Pressure cooker - which one?

Dubl07

I know it's only May, but I saw a relative's pressure cooker in use this week and it looks pregnant, at least the base did. I think an early Christmas present is in order. :eek:

Her current one is high dome, aluminium, probably Prestige but frankly I didn't want to be in the same room, let alone close enough to check the brand.

Do any Boardsies use a pressure cooker and can you recommend a particular model?

Curry Addict

i got a 6ltr one in aldi. its great for making curry base

gandalf

We have a lagostina pressure cooker and whilst it is underused it hasn't let us down when we have used it. We got it as part of our wedding list.

Cheshire Cat

I have a WMF pressure cooker. It's 20 years old, has been used a lot and still looks great. I have replaced the seal in the lid a few times, as is recommended. I'd go for stainless steel instead of aluminium. Stainless steel is more robust! Tefal and Fissler make good pressure cookers, too.

Speedwell

I've been happy with Fagor pressure cookers for almost 20 years now. I don't trust pressure cooking in aluminum, so I always get stainless steel. Note that you can't tell which ones are steel by testing them with a magnet, so don't rely on that as a test. (/geek) I used to buy a replacement seal along with the cooker as a backup, but to be honest I probably shouldn't; the seal probably ages in the couple of years it takes me to need the replacement.

(Edit: Occasionally you do find pressure cookers that are designed with a convex curve at the bottom... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prestige-PRSSH4-4-Deluxe-Stainless-Pressure/dp/B003XCNHGQ/ref=sr_1_117?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1462951598&sr=1-117&keywords=pressure+cooker)

fiddlechic

Was just about to post a similar question!

Only cooking for 2, so thinking in the 4-6 litre range.

Trying to decide between Kuhn Rikon and Fissler - leaning towards Fissler as all my other saucepans now Fissler and I think they're the best thing since sliced bread!

A friend has a WMF and thinks the world of it - but they're a bit priceier.

Dubl07

Speedwell wrote: »

(Edit: Occasionally you do find pressure cookers that are designed with a convex curve at the bottom... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prestige-PRSSH4-4-Deluxe-Stainless-Pressure/dp/B003XCNHGQ/ref=sr_1_117?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1462951598&sr=1-117&keywords=pressure+cooker)

:pac: It's the base surface of this particular pressure cooker that's convex, not the side wall. It's not pot-bellied, it's pot-bottomed but still makes enough contact with their ceramic hob to hiss as nastily as an angry cat. I wouldn't give it house room.

rubadub

Dubl07 wrote: »

, it's pot-bottomed but still makes enough contact with their ceramic hob to hiss as nastily as an angry cat. I wouldn't give it house room.

It has probably been boiled dry leading to the base warping. I would not use one which has since it will be weakened. If it is hissing a lot they probably have unnecessarily high power so its not surprising if they boiled it dry before.

I have the prestige 6L hi dome and would recommend it, I would not recommend the other prestige ranges though. I have used 3 of the same model and all were fine. Its one of the few in that price range that still go to 15psi, many only go to 12 psi nowadays.

Unz88

Not sure if this is a ridiculous question - are pressure cookers the same thing as slow cookers? If they're different. what are they used for?

Speedwell

Unz88 wrote: »

Not sure if this is a ridiculous question - are pressure cookers the same thing as slow cookers? If they're different. what are they used for?

Not a ridiculous question.

Slow cookers cook at ambient pressure under comparatively low temperatures. They are safe, electricity-efficient alternatives to keeping a pot simmering slowly on the hob; they heat the food gently from all sides instead of intensely from the bottom, so they don't burn food assuming it has some liquid.

Pressure cookers cook in a tightly closed container with a pressure regulator to cook at increased pressure. Steam, allowed to escape only at a tightly controlled rate, changes the characteristics of the air and temperature inside the unit to change how food cooks.

Imagine the adjustments that you would have to make to cook and bake at a very high altitude, where the boiling point is much lower. The pressure cooker does the opposite; when you increase the pressure, you increase the boiling point so that food can cook much faster without blowing apart, and the steam is driven into the food so dense foods such as brown rice and dried beans cook more thoroughly and without breaking as badly as they do when they are simply boiled hard, and meats get tender faster. So basically what you have is a "fast cooker".

Dubl07

Speedwell wrote: »

Not a ridiculous question.

Slow cookers cook at ambient temperature under comparatively low temperatures. They are safe, electricity-efficient alternatives to keeping a pot simmering slowly on the hob; they heat the food gently from all sides instead of intensely from the bottom, so they don't burn food assuming it has some liquid.

Pressure cookers cook in a tightly closed container with a pressure regulator to cook at increased pressure. Steam, allowed to escape only at a tightly controlled rate, changes the characteristics of the air and temperature inside the unit to change how food cooks.

Imagine the adjustments that you would have to make to cook and bake at a very high altitude, where the boiling point is much lower. The pressure cooker does the opposite; when you increase the pressure, you increase the boiling point so that food can cook much faster without blowing apart, and the steam is driven into the food so dense foods such as brown rice and dried beans cook more thoroughly and without breaking as badly as they do when they are simply boiled hard, and meats get tender faster. So basically what you have is a "fast cooker".

Great question, excellent answer.

Dizzyblonde

Lidl will have a 900w pressure cooker for €49.99 on Thursday the 19th. I was scrolling through the deals and it reminded me of this thread.

When I got married everyone had pressure cookers, Prestige was the most common one then and it had a weight over the steam outlet on the top. I lived in fear of it shooting off and killing me when I lifted it off the hob

gucci

The pressure relief valve blew clean out of my mums prestige one day (the pin and the seal both blew out....i guess the pin was stuck and there was nothing else to give?) gave the kitchen ceiling quite a pasting with a rich Irish stew :-) I can still hear her screaming (and laughing to be fair) with the goings on!

squonk

I use an Instant Pot IP-DUO. It's a great electric pressure cooker. It also does steaming, has special programs for rice and grains, soups, stews, beans and chilli. It'll even make yogurt which came out grand the time I tried it. It's insanely good for making curries but chilli and other things come out great too. I would be lost without it at this point.

rubadub

some of the electric ones double up as slow cookers.

gucci wrote: »

The pressure relief valve blew clean out of my mums prestige one day (the pin and the seal both blew out....i guess the pin was stuck and there was nothing else to give?) gave the kitchen ceiling quite a pasting with a rich Irish stew

If it was overly full the main weight may have become clogged. If it was not clogged it should have been able to vent through it unless it was at a very high power. So if it was at normal power the rubber valve was either not seated right, faulty or worn away and therefore releasing under less pressure than it should. The pin thing in the prestige is meant to pop up when there is plently of steam inside. You are supposed to vent off air until its full of steam, in other cookers you do this manually.

The prestige I have also has a cut in the side of the lid where the gasket is. If it gets to too high a pressure the gasket blows out the side. The arrow in this pic happens to point to the cutout.




Of course it they can also be used as a large pot, mine has tall sides so holds a lot.

jam_mac_jam

You need an instant pot, it will change your life.


I love mine. So much I don't know what I would do without it.

squonk

I agree! Of all the cooking gadgets and appliances I've bought, the Instant Pot is the only one that really has more than paid for itself. I can come in from work, chop some veg, heat the IP, sauté some onion and get a pot of soup on the go before I get changed and I've got lovely soup waiting for tea. It's great for making chilli, bolognese sauce, and stews. It's pretty much taken over the job of my hob single handed and while I do use the conventional methods every so often, the speed the pressure cooker works at makes it my go to appliance.

It's almost foolproof too once you get a few recipes under your belt. I still get a bit of overheat the odd time when I'm being miserly with the liquid ratio but the IP switches itself off when this happens so my pride is the only thing destroyed! .

I made the chilli recipe from the Cooking Club with my IP and it came out fantastic. I've also tried pulled pork as well. Pulled Pork cooked in just over 60 mins anyone? Couldn't recommend it highly enough.

pigtail33

I got an Instant Pot for Christmas and I think I've used it three times since then. We never had a pressure cooker at home and I guess they kinda scare me as I'm not sure how to change the liquid requirements for 'normal' recipes. Any tips or go to recipes anyone had to share would be greatly appreciated.

fiddlechic

I bought the WMF pressure cooker a couple of weeks ago - I love, love, love it!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/WMF-Perfect-Pressure-diameter-stainless/dp/B00008XWYP

Couldn't love it more.

A few tips - Kuhn Rikon have a cooking times app that I've used a few times - very handy guide for a newcomer.

I've made a few recipes from http://www.seriouseats.com/tags/pressure%20cooker - ragu, chicken masala, risotto, and chicken and chorizo.
All superb.

Bon Appetit seem to have good recipes and tips but I haven't used them myself - http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/article/pressure-cookers-2

squonk

pigtail33 wrote: »

I got an Instant Pot for Christmas and I think I've used it three times since then. We never had a pressure cooker at home and I guess they kinda scare me as I'm not sure how to change the liquid requirements for 'normal' recipes. Any tips or go to recipes anyone had to share would be greatly appreciated.

If it helps, I have found that for a stew I'd usually add a carton of Aldi passata and maybe a half carton again of water or beer or wine or whatever additional liquid you want to add.

If you're cooking a lot you need more water so my proportions above would be for a practically full pot with veg and meat.

For most things you can get away with a cup of water or thereabouts. The real secret is just to make sure that your liquid isn't too thick otherwise the pot will overheat. Anothe trick is not to mix your veg and meat once you add it on top of the liquid in the first place.

pigtail33

Thanks squonk. I found out about the overheating the hard way. I ended up with a layer of thick burnt stew at the bottom of the pot and have since found out anything thickening agents need to be added after the stew is cooked!

squonk

Don't feel bad! I've been using the IP for the past year and a half and my last stew ended up in overheat as well. I just wasn't really paying attention to what I was dong and I skimped on the liquid just a bit too much.