I've never run into the 'stickiness' issue. Perhaps, I'm just lucky, but as Fibergeek said, I usually suspend the part over the boiling sealer for about 10-15 minutes with the cover in place over the bucket.
I started doing this for one reason. When I first began anodizing, I had problems with the dye leaching from the part during sealing, especially when I screwed up and the pores were too large. The steaming stopped the leaching and closed the pores enough to hold the dye. I then dropped it into the sealer and let it boil for another 10-15 minutes. A 2nd benefit of this method is that it heats up the piece so that when you drop it into the sealer, it doesn't dramatically drop the temp. below boiling. (Be careful when opening the lid, I've burned my hands a number of times and eventually learned my lesson and wear gloves).
I'm sure the times I use can be shortened, I don't watch it very closely during sealing. Usually I suspend the part and begin a little cleanup. When I'm finished, it just drop it into the sealer.
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