A Good Pressure Cooker Here?

[tylerrr]

Can any of you give me a good reason I should NOT buy this pressure cooker? I want to buy it and start using it.

I thought I would run it by all of you..Thanks

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/?&t ... ges07f8-20

[jacob]

Over time (5 years from now) the rubber seals will start failing. Will the company still be supporting this model?

How useful is it when/if the electronic timer fails? The built in electric heater? How will the electronics fare/survive if you put the cooker in a hay box?

I've had my cooker (KuhnRikon Duromatic) for 14 years now. I've replaced my seals twice. They still sell each and every part of it: seals, gaskets, handles, ...

[JamesR]

reason: because you could probably a used one for $50 off craigslist (i got one for $30, brand new, which was a total freaking steal.. 6 qt digital pressure cooker, probably $120 market value..)

[Scott 2]

What do you want to cook in it? A cheap slow cooker might be good enough.

[jacob]

Indeed, appropriate solutions are optimal.

How many times a week are you boiling stuff for 10+ minutes?

[lilacorchid]

I want that one too, mostly because it does yogurt without the annoying parts I hate and I can get rid of my slow cooker AND have a pressure cooker all in one. I have not pulled the trigger yet and I have been looking at it for months.

Also, the pressure is not as high as a stove top model.

[WillS]

I have one. Been using it for over a year now and love it. My biggest gripe is how loud it beeps when it's done. (I could fix this, but haven't bothered...). It is light-years better than the stovetop pressurecooker it replaced, which required a lot of attention. With this one, you can just walk away, it takes care of itself. It is able to maintain pressure just below the venting pressure, so it doesn't constantly vent steam, which is nice. I can't compare it to other automatic pressurecookers though.

[WillS]

By the way, in terms of justifying it in capex terms, the way I see it is that it creates enogh value for me during regular use that it's long since paid off. It makes cooking from scratch, especially using bulk dry goods like beans, rice, lentils, super cheap meat/soupbones, extremely convenient. I got it for the convenience. I make enough soup for a couple days at a time, using cheap ingredients, and it cooks while I study. I'd guess the payback period is less than a year, it is over 1 year old, and shows no signs of wear. If it only lasts that's OK, financially. That all said, I bought the 2013 model on discount at the beginning of 2014, so I got a good deal, but I think it is worth full retail price. Also keep in mind that in terms of environmental footprint, it saves a lot of energy every time you use it, both in terms of cooking, and in terms of reducing the garbage in your food supply chain. So I think in terms of natural resource investment, the payoff is fairly quick and ROI is high. So, again, it's OK if it only lasts a couple years. But it seems like it will last longer. Another good heuristic here is the review statistics on amazon; anything shoddy will show up in the statistics. ...

Yeah... I'm a bit of a fan... I'm really passionate about reducing energy and material waste.

[WillS]

Caveat; this review is for instantpot in general, and the particular model I have is actually the IP-LUX60. Bottom line, get an auto-pressure cooker; the best heruistic for choosing is probably price, size, and reviews. Keep in mind, you don't fill the pot to the top, it needs airspace, so you want a size up from what you think.

[tylerrr]

I'm tempted to buy the one Jacob mentioned because the durability has been so thoroughly tested. Thanks for all the feedback so far....

[tommytebco]

I have a Mirro brand stovetop pressure cooker. It is way past 25 years old and still going strong. I am told that if the gasket ever deteriorates, Ace Hardware sells replacements (I haven't personally checked this). I mainly use it to cook dry beans. It is also a good large pot for regular stews, etc.

I also have a larger "Presto" brand that I bought at a garage sale for a dollar. I never have checked for gaskets or the pressure regulator, but it's a good big heavy pot. I just googled and parts are still available for this one too.

[ebast]

I own the one mentioned by Jacob (Kuhn-Rikon) for going on 6 or 7 years now and would pretty much expect to pass it on to my (lentil-loving?) heirs along with the cast iron which I'm sure will still be going strong. Works great - high pressure when pressure cooking and a nice even heat when sauteeing, cleans up well.. serves as my primary stock / sauce / pasta pot (without locking in the lid). There's not much I need beyond this and a skillet.

Durability wise, have used it on gas, electric, done the hay-box trick (well, wool-box), and even kept it stored away in the humid metal-rotting environment of a boat for two years. Still going strong. All of the plastic handles & parts will melt rather quickly if exposed directly to a heat (don't ask me how I know that) so a little caution helps there, but as Jacob says, it's a classic and parts are available. You can rebuild it... You have the technology.


Temporarily without my cooker, I also recently had the pleasure of using a classic 'jiggle-top' Indian cooker (Prestige) for a few months and never got as good results. May have been operator failure, but it was harder to maintain a high pressure and more finicky to ensure the right liquid proportions (due to greater steam loss). That said, I was quite happy to have it over nothing. As mentioned they can be had for quite cheap if you need a low-cost introduction.

And enjoy! It's amazing what a pressure cooker can do in terms of tenderizing food. I converted over from a slow-cooker (crockpot) and rarely ever go back.

[lilacorchid]

Okay, I just bought the pot in the link and I have tried pressure cooking a whole chicken (40 min from fridge to table!), yogurt (excellent), rice (omgwtfbbq!), and today was the slow cook feature (woo!). So far I'm in love!

Bump the thread in six months and ask again, LOL

[SavingWithBabies]

I have the one linked in the first post. There is an eBay seller that often has them new but slightly dented (on mine, the dent popped out -- the metal exterior has a hollow space behind it making for easy denting/dinging in shipment). So that is another way to save on them.

So far, I've used it for hard boiled eggs (super easy to peel, haven't quite dialed in the perfect time), pulled pork, and few other things. I think the next thing I'll try is yogurt (easy to do on the stove with a back heat pad after you've boiled it but maybe this 6-in-1 can make it even easier).