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OPERATING VHL2 & VHL3 STEAMERS WITH AUTOMATIC COMPARTMENT CONTROLS
This section covers operation of VHL2 & VHL3 Steamers built before May, 2003.
1. Prepare vegetables, fruits, meats, seafood and poultry as you would for steam cooking or
cooking in water: clean, separate, cut, remove stems, etc., and place in a pan.
2. Place loaded pans in the compartment and close the compartment door. Turn the door screw
handle clockwise to seal the door gasket. Normal pressure will seal the compartment;
however, a new gasket may require additional pressure after it becomes heated. After the
pressure gauge (located below the lowest compartment controls) reaches a maximum
pressure of 5 to 6 psi, turn the door screw handle clockwise enough to stop the leakage. The
pressure gauge indicates steam pressure in the steam supply pipe, not the compartments.
3. The timer knob must be turned to 10 minutes or beyond to trip the switches. The knob may
then be turned back to a lower setting if a shorter time setting is desired. When the steamer
is cold, add 5 to 10 minutes to the cooking time to allow for preheating. The timer setting
depends on the type, size, temperature and condition (frozen or thawed) of the load and must
be determined from experience.
4. Pull the steam control handle forward and lock it by pulling the arm down. The door latch
cannot be opened when the steam control handle is pulled forward. This closes the drain and
allows steam to enter the compartment. Air is automatically vented from the compartment as
steam enters. The escaping air causes a hissing sound which is audible during the early part
of the cycle. Press the top half of the red switch located under the timer. This starts the timer.
5. When the timer reaches 1 minute, the arm automatically moves to the rear, shutting off the
steam supply and opening the drain. The compartment will exhaust for about 1 minute.
Never attempt to open the compartment door during the cooking cycle, when the
cooking light is lit or before the buzzer sounds.
6. When the timer reads 0, the continuous buzzer will sound, indicating the end of the cooking
cycle.
7. Turn the steamer off by pressing the bottom half of the red compartment switch. Then loosen
the door screw handle, allowing moisture to escape. After a few seconds, move the door latch
to the left, slowly open the door and remove the pans of food.
