These unlikely-looking contraptions are pretty much essential for steaming sticky rice (AKA sweet rice or glutinous rice). Water is boiled in the aluminum. ewer-shaped base and a ball of rice sits steaming in the bottom of hat-like basket. Periodically, one jerks the basket upwards with a little twist, causing the ball of rice to flip, so that it will steam more evenly. (See our home page for a shot of the devise in action at one of our classes.)