions?  I'd like to keep the price below $60 if possible.  

UPDATE WITH PICS BELOW

That or a pasta cooker with insert.

The little research I've done says that those won't hold 1-2lbs of shrimp.  I guess I should've stated I'm going to be using it for at least 3 people, more likely 6-7 so somewhere around 2lbs of shrimp at a time.

After reading OP post, I found this..
Has excellent reviews and is right on your budget.
Will be ordering myself one next week.
For your needs the big 9 quart would probably work best.

3 tier, 6 quart electric steamer

I bought a generic stainless pasta cooking pot with two inserts.  One is for pasta or large volume steaming, the other is about 3" deep for small batches.  

You need to watch the Alton Brown buffalo wing video.

or... big ass pasta/steamer pot.

D233 has listed your best options(imo), barring some kind of specialized/purpose built cooker. one thing to keep in mind is that shrimp(and seafood in general) doesn't take long to cook. wouldn't be too hard to use option one to cook a couple small batches and use a pre-warmed pot/dish to keep the first batch from cooling while the second or third batch cooks. then mix together to serve.

It holds a lot of weight.

Extra support by extending the center threaded rod out the bottom and flush with the legs.

Hmm....interesting.  I'm seriously craving some peel 'n eat shrimp now.....

Alright guys, I decided to go get a generic $26 stainless steel steam pot (12qt) at Wal Mart and call it a day.  Last night we decided to have a crap/shrimp boil (steam?).  Here are the results

Here's the pot, and the steam basket for shrimp. There's a deeper basket in the pot now, and it comes to about 1 1/2" above the bottom of the pot.  Perfect for crabs.



Got to make her work somehow.  Notice we have the little blender making some Margaritaville Bama Breezes.  You can find that recipe HERE.


I steamed 3 crabs at a time, and could probably have done 6, but since this was our first time we decided to be conservative.  We stuck them in for about 5min. Once done, we put them in another covered pot to stay warm.  These were some of the best crabs I've ever had.


We put the shrimp in the basket and let them cook for 5min.  This was probably too much time, and I should have taken them out at 2min I think.  They tasted great, but I like my shrimp to be a little hard and snappy when I peel them and take the tail off.  These shells just slid off and the tails didn't snap, but I had to "pull" them off if that makes sense.


We also grilled corn.  The wife slightly shucked them, put a lot of butter on the corn, then re-covered them and grilled until the stalks were blackened.  VERY good.


The end result



Here's the recipe. Pretty straight forward.
Ingredients:
1.  Water - 4cups
2.  Vinegar - 1cup
3.  Old Bay Seasoning - 2 tablespoons +/-
4.  Crab - 6
5.  Shrimp - 1lb - deveined but keeping the peels on.  (this traps in the taste

Cook:
1.  Mix 4 cups of water, 1cup of vinegar, 2 tablespoons of old bay into the pot.
2.  Bring to a boil.
3.  Place crab inside basket, and sprinkle more old bay directly on top to your liking.  Be careful if you've never steamed before. I burned my wrist being too eager to put stuff inside.  
4.  Let them sit for about 5min
5.  Take shrimp, season them, then put in basket.  
6.  Let them steam until you see them turn pink.  Once they do, take them out. Should be about 2min or so.  You have to be watchful because even a minute or two later they can become overcooked.  Keep in mind they will continue cooking even when taken out of the pot.
7.  Serve with your drink(s) of choice

Nicely done!

Well done - I love that way of grilling corn.

go to an asian or mexican grocery store. they have decent large steamers cheap.

Growing up on the Chesapeake bay we used to fish crabs daily with line and could haul in a bushel easy in a few hours, later I fished crabs commercially shaking post in the Lynnhaven river and surrounding bays. We would simply take about 2 Inches of water and a few cans of beer layer the live crabs cover w/ Old Bay, layer of Crabs, Layer of Old Bay until the pot was full. Bring it to a boil and cook until the crabs were bright red.

Shrimp can be boiled easy. Steaming is ok but I think boiled shrimp have better flavor. I think commercial establishments that serve large amounts of seafood benefit from the use of a steamer because it is always ready to use. Simply shingle the shrimp out dust with Old Bay, hit steamer for 3-5 minutes depending on size and serve.

Again YMMV, Make a court bouillon with parsley stems, bay leaves, salt, black pepper corns, Thyme, Oregano, Red pepper flakes, old Bay, water and beer. Bring to a boil, add shrimp, remove after they have become nice and pink. You can now either strain to reserve court bouillon and reuse or dump in a colander. Dust with Old Bay.

I usually boil shrimp too... bring water & Old Bay to boil, dump in shrimp for a couple minutes, scoop out. I usually end up chilling them for shrimp cocktail though.

They call it slap yo mama because that is what you want to do when she uses that crap. 90 % salt. There are much better seasonings out there the SYM.

I know it's not seafood related, but Speaking of seasoning, there's one I was exposed to that I've used on just about every meat product I cook.



http://www.amazon.com/Podravka-Vegeta-Soup-Seasoning-500g/dp/B000NY6YBC/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1409678757&sr=8-10&keywords=vegeta

It's called "Vegeta" and is from Ukraine.  You can get it off Amazon, or just go to your nearest "Russian" or European store and they'll have it.  I'll mix it in with ground meat or turkey and make meat balls or hamburgers.  It has a taste that's like no other, and is hard to describe, but WELL WORTH getting yourself a can to try.

 



 

Looks good OP.

Next time you do the corn, add some Tony C's to it when you butter it!

Now ya got me thinking. I wonder how Dillo dust would taste with steamed or boiled shrimp...

Kinda what I first thought but then I was like... Hmmmm why not?

I'll try that.  Never thought of putting anything more than pepper on my corn, but then again, I don't do the corn in the family.

First place I look when I need something like that.

Hotel & Restaurant Supply
2508 Perimeter Place Drive
Nashville, TN 37214
615 882 0591

I guess they're still there, I know the one on Winchester in Memphis is.

Either that or one of the ethnic groceries but the quality might be a little less.

ETA: The more you buy the cheaper it is and price is negotiable.

Whats the plus of steaming vs boiling shrimp?

I've always boiled shrimp, crab, crawfish, etc. No problems plus the seasoning seems like it would saturate better.

Everything I've read says the nutrients and taste gets transferred from the food to the water when boiling, where steaming keeps everything locked in.  

Just something  I did a quick search on and reflects everything I've read

I've heard that as well...never though of it for meats, but I steam almost all veggies

I wonder if you can get the taste right (for me), as you know we put a little spice in our food down here haha.

I steamed crabs with some old bay and did the water/oldbay/beer and they turned out perfect.  Just keep the shells on when you steam so it'll trap the taste in.