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Heller 6L Pressure Cooker $89 + Shipping ($84 + Free Shipping w/ First) @ Kogan

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Hullo! Sharing what I believe to be an all-time low for this pressure cooker (minus the Amazon pricing error in 2017).

I've been attracted to the idea of an Instant Pot for quite a while, as an all-in-one unit to replace my slow cooker & rice cooker, as well as experiment with a modern safe pressure cooker that allows me to chuck all the ingredients in and walk away while it's cooking. While they go on sale for a decent price relatively often, that $150-$200 mark was still a little bit more than I wanted to spend on a whim.

So, I got researching, and was about to bite the bullet on the Phillips All-In-One for $149 off Amazon as one of the most commonly suggested alternatives, but diving deep into the reviews was reaching a common consensus: the non-stick pans aren't great, start to flake unhealthy stuff even if you avoid using metal implements, and most people ended up spending another $50 for a stainless steel pot (which the Instant Pot comes with by default).

The hunt was on: a good budget alternative that comes with a stainless steel pot. After ages trawling reviews across multiple sites (most of the reviews on eBay FYI), I reckon this Heller model is the one. I got it today and have made a rice pudding & spaghetti bolognaise (threw dry pasta in with the sauce!), and while they were pretty good, I can tell meals out of this are going to be excellent after I dial in the right times through experimentation.

Things to note:
- The Instant Pot gets to a maximum pressure of approximately 11-12 PSI pressure, while this gets to 10. I couldn't find this stat for the Philips. You may have to experiment with a slightly longer cook time when you're transferring over recipes written for the Instant Pot.
- This doesn't have a yoghurt setting like the Instant Pot & Philips has. Unsure if it's still possible to dial it in manually.
- This has a fixed pressure (as mention above, 10PSI), which would be cross-compatible with recipes that mention the 'high' setting for other units. There is no comparable 'low' setting
- The manual / presets are a little bit dorky compared to the other more prominent units, and it makes mention of a glass lid for the pot (for slow cooking) and a steamer rack that it does NOT come with. You could buy both of these accessories as generics just fine (I believe any 22cm glass saucepan lid should fit).

Remember the Kogan First trial is free, but even if you have to pay for one month worth ($5.99), it's worth it to get free shipping for a total cost of $90 :~)

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closed Comments

  • -1

    Get the Phillips All-In-One. It's fantastic and haven't had any issues with the non-stick bowl. Been through dishwasher dozens of times.

    Don't support Kogan.

    • +3

      What would you view as its major advantage over this product, given the price difference?

  • I have this, stainless steel pot is a godsend for chucking it on the gas stovetop occasionally, e.g. for a quicker sear.

    my only complaint is that you have to hold the button down manually to depressurise, but I would still recommend. Can't go wrong for the price.

    • That's good it has ss pot, but underpowered for sauteing, so your solution seems interesting, never thought to do that.

      • +1

        I use it to saute inside the cooker, really depends on what kind of heat you may need. It's pretty good for the price but as @diamond points out, the steam release is manual. A number of pressure cookers have automatic and adjustable release. Manual, non adjustable release means you have to be careful with some dishes as full release brings the temp up and creates agitation. Not great when you want the food to cool gently.

        • Interesting, never heard of that. I used instant pot overseas and it used a manual steam release knob, or you could just let it release by itself very very slowly (natural release I think it's called)

          Anyway, made killer risotto with that thing among other brilliant dishes

          • @TEER3X: The Breville pro and a few other units have intermittent release, which allows pressure to reduce without creating agitation but at a faster rate than natural release. Natural release works well, it just takes a relatively long time, negating the benefit of faster cooking times.

            • @bargainshooter: Not understanding the benefit, I would think a fast release stops cooking the quickest, anywhere I can read up on this intermittent stuff?

              Also, the main reason you cook risotto in a pressure cooker is because of effort. The traditional way gives you a good shoulder work out that's for sure.

  • +1

    Ive had this brand PC for years, I love it, use it all the time. Love the stainless pot. This is a fraction of the price of an Instant Pot. I got mine from Ebay.

  • Be careful as the rubber ring that seals the lid on mine is loose. I've used it constantly over the past 6 months and it now makes a horrendous noise. It might just be a fault on mine. Other than that it was amazing before the rubber got loose.

    • Do you mean the silicon ring? you can get replacements. I've use mine hundreds of times over 3-4 years and the silicon ring is still fine.

    • The silicone rings are about $10 each or less on amazon. Good to have a few different coloured ones for different food types.

  • Aldi have similar PC 79.99 next week

    • Non-stick pot, though :(

  • I got this after I accidentally killed my sunbeam aviva (my fault). It's not bad but i dont think the steam and slow cook functions are as described. I think it just pressure cooks.

    The aviva pot fits perfectly in the heller lol

    • Can you elaborate on your thoughts on the slow cook function? It does say to not place the lid of the unit on, and just place a saucepan lid on top of the pot instead. Can't see how that would be using any pressure

      • lol does it really say that? I don't see that on page 17 of the manual in the slow cook section. If that's the case, where is my glass lid :( I remember reading the american version had a glass lid and a trivet included, we get shafted all the time. My old Aviva used the same lid but it def slow cooked that way, just didnt have to push the valve in… ah yes now it sounds like I ended up pressure cooking my food because yes I used the lid and put the valve in… lol. Anyway where does it say in the manual to use a diff lid? Thanks

  • Got one of these last year, absolutely love it but only use it for pressure cooking.

  • +1

    When I was young, Heller only made spot lights for cars

  • How does this compare with the Crock Pot CPE200?

  • Hey OP @Vinbie, how are you feeling about this pot after a few weeks now?

    • +1

      Hey mate. Absolutely love it. Use it nearly every night of the week and have made some gnarly stews/soups from dried beans, and stuff like minestrone too. I haven't noticed the cook times deviating at all when using Instant Pot recipes, so the lower PSI doesn't seem significant at all. I also haven't used the presets whatsoever - just the saute, manual time for pressure cooking, and the delay to make it start later.

      I honestly don't have any negatives to share other than that it's annoying to remove the rubber gasket every few cooks to properly clean the inside of the lid. I doubt that's exclusive to this brand/model, though.

      • +1

        Really appreciate the reply. I'm in the exact same situation you were in so decided to give the Heller a go. Cheers!

        • +1

          No problem at all. Hit me up if you want any of the dank bean based vegan recipes I've figured out. I just bought $70 worth of dried beans off Amazon, so I'm absolutely committed to the cause <3

          Enjoy, buddy.

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