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Thread Number: 71188
/ Tag: Recipes, Cooking Accessories
Stove top pressure cookers |
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Post# 942328 6/7/2017 at 19:11 (2,514 days old) by appnut  (TX) |
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Post# 942338 , Reply# 1 6/7/2017 at 19:43 (2,514 days old) by parunner58 (Davenport, FL) |
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Post# 942339 , Reply# 2 6/7/2017 at 19:46 (2,514 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 942348 , Reply# 4 6/7/2017 at 20:48 (2,514 days old) by parunner58 (Davenport, FL) |
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Post# 942380 , Reply# 6 6/7/2017 at 23:00 (2,514 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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 Bob, as you likely know, the Presto 6-quart is available in both aluminum and stainless steel. I have the stainless version, which I bought because it's machine washable, but have only used it once. Why? Because it's tall and narrow, and I prefer a cooker with a wider diameter. Keep this in mind as you decide on what to get. After finding a 6-quart Mirro-Matic that's wider than it is tall, it has become the cooker I use the most out of my collection. Browning large items is so much easier when they actually fit into the cooker. | ||
| Post# 942398 , Reply# 7 6/7/2017 at 23:45 (2,514 days old) by Northwesty (Renton, WA) | ||
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Maybe you would like to try one like mine Though I haven't used it yet | ||
| Post# 942423 , Reply# 8 6/8/2017 at 08:01 (2,514 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c ) | ||
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I have all different kinds But for a new one, Kuhn Rikon is the very best...But be prepared to part with some serious cash, I found a nearly new one at an estate sale for 40. 00, I GRABBED it up as a small one is in the 200 plus range. | ||
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Post# 942425 , Reply# 9 6/8/2017 at 08:09 (2,514 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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I've both European and US Pressure Cookers/Saucepans/ Canners And here's my experience: As long as the bottom works on induction, they'll all do the job. However: 1) I live at an altitude which reduces 15psi to an effective 10.5psi. Unless you're at sea-level, forget anything but 15psi cookers. Every drop in pressure reduces the speed enormously - after 3000 feet, you have to add 5% to the cooking time for each 1000 feet. This is why anything but 15psi is useless except at sea-level for canning. Even in Chicago, you can't reach a true botulism killing temperature in a 10psi pressure cooker. 2) Nobody on the planet earth actually cooks at lower than the maximum pressure, so don't worry about how many 'speeds' a pressure cooker may have. 3) The nonsense about whistles and rattle mechanisms being not at 'good' as the spring loaded is just that - all my European (including FAGOR) pressure cookers release too much pressure, too. duh. So ignore those stupid arguments. 4) FAGOR and SILIT are the prettiest and easiest to clean. BUT - in contrast to PRESTO, both companies drop parts from their catalog over time. If you buy either one, it's not for forever. 5) I like PRESTO - for the price, you're getting a very easy to use, very easy to clean, sturdy, true 15psi pressure cooker for which parts will be available well into the next century. They're also much cheaper as they show up on Ebay all the time and at garage sales. Just make sure the bottom is strongly attracted to a magnet. If it is, it works perfectly on induction. You absolutely do not need a 'special' induction bottom. 6) Eight quart is a far more practical size than six quart, as Steven said.
As to the aluminium vs. stainless-steel vs. enamel argument, that's entirely up to you. My daily non-induction driver is a 2.5 quart PRESTO in cast aluminium from the very late 1940s. My induction goto is a 2016 8 quart PRESTO Professional Stainless with induction sandwich disk which a neighbor bought, used once and hated. She's five foot nothing, I'm well over six and built like a brick outhouse. Thing is heavy.
Oh, because of the way pressure cookers cook, discount the whole 'sandwich disk' width/thickness thing. Unless you're going to use this pressure pan for delicate sauces (which aren't pressure cooked), that's a distinction without a valid difference. This post was last edited 06/08/2017 at 08:30 | ||
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Post# 942455 , Reply# 10 6/8/2017 at 10:03 (2,513 days old) by joeekaitis (Rialto, California, USA) |
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Double pressure cooker day at our house.
Oh, Fagor Elite (original 15psi) 4/8qt. set, 6qt. standalone. They're now called Splendid. All Fagor cookers are induction-ready.
I throw the lids and gaskets in the Kenmore with Bubble Bandit because non-phosphate detergents are too acid or alkaline. The gaskets are as soft and pliable as when they were new. Ditto the safety valve in the lid. | ||
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Post# 942799 , Reply# 11 6/9/2017 at 23:45 (2,512 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Unless weight is a real issue, for everyday pressure cooking of meals, I'd recommend stainless over aluminum. Why? Well, stainless can and will corrode over time, esp if you are cooking salty/acidic stuff. Plus there is the concern of aluminum contamination of food potentially causing brain plaques of Alzheimers. AFAIK, there's no definite proof this occurs, but it can't hurt to be safe. However for a very large (like 16 qt) pressure cooker, aluminum makes sense from a weight perspective, as well as the fact that unless a jar breaks in process, there won't be salt/acid corrosion of the aluminum.
I seem to collect pressure cookers here. Not sure why. However... the list... First up is the 6 qt Presto stainless that came with the house. From the looks of it, with the fake wood grain on the handle, it's from the 70's. then I picked up a 12 qt aluminum Magic cooker at a thrift shop, clearly used for canning. I wound up polishing the lid and looking around for a replacement gasket. But I never got to the point of using it for canning back yard produce. As I recall it's still sort of in pieces needing further polishing. And yes, it shows signs of internal corrosion which I don't like. Then I got an 6 qt electric Cuisinart from Costco. I used it a bit for stuff like artichokes, but wasn't particularly impressed vs. just non-pressure stovetop. However got it out recently to cook up some brown rice and liked the results. At some point I picked up a Tramontina brand 8 qt stainless stovetop pc. It's nicely made, although the extra capacity is from height not width. Haven't used it yet, but it seems simple enough: two settings for pressure ("1" and "2"), a manual handle lock, induction ready. Then there's the 8 qt Power Pressure Cooker XL, which I got because I wanted to use it for stuff like roasts. I like the size. I don't like the limited controls, which are all menu selections and don't allow for enough flexibility in time selection. All the menu options other than "canning" are low pressure (7lb) and you can't go over or under what the menu selection dictates. So to cook brown rice for more than 25 minutes I had to select the "Beans" option which allowed longer times. There is one "high" pressure selection (12 lb), called "canning", where it seems like there's more flexibility in setting times. The "cookbook" that came with it gives wildly optimistic cooking times, way too short IMHO. I have made several batches of brown rice in it, as well as various pot roasts and lamb, with mixed results. It's well constructed but hobbled by the restrictive menu buttons, which mostly don't allow long enough cook times. Also have a new 16 qt Mirro pressure canner. Aluminum. This is the real deal. When I retire and get the garden into high gear, I figure this will be used. But not yet. Currently my goto pc is the Cuisinart. It's got enough capacity and is easy to use. Like the Power XL, sometimes you gotta give it a shake once it starts boiling to activate the pressure lock mechanism. After that, all is good enough. Unlike the XL, the menu that comes with it recommends the high (12 lb) setting for most recipes, which is refreshing. | ||
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