Im looking to get myself a pressure cooker
any recommendations?
Thanks in advance
Which pressure cooker to buy?
ynot1985 on 12/06/2013 - 21:30
Comments
I've got a Breville Fast Slow Cooker. It's everything in one- saite, steam, slow, pressure. Love it. Love the pressure cooker bit. Just don't do coconut milk curries under pressure!
why not? I was actually considering doing this as my next recipe?
The coconut milk can curdle if you cook too long - and of course that would change with hotplate temp, ambient room temp, brand of coconut milk, etc. Myself, I couldn't care less - it still tastes the same. ;-p
But as I posted below (after searching online) - they say to just stir the coconut milk through after cooking with the lid on - gently simmer for a couple of minutes to heat the coconut milk.
The milk split (I think). Didn't look great.
If you like Aluminium pressure cooker, most Indian grosser y stores will stock pressure cookers. South East Asians cook mostly in pressure cookers. Hawkins is a well known brand for aluminium pressure cookers. They looks like the ones mentioned on this site but you will get in a cheaper rate:
http://www.pressurecooker.com.au/Shop-Brands/Hawkins-Pressur…
I own a large Fissler and a smaller Fagor. I've had both of them for over 15 years. The Fissler cost a fortune at the time and I do prefer it to the Fagor, however, if money is a factor, the Fagor is fine.
I had an aluminium Hawkins for years, still going strong but after I switched to induction it was made redundant.
I then bought a cheap electric pressure cooker from Woolies (~$40) a couple of years ago & it's a bloody little champion…to be honest, I wouldn't go back to a stovetop pressure cooker after the convenience of a standalone electric one! ;)
What kind of stew is your partner making in that pressure cooker?:b
stewed balls?
thanks for the replies,,, does anyone know if there is a 'real' difference between stove top vs electric and aluminium vs stainless steel (didnt realise there are so many different types out there)
electric is more convenient but you can't take it camping/use it without power and they generally only use 8/12psi which ends up at ~110 Celcius while stove tops use 15psi which ends up ~120 Celcius.
aluminium is the poor mans pressure cooker that is completely fine to use although not as shiny, a bit harder to clean and creates hot spots because it conducts heat so quickly from the heat source to the food. The bottom is more likely to burn the food in places although if you sit a trivet on the bottom it will stop or something it will keep your food off the bottom.
stainless steel is easier to clean, usually has alumium in the middle to distribute temperate more evenly (look for 18/10 stainless steel otherwise it's not truly stainless and you might as well get aluminium)
I've got a Tramontina that I got for $160 from Target that is currently selling at Woolworths for $60. It's stainless steel and works like a charm. I probably would have gotten Hawkins but I don't like how it holds pressure and releases in bursts rather than at a pace and I was worried my kids would play with it.
For many years, cooking in aluminium was considered an unhealthy practice due to links with Alzheimers disease. The health concerns are still being discussed and that may or may not be a consideration for you.
…due to suspected links with Alzheimers disease.
Fixed.
The jury is well & truly still out AFAIK…
…due to alleged suspected links with Alzheimers disease.
Fixed ;)
Lets just ban cooking, everything you cook on seems to give you cancer or something else bad.
Yes Stewballs, you are quite right and worded it much better than I was able. Thank you :)
My dislike of aluminium cookware shows. I spent a great deal of my childhood washing the family aluminium pans which were pitted and turned my hands, the scourer and the t-towels black. I expect aluminium cookware is different these days.
At least I have a good reputation somewhere for a change, LOL.
Glad to see the neg. comments on aluminium. I was watching an online video and aluminium is found in everything now - including our bodies - and dirt.
Be aware many (all?) of the cheaper PC's - say, less than $100 - operate at a lower pressure. (I suspect this is all aluminium ones, because it's a softer metal, so wouldn't be able to contain the higher pressure?) So try to get one that operates up around 15 psi. This info was hard to find when I was first looking though.
The reason to get one with the higher pressure is, one of the main benefits of a PC is reduced cooking time. Conversely, ones that operate at lower pressures don't reduce cooking time much compared to an open saucepan. Over the life of a better 15 psi pressure cooker, you'll save heaps more in energy costs, than the extra you paid for it to begin with.
I consider the Fagor Duo is still the best buy in Australia. Amazon reviews are quite negative, because for some weird reason the USA Fagors are (apparently) made in China. Their handles crack easily during shipping. (One reviewer used the word, "explode".) But the ones you buy here are made in Spain.
A bunch of guys called "KFC Replicators" have used Fagors to fry chicken in oil - which is supposed to be a big no-no. We've done it many times too, in our Arcosteel (but not the Fagor yet).
Most quality PC's only operate at one pressure. But the Fagor Duo has both high and low settings. If you rely on recipe books, they sometimes use a lower pressure than 15 psi. (The Fagor can do both.)
I've bought two Fagor Duos as wedding presents, and a third one for ourselves. We also have an older 9L Arcosteel.
Buy the largest one (9.5L/10 Quart) because although it says 9.5L, you can't actually cook 9.5L of food in it. You have to leave space so food doesn't shoot out the pressure relief valve/s. In other words, if you buy say a 6L, you might only be able to cook 4.5L of food. They say if you buy small you may regret not buying bigger. But buy large and it won't be a problem.
The only thing I don't like the Fagor is there's no MAX. guideline stamped inside the pot (on the 9.5L anyway), so you don't overfill it. That's not a big issue though, once you know to just allow some space.
You can also buy a clear glass lid on Amazon that fits the 9.5L Fagor Duo, to use it as a saucepan. The gasket is cheaper there than Australia too - particularly if you're buying other items to spread postage cost.
I think most of this is already in the thread Jar Jar Binks linked to above. It is spread over a few pages though. So click on each page, then "CTRL F" to search for "pressure cooker", in case I've forgotten something important.
Yourhomedepot always comes up in searches. But they claim they can no longer get stock. (Three other online stores told me they can get stock no problem.) As of a few months ago, Le Domaine was the cheapest after free shipping. If you're signing up there for the first time, you'll get a popup window that gives you $5 credit. If you sign up through me you still get $5, but I get $10 credit I think. (I missed this opportunity recently. So if you'd like the referral link, send me a private message. Don't be too concerned though. There's no extra benefit for you, and I don't know if I'll be purchasing anything from them again any time soon anyway.) ;-p
I'll second the recommendation Fagor Duo. Had mine for about 8 years and it gets a regular workout. I think it may have been $120+ for the largest one (get the largest). Anything you can slow cook goes well in the pressure cooker - lamb shanks, osso bucco, pea & ham soup, curries.
Oh - and the cheaper the meat often means the better the result. All that gristle in gravy beef? Becomes sumptuous gelatin in the pressure cooker…..
If only OZB had a favourite button so I could save this till I get married.
Pin it?
Once you've posted a message in a thread, it's in your subscriptions under your "My Account" button, unless you remove it.
Don't think it goes under your Subscriptions just from commenting. You have to click the 'Subscribe' button first (after deal details at top of comments) then you could find it per above.
If only posting in a thread, you could find it from "My Account" -> "Comments" but if you do a lot of comments, it could be hard to find it WAY down the list.
Hm… It does for me. I often check it and unsubscribe from old threads.
Just in case I made it clear as mud, although the Fagor Duo is $cheap, it's not CHEAP if you get my meaning.
Thanks realfamilyman… i was a bit worried with fagor after reading the amazon reviews but now i feel better that its not the same as the US batch
I have narrowed down to two choices:
Fagor Duo 6L (more than enough for my needs) its 124 at kitchenwaredirect has a 20% sale so its $124 at the moment
or
theres a tefal 6L Clipso Control Pressure Cooker at 2nd's world that normally sell for 250 discount but due to a damaged carton, its 129 now with 24 months manufacturers warrranty
any suggestions?
I suspect the chinese handle situation may not even apply to the 9.5L. I hated paying more for it here. So I read through the Amazon (and elsewhere) posts very carefully many times. No-one mentions what size their chinese-made, broken-handled, PC was. A couple did however mention, their's WAS made in Spain! This made me suspect one or two sizes are made in china, but the other in Spain. My logic was, the larger an item gets, the more structural faults it would display. So I suspected Fagor felt it was worth the risk making the smaller two in China, but make the 9.5L in Spain with better quality control.
But of course there was no way to tell for certain. So I decided it wasn't worth the risk and just bought it here. (I also was not going to buy Fagor initially, due to the Amazon reviews. But when I saw a Fagor Duo here in a physical kitchen supplies store - for over $300! - it was made in Spain! So I asked some Aus stores online. All confirmed their's were made in Spain.)
Seriously - be 100% certain you only want a 6L. Most people don't get the largest one because they think they'll burn food in it because they won't fill it, or they'll never need the space, so why pay extra. But consider a few things:
It's rare to burn anything in a PC because the food is surrounded by steam - and sometimes up on a trivet too.
The 3.8L & 5.7L use the same sized gasket and glass lid. The 7.6L & 9.5L also use the same (second) sized gasket & glass lid. This means the 3.8L & 5.7L have the same cooking surface area, as does the 7.6L & 9.5L. That means the 5.7L and the 9.5L are not wider, just taller.
We cut a typical chicken (size 14?) into pieces. All pieces only just fit in our 9L Acrosteel (as in, just fit below the MAX line). Size 14 may be typical, but it is quite small. I'd hate to try to fit one into a smaller PC, plus some veg, etc.
My wife even makes desserts in the PC. Cheesecake, fruit cake, xmas puddings… Would the 5.7L be tall enough for a pudding? Or wide enough for a cheesecake? Myself, I don't know the answer to these questions. While it takes some time get right, a PC cheesecake is not to be missed. And the time saved cooking a xmas pudding or a fruitcake is bliss.
This point is more common in the USA, but you can buy: "Canners" (like "Fowlers Vacola" for preserving fruit & jam), "Pressure Cookers" (for cooking meals and desserts), and "Pressure Canners". The latter is a large version of a pressure cooker, used to can (preserve) meat products.
My point? A 9.5L (10 Quart) pressure cooker is the smallest recommended non-pressure canner, that can also be safely used to can (preserve) meat products.
Read under "Name Recognition" at this page:
http://missvickie.com/workshop/buying.html - note the two other good brands she recommends are more costly than the Fagor. She has written a thick PC recipe book.Correction: Read most of that page. (She mostly agrees with me - which means she must be right.) ;-p
As for the Tefal… Again, I really don't know. All I have is my personal bias, which could be entirely wrong. That is, I've always got the impression Tefal was a "cheap & nasty" brand in other types of cookware. Now even if that were correct years ago, does that mean they are still that today? I don't know. What I do know is, Fagor has made quality cookwear from day one.
For what it's worth, both brands are sold by www.pressurecooker.com.au - so I guess they (hopefully) wouldn't sell them if they were junk.
Finally (also for what it's worth), during my search I started without any bias. In fact I originally wanted a second Arcosteel, so we could both dinner and dessert at once. But after much reading and comparing prices, I settled on the Fagor.
Hope that helps some.
Oh - and warranty can't be relied on. I've read with manufacturers this basically covers catastrophic failure of the metal pot. If for instance, a handle cracked, they could easily brush you off, saying you dropped it.
Seriously, thinking about it again… The difference between $129 & $172… For only $38 more (after the $5 Le Domaine discount) I'd still lean towards the 9.5L Fagor. But everyone's different I guess.
Just noticed Fagor warranty is 10 years. Again, probably not on the plastic handles though.
I like you RFM:) U go out of your way to help fellow ozbargainers.Thank you :)
Oops, missed this message earlier. You're welcome folks.
Amazing post. I really want to get one now, and a Sous Vide, and a much bigger kitchen!
Fagor do 4lt + 8 lt for $199 seems to be the cheapest on the net.
http://www.ledomaine.com.au/fagor-duo-combi-Set-of-5
Kitchewaredirect is out of stock.
That's a different set. The single locking lid fits both.
This is the $172 one:
http://www.ledomaine.com.au/fagor-duo-8L (click on little red 9.5L box).It still comes with the trivet and steaming/frying basket, but not the second smaller PC or glass lid. As mentioned, glass lid is available at Amazon.
I see. But dont you think its better value getting 2 cookers 4lt and 8 lt albeit with 1 lid?
We have used pressure cookers all our life and typically you can boil 4-5 potatoes or Lentils for th whole family in a 4lt cooker so most of time we would be using that.
My current one is going bust so was looking at that.
Well (just my thoughts)… the 8 will cook anything the 4L will, and since they're the same lid, one is just taller - not wider. Since there's only one lid, you can only use one pot at a time. So if you made say, a meat dish in one and a dessert in the other - I would probably wash the lid before using on pot #2, in case weird flavours crossed to the desert. Washing the lid is "harder" than washing the pot because of its gasket, as food rarely sticks to the pot. So if I have to wash the lid anyway, I could easily wash the (8L) pot too. So it's not really saving washing up to cook two dishes, which is the only benefit I can think of to having two pots with one lid.
I mean, we have two pressure cookers ourselves. So I'm not going to neg that view. But if we tossed one of their lids away, the second one is really now just a saucepan. Unless again we cooked separately and washed or rinsed the lid between cooking each dish.
I struggled with the decision if to buy this set instead of the 9.5L to begin with too. But decided it made more sense for us to have the extra 1.5L space.
If it came with two lids however, for sure - it would be a struggle to decide. So maybe ask the store if there's a way to buy a second lid?
What you said makes perfect sense but in my situation space is a major issue. As we live in a unit, the 4lt would be the workhorse with the 8lt one in storage and out for occasions.
Maybe I should just get the 6lt one in between and be done with it.
Hmm… decisions!
Just checked to be sure… They all came with a small user manual, steamer basket, trivet (a bent triangle of wire), plus the most recent one we bought came with an instructional DVD.
With the $5 discount, Le Domaine is $124.95 with free shipping for the 6L.
Thanks RFM for your recent rec for Fagor duo PC. As you know I did purchase and have been very happy with the results. Sorry I didn't know about sending some referral $$s your way. :( Roast Beef, Silverside, Ginger Chicken have all been yum. Moving on to some curry recipes now. Like the sound of Beef Rendang. Someone said don't try coconut milk in PC. What do you think? Is it possible if you are careful?
Sorry I didn't know about sending some referral $$s your way.
I forgot about it myself to begin with. It's the first time I'd purchased from them and may never do so again anyway. (I purchased the first one $2 cheaper at yourhomedepot but they now claim they can't get stock.)
Yep, roast beef is amazing in a pressure cooker. Especially if you brown it in the bottom first then lift it on a trivet before locking on the lid - and make gravy in the bottom using stock. Oh - and sprinkle white pepper on the gravy later, when on the plate. I've never been a pepper user, but just… WOW. We recently ate this three nights in a row it was so good.
Corned meat… My wife like it, I don't. So we have an agreement. I eat it under sufferance. She doesn't cook it often.
Beef rendang would likely also be amazing.
We haven't made curry chicken in a PC, but probably should try it. That site that sells dozens of pressure cookers has a recipe:
http://www.pressurecooker.com.au/beef-curry-recipe
… that doesn't mention curdling. But you could always do what they suggest on this page:
http://pressurecookerrecipes22484.yuku.com/reply/2316#.UbqCY…
… and add the coconut milk after cooking, and gently simmer a couple of minutes to heat the milk through.
Ah Righto - curdling is the problem. Thought it might have been the high fat content of the coconut milk. Will follow your suggestions. Like the tips of trivet and white pepper too. My Dad always added white pepper to mashed potato. Gives it a great kick. Underrated in my opinion the old white pepper. Dad would also cut and de-seed a whole pumpkin and sprinkle all cut sides with black pepper and store in plastic bag for the week. Stops it deteriorating. Also I can't believe how low the gas flame is while using PC. The burner is barely on. Massive savings!
Underrated in my opinion the old white pepper.
The main ingredient of KFC is white pepper. (Not that it tastes much like it used to.)
we bought the tefal minut from bing after i saw the deal from ozbargain a few mths ago… best money spent!! delicious melt in your mouth dinners for the whole family.. priceless!! we use it almost every other day. southern style bbq pulled pork in 30 mins!! korean galbi beef ribs stew! pork belly! 20 mins lamb shank! omg!! beef rendang!
target had a sale a few weeks ago 50% pressure cooker for $69. they often go on sale.
Got the tefal minut too. Aesome purchase - where do you get urrecipes?
we had a slow cooker so its the same recipes but 11 hrs quicker!
i'll give u one. bbq pulled pork.. so easy. ingredients 1x pork shoulder
1x bottle of coke 1x jar of ranch bbq sauce1) rinse pork with water. put in pressure cooker. cover with coke (not the whole bottle) and cook for 30mins. check if its tender.. if not another 5 mins
2) take it out drain the fat and shred it… you just perl it with fork.. so soft practically falls apart.
3) put it back into slow cooker, put in entire jar of bbq sauce and cook for 5 mins
4) serve with crusty bread, pickles, pickled onion etcamerican style texas food
any packet mixed.. osso bucco so easy! veal, tomato paste, red wine, veg etc
btw, dont put veg same time as meat. will disintegrate. put it last 10 mins. some recipes u will need to brown meat first but it has a browning function. my husband uses it.. sooo easy. he cooked all the boys beef rendang curry for state of origin !
we had a slow cooker so its the same recipes but 11 hrs quicker!
LOL - good isn't it. We used to have a slow cooker. The pressure cooker wins out.
dont put veg same time as meat. will disintegrate. put it last 10 mins.
We haven't struck this problem. Maybe people could try with the veg in first (since it's easier if it works). Just checked with my wife and she cooks a simple casserole (beef & veg) for 20 minutes.
LOL - good isn't it. We used to have a slow cooker. The pressure cooker wins out.
I have both…there are subtle differences in the flavours of slow cooking vs pressure, some dishes I prefer slow cooked (my own recipe beef ribs in beer) for instance, absolutely do not taste anywhere near as good when pressure cooked as they do slow cooked.
I was speaking to Sunbeam's senior home economist. She is the person who tests all the kitchen appliances and writes the recipes that they include with the instruction manuals etc.
She stated that she was very happy with the results of the Sunbeam Sous Vide, and even stated that she preferred these over the usual pressure cookers. She did not go into specifics as to why because I didn't question her.
http://www.sunbeam.com.au/products/kitchen/mu4000/
Please note that I have a working relationship with sunbeam as an independent contractor, but my field is coffee.
That's because sous vide is the current cooking fad product of the month…it is also not a pressure cooker, all it does is boil food in already vacuum sealed pouches.
Sous Vide is a completely different cookery method.
Careful, the NSA will be kicking down your door soon :/
the pressure cooker recommended by the gurus who wrote modernist cuisine is the Kuhn Rikon
its expensive like some of the others mentioned here but its apparently the best money can buy
ive been eyeing one off for a while but have had to prioritise other impulse buys until the $300 this costs gets to the front of the queue!
Yes, I found that opinion in my initial PC research. KR Owners say they love how they don't release steam (unless over-pressurized). But we actually prefer the quiet hiss. Also I realised as long as the operating pressure was as close to 15 psi as possible, they would all cook the same. (They are after all just a metal pot that cooks food.) Because the Fagor and Kuhn Rikon worked at the same pressure, I couldn't justify the huge price difference.
One good thing about the Kuhn Rikon is they make a 12 quart - and it is wider than most PC'ers. That would be good for us to make our own KFC. I may keep an eye out for a second hand one.
Here's a link discussing both the Fagor and Kuhn Rikon if anyone's interested:
EDIT: Note the second comment at the bottom of the review.
Tefal , I use this weekly, even my daughter can cook complicated stuff following Recipe book. Best money spent
Ok so there has to be one blasphemer in the crowd.
I bought the ALDI pressure cooker a few weeks back. Totally satisfied. It has a high (12lbs) and low (8lbs)pressure setting. made of stainles steel
The size feels a bit big to start with but it will fit a 2.5kg pork roast (yummolicious)
The trivet is the only bad thing in it its just a coat hanger wire and is hard to put small things or large things on it.
I guess the only other concearn is where to get new seals for it when the time comes. I bought it for $40.
have cooked
chilli concarne
roasts
pork hocks
potato and leek soup … (omg sooo much soup)I heard its great for cooking dried red kidney beans so will try that at some stage in a chilli.
I looked at the Aldi one. A poor build quality particularly the handle as I recall. (Sorry.) So be gentle with the handle when washing up. I think I recall the handle I looked at was already cracked where the screws attach it to the pot. They were not screwed in straight either. Which indicates poor design/tooling in the factory. i.e. I can't screw these in straight, so I'll force them in at an angle. (Which is possibly why the screw holes were cracked.)
I'm not sure, but is the seal/gasket made of rubber, not silicon? (Silicon gaskets are a grey colour - like this: http://snipurl.com/279ctzi) Anyway, if it's silicon don't be too concerned - it will last for ages. We've had our first PC for several years but not yet needed to use the second sealing ring it came with. They say to replace when it is no longer soft & supple.
If it's rubber it will almost definitely wear out sooner. You may be able to find a match online from another PC though, or http://www.pressurecooker.com.au may know of one that will fit.
I did a cursory online search but couldn't find a method to work out how much more time and energy a lesser-PSI PC uses to cook the same meal. But losing a few PSI would mean a longer cooking time and more in energy costs over time.
We don't cook pork roast in ours. Oven only because we like crackle. ;-)
pressure cooker? try my ex girlfriend..
Fagor is offered by peters of kensington who are selling giftcards for 25% off today.
http://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Public/Fagor-Duo-Pressu…
$171http://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Public/Fagor-Duo-Pressu…
$143You've got to add postage back on with them, but it should still come out cheaper in most cases.
Edit: OOPS!!! Just realised that's $170, but it's the 8L version. It should be the 9.5L for ~$170. It could be a typo on their site.
NOTE: They also don't mention the trivet being included. It probably is, but someone might like to check first, in case. It's only a bent piece of wire - but you'll probably still need it - or a substitute if it's not included.
Anyone heard of fissler brand? It seems like it is more expensive than fagor.
Fissler is a quality brand. I didn't see the point paying more when Fagor had a quality rep. too.
you should buy fissler pressure cooker , it's not cheap but it's very good and safe for using , if you need more information , please visit my blog : http://kitchenviews.net
Our resident expert on pressure cooker is @realfamilyman. Here's what he had to say: linky