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Beginning in the 1930s, two successive generations of busy cooks employed pressure cookers to prepare family meals. The next generation, freighted with memories of valves dancing and hissing on stovetops, then snubbed pressure cookers. Now pressure cookers have come back, those old valves replaced by modern versions that ensure safety while delivering the speed, ease, and nutritional benefits of pressure cooking. This heavyweight, stainless-steel beauty is a fine example of contemporary engineering and style. Its mirror finish gleams, and its black handles, including a loop handle for two-handed lifting, stay cool. Pressure cooking traps steam to heat foods at temperatures higher than boiling. An aluminum disk in the base, sandwiched by stainless steel, speeds the process even more through fast heat conductivity. It's safe on electric, gas, ceramic, and induction stovetops. Little water is required, so nutrients, flavor, and color are not boiled away. Vegetables emerge vibrantly colored from the steamer insert. Stews, soups, beans--even meat loaf, pork chops, and desserts such as bread pudding--come out tasty and nutritious. (A booklet containing dozens of recipes is included.) You can brown meats in the pot before the lid is locked on, or use the pot without the lid. The stem of the operating valve shows high and low pressure so you can adjust heat for different foods. After cooking, pressure can be reduced slowly (just let the cooker sit for a while), normally (press the pressure indicator), or quickly (run tepid water on the lid's rim). Safety measures abound. The lid twists onto the pot; a rubber gasket ensures a tight seal. A vent releases steam if pressure builds too high, as does a valve that also locks the lid when any pressure whatsoever is inside the cooker. - Fred Brack
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Technical Details
- 5-quart saucepan-style pressure cooker made of 18/10 stainless steel; holds up to eight 1/2-pint or four 1-pint jars for canning- Solid thermal aluminum sandwich in bottom for even browning and rapid heat absorption
- Five over-pressure safety systems; automatic locking system; spring-loaded precision valve
- Saves time and 70 percent of energy normally consumed while cooking
- Made in Switzerland; hand washing recommended; 10-year warranty
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By BostonBill (Boston, MA USA)
I've used a stainless steel Presto pressure cooker for years. Mostly for making brown rice. Two cups water, one cup rice. Bringing it up to pressure takes about five minutes. Then it chatters away on the stove, and I constantly have to adjust the burner and hope that I don't burn the rice as the liquid boils off. It's very noisy, and often a little stressful, since often there is a little layer of burned rice on the bottom.
Last night I tried my new Kuhn Rikon for the first time, and it's hard to believe how different it is. First, they tell you to use less water, since the precision valve doesn't chatter away the steam, but keeps it all inside. Okay, I follow the instructions and put in 1 1/2 cups of water to one cup brown rice.
Then it says to keep the pressure on the lower range, where one red line shows on the little valve that rises up when there's pressure. It also says to bring the liquid up to boiling before putting on the lid, which is different than I had done in my Presto years.
Difference 1: With less water, it came up to boiling faster.
Difference 2: The Kuhn Rikon has a thick aluminum plate bonded below the stainless steel pot. It must capture and distribute the heat, because my water was boiling in under a minute. Really fast!
Difference 3: Almost instant pressure. I put the top on, and being used to my old pressure cooker, I kept the flame on high. Within a few seconds, the pot was up to the first red line -- 8 bars of pressure, and about 15 seconds later was at the second line, 15 bars. I turned down the flame to low, figuring that the pressure would drop. It didn't. It stayed at the second red line. They recommend rice at the first line. So I went to the lowest flame level.
Diffference 4: No Steam Loss Means No Heat Loss - Because there isn't a steady escape of hot steam, that means that much less heat must be put in. In my rice case, this meant that the only way to stay at the 8 bar level was to use the intermittent flame setting that one of my burners has. The flame goes on for a few seconds, and then off. That's how little heat was needed! At the steady flame lowest setting, the pot was staying at 15 bars of pressure, instead of the 8 that they recommend.
Difference 5 - Silence in the kitchen. No noise. None. (If it does make any noise it is because the pressure has hit the upper limit and steam is being released for safety. Then you really need to turn down the flame.) The pressure valve lets off tiny wisps of steam. That's it.
Difference 6: Fast cool down - With my old pressure cooker, there was a ball of hot steam inside the cooker, and you either had to let it all escape in a steamy show, or wait five minutes while it dissipated and continued to cook the food at some unknown rate. With this pot, I took it off the burner (or should I say "candle"), and put it on the granite countertop. I watched as the pressure indicator dropped down. In a minute or two, I opened the pot and the rice was perfect. There was no way it could burn. (Remember, though, that the rice at this point had very little moisture and retained heat. I'm sure bigger dishes will take longer to cool.)
Difference 7: Cooking with it feels like driving a BMW, but you save $50,000. If you know someone who likes pressure cooking, this is a great gift that they will really appreciate.
By Evelyn J. Jain (New Brighton, MN)
I love my new cooker! I primarily use it for cooking dals, lentils and rice. It's quick and doesn't spit up like my older (Mirro) cooker. The double red ring makes it easy to determine the cooking times. Easy to clean too-LOVE IT
By E. Estern (Northeastern USA)
I've used quite a few pressure cookers over the years and this is my favorite. Here's what I like about it: Stainless steel interior and exterior. Cooks with a minimum amount of liquid--as little as 1/3 cup. Come up to pressure fast and holds the pressure very efficiently. The two pressure settings are also a plus. The only negative to this system is that the parts do wear out. I've had my 5 quart Kuhn for about 14 years and have replaced the handles, valves and gaskets at least once. The good news is that parts are readily available. I use mine 4-5 times a week so it gets a lot of wear and tear. Even though it doesn't save much time for quick steaming I rarely use anything else for steamed greens, they just come out better. Best thing about it? Perfect risotto in 7-8 minutes! This tool is worth every penny in time and fuel savings. If I lost mine I'd replace it immediately. Lorna Sass's books have many innovative and inspiring recipes and with a bit of practice you can adapt almost any recipe to the pressure cooker. My experience has been that things cook in almost exactly 1/3 the time--i.e. a 3 hour osso bucco cooks in 1 hour. Last bit of advice: Get the 5 liter. Any smaller and you'll find it a bit cramped for a whole chicken. Any larger and it will be too large for smaller dishes and risottos.
By M. K. Blue (California)
Several years ago, I took a class on pressure cooking and this was the cooker that the class focused on. I had never used a pressure cooker before and had heard nothing but horror stories. After the class, I purchased the 5-liter cooker and have been quite happy with it for nearly 10 years. I am a vegetarian and, even though I am single, I like to cook up beans every other week. That way I can have a nice selection available in my freezer during the week. With this cooker, I can cook up several different varieties in just a couple of hours. I have cooked a fairly wide variety of dishes with this cooker and I have never, ever had so much as a blip of a problem.
This cooker is so easy to use, it is just about self-explanatory. There are markings on the inside so that you can easily avoid over-filling it. The little guide that comes with the cooker has helpful little charts. The only addition to this package that I would make would be a much more in depth cook book focusing on pressure cooking. Lorna Sass' books are excellent.
Note: As I was reviewing my reviews, it occurred to me that the price on this pressure cooker has not changed much over the past 10-ish years. I paid $160 about 10 years or so ago. Not bad.
By StriperGuy (Watertown, MA United States)
Overpriced, Dangerous, Lousy Customer Service
This was given to me as a gift, and it jammed the 3rd time I used it. Had to whack it open with a wrench.
Tried to return it and ended up on the phone with the US distributor who was insulting and basically said I did not know how to use it.
I am a VERY experienced cook.
Threw it in the trash and bought I Presto that I am MUCH happier with for 1/3 the price.
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