Pressure Cooker - Thoughts & Recommendations?

Been thinking about getting a pressure cooker. Any thoughts on pressure cookers and recommended ones for home use are appreciated.

Open to electric or stovetop, though as a note my apartment has induction tops.

I have one of these http://m.co-uk.kuhnrikon.com/co-uk/...eme.html#d04597c5-c043-455f-8a69-9282625919cb

It has been a very reliable pan and works on the induction hob.

Didn't see an exact replica on the khun USA site but there are similar ones.

Following recommendations from the modernist cuisine, the one I got for home is the Kuhn Rikon duramatic top model 7 qt

A Kuhn would be cool. Myself, I use a Fissler 8 qt as there is no official Kuhn distributor at the moment in Australia and is a bit more difficult to obtain. The other option for me was WMF, but I kinda prefer Fissler wider base. If I am getting another, I will try to get a Kuhn hotel 5qt.

Costco has(had?) a good deal on the Cuisinart electric one if it is available at your local costco

Also have a Kuhn Rinkon 7qt Duromatic model# 3344. Great design and functionality.

Love it. Highly recommend this brand of pressure cooker.

Is this for doing your own recipes? Then you're free to choose whatever.

Others recipes/methods/timetables? Use something close in design and specs to what your favorite writers use. A recipe that assumes a whistling pressure cooker or full 15psi used with an 11psi electric will cause headscratching and probably end up in a few suboptimal results until you adapted it... or could, in some edge cases, even fail hard (it didn't boil dry or foam up the vents in the recipe writer's model, but...)

I have a fagor stovetop and an electric both are serviceable. I like the electric I can start and not to monitor it like a stovetop.

bear1889 said:

I have a fagor stovetop and an electric both are serviceable. I like the electric I can start and not to monitor it like a stovetop.

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Curious which electric you went with? I'm leaning towards going electric, but I have a feeling eventually I will want a stovetop one.

I like my WMF Perfect Plus cookers. From what I understand, electric ones don't reach the same pressure as the stovetop ones (by just a little bit).

Every electric I've seen can't hit 15 PSI and it all depends on what you're looking to do with it. I got a fagor for a wedding present and it suits all my needs, but I'd spring for a kuhn if I was starting again from scratch. Despite the convenience of a counter top electric, it's not flexible enough for how I use mine to recommend.

deltaplex said:

Every electric I've seen can't hit 15 PSI and it all depends on what you're looking to do with it. I got a fagor for a wedding present and it suits all my needs, but I'd spring for a kuhn if I was starting again from scratch. Despite the convenience of a counter top electric, it's not flexible enough for how I use mine to recommend.

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Curious what things are doable with the stovetop but not ideal with the electric? I've read a bit and it seems while the pressure is lower with additional time most cooks should end up quite similar?

Most western recipes are tuned to 15psi, and since you can't see inside a running pressure cooker and will lose a lot of time if you have to go for a second cycle if things turn out much undercooked, you will have to adapt the recipe to an 11psi device.

South asian recipes often use the notation for 15psi but less constant, weight and whistle, first generation designs, and go by whistles instead of clock time (need to get myself a Hawkins some day).

And that's the big disadvantage: You have to trust recipes, or work on them through pass-or-fail iterations. I hate trusting recipes.

A device that is GUARANTEED to reach and keep 15 psi when properly used is called a pressure *canner*, and it needs that pressure to make sure the proper temperature for sterilizing is reached. An autoclave at the end of the day.

Another upgrade is usually sold as a "marine grade" device, there is said to be an inofficial possible usage mode (considered very dangerous. intentionally being indirect.) that has naught to do with fish....or water for that matter.

Like, Some good points here, I had to take couple of beer breaks to get through it, but I think I understand now [emoji3]

Started out with a Tefal 6 QT, but gifted it to my mother and got a Kuhn classic 8 QT. Well happy with the Kuhn.

Lars

Fagor and Kuhn are great. Can't go wrong.

I use mine as a small batch pressure canner in addition to a standard pressure cooker. I have a big pot for large batch pressure canning, but if I need to do a single or handful of jars then I just use the Fagor. being able to hit 15 psi seems to be the sweet spot for doing quick pressure stocks, and as was alluded to after my comment, you have to trust recipes since you can't see how things have turned out until after de-pressurization. It's very, very easy to overcook the contents if you're off by even two minutes, so it takes more trial and error with a cooker that can't get up to 15 psi, in my experience.

This is a really great insight! I didn't realize it was that easy to overcook.

Will likely go with the Kuhn! =)

deltaplex said:

I use mine as a small batch pressure canner in addition to a standard pressure cooker. I have a big pot for large batch pressure canning, but if I need to do a single or handful of jars then I just use the Fagor. being able to hit 15 psi seems to be the sweet spot for doing quick pressure stocks, and as was alluded to after my comment, you have to trust recipes since you can't see how things have turned out until after de-pressurization. It's very, very easy to overcook the contents if you're off by even two minutes, so it takes more trial and error with a cooker that can't get up to 15 psi, in my experience.

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Unless your ingredients are suitable for quick release (relatively rapid depressurization - anything that can foam up or burst will) or cold water release (awkward to handle, needs a tap you can fit your cooker under, safety seems to be disputed), there is still significant cooking happening during the cooldown, affecting timing calculation - you can't stop the cooking NOW. Also, how quickly things heat up is a bit stove-dependent, even with the same wattage thermal mass and thermal resistance of different hob types is different. And given we are talking a device that accelerates cooking, and how something as simple as diced spuds can go from good to mush in a few NON-accelerated minutes...

Also, you cannot really do anything where the combined result is low in water content (unless you can separate the water, as with simple boiled things) - we need the water to operate it!. Consistency cannot be optimized as you go - you can't thin or thicken or par-blend stuff in between.

If something burns to the bottom, you will only notice when the smell makes its way out with the steam.

Also, flavouring compounds that already suffer at 100°C (from thermal degradation not evaporation that is) will take an even bigger hit at 121°C.

Also, 15psi sound so harmless - it's 1 bar, a rural water hose can have 10 bar on it? ... until you consider the fact that you have something in there that will remember it should be a gas if pressure is lowered to atmospheric. Fiercely.

buy the best one that your budget can afford. they last a long time. you could also try to scoop one on the cheap at garage sales or second hand stores. im a student, so i usually try to get good, quality stuff second hand. quality seconds is still quality.

With a lot of things that is true. A pressure vessel of unknown use and abuse history, sometimes having inaccessible and uncleanable areas, is exactly not among these. At the very least, if buying used, positively identify the make and model and check whether there are product recalls, and whether spare gaskets etc are available. No need to be scared of, but also no need to be careless with the hazards:

http://boingboing.net/2015/08/26/photo-of-a-kitchen-damaged-by.html

One thing to watch out for with Kuhn Rikons is the black plastic grip that holds the top "hat" to the pressure valve will eventually crack and loosen over time but it can be fixed with some epoxy putty. Besides that, it's been bulletproof.

Epoxy near a pressure cooker valve... :scared4:

The putty does not interfere with the operation of the valve. It only keeps the grip of the plastic tight to the body of the valve as it did before it cracked.

@WingKKF didnt want to criticize your idea (i'd be among these likely giving it a try!), but make sure a word of caution is read together with your repair suggestion. If somebody follows that advice and does so shoddily (eg not noticing surplus or stray glue contaminating the valve) it could end in an accident. Also, if something bad ever happens with that cooker due to manufacturing defects, the legal/insurance situation could get very complicated since you did an unauthorized repair/modification to it.

LifeByA1000Cuts said:

@WingKKF didnt want to criticize your idea (i'd be among these likely giving it a try!), but make sure a word of caution is read together with your repair suggestion. If somebody follows that advice and does so shoddily (eg not noticing surplus or stray glue contaminating the valve) it could end in an accident. Also, if something bad ever happens with that cooker due to manufacturing defects, the legal/insurance situation could get very complicated since you did an unauthorized repair/modification to it.

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every modern pressure cooker has a safety valve, doesn't it?

About "the legal/insurance situation" I suppose this is the issue only in the states. Could not imagine anything bad in Europe.

Actually the Kuhn has two other safety "valves" besides the main pressure valve. One of them is a relief valve next to the main valve and the other is the silicone rubber lid seal which is designed to expand and release pressure when it gets over a certain level.

I have enjoyed using my Fagor. The Modernist Cuisine website has some good recipes, including (if memory serves) one for thoroughly carmelizing vegetables by manipulating pH before pressure cooking. I adapted the technique to carmelize fennel for ravioli, which came out extremely flavorful.

I bought a Fagor with the canning set a while ago - pot works perfectly fine but I never canned anything where I really needed the 15psi. That said, since I picked up an Instant pot on sale last year, I have not used the Fagor. Both defintely have a learning curve, but I mostly use them for stews or soups where I can live with a bit of overcooking when I improvise.

Stefan

By the way, in addition to the modernist uses of a pressure cooker, if you just need old-fashioned recipes, Lorna Sass has a couple of books that can answer questions like, "How long do I cook beans in the pressure cooker?"