What's the best pressure cooker for newbie?

gravitytolls

Popped into Rainbow's today (Co op), and they are selling rather nice pressure cookers, non stick for £24.99.

Anoneemoose

Hi,

I know there is another thread all about pressure cookers but I am slowly reading my way through it and haven't yet found an answer to my question so am hoping someone might be able to help.

I am contemplating getting one but unsure. The reason being my OH does not like food out of the slow cooker as he says it never seems hot enough and it all tastes the same. I am inclined to agree somewhat with that. Is the pressure cooker a similar thing? I remember my mum used to make the best soups in them and she used to to the veg for sunday dinners but I can't remember much else? Does it make meat tender? And does it 'melt' fat? I am not a fat lover but if i do a casserole in the oven, I find it melts away.

The other thing is, say for example I wanted to do a stew and veg - how would that work? Can you do the stew and then open the top to add veg - like potatoes for mashing or does it have to all be done in one go? And if so, how does that work if different things need different times?

Sorry for so many questions! I am grateful for any advice!

morganlefay

Ummmm, that is a lot of questions. BUT: I have always preferred PCs to SCs because like your OH I thought that everything cooked in a SC tastes the same, also too wet. I have Kuhn Rikon PC from Lakeland and I love it. There are a lot of recipes around for KR PCs (sorry about all the initials) and if you have a look at some of them you will see that unlike PCs in the old days there are now recipes for things where you add hardly any liquid - even for things like 'roast' potatoes (which I have never dared try.) Why not look as extensively as possible at PC recipes and see if they are the sort of thing you'd like to eat. KR PCs don't hiss and aren't scary, which is why I love mine. I make stews (wonderfully tender), bolognese sauce, things like bacon joints and soups: we don't really eat puddings but you can apparently do steamed ones wonderfully, and of course cook the Xmas Pud (which we also don't like) and things like creme caramel.
In some of the recipes there are instructions for doing the veg as well, and there are little baskets to sit them in, but I don't think you could do mash together with, say a beef stew, tho I bet someone will come along on here in a while and tell us how they do it (which would be good). I LOVE my PC so much that I now have two in different sizes, but I think it's only the Kuhn Rikon ones that don't hiss and splutter, so tho they are expensive mine have paid for themselves over and over again.HTH !

want_to_save

i have had both in the past and love my pc it is worth it.

Anoneemoose

Thanks for the replies! I know - lots of questions!! I suffer from Fibro and admittedly am eating rubbish because by evening, I haven't got the energy or the inclination to cook healthy. Was thinking if i could chuck in the the pressure cooker, it would be great.

TuffWare

i am facing the same problem.
I am looking a aluminium cooker for daily cooking but i am bit confused about the size and brand. and i am also want to know which cookware is good to use Hard anodized cooker or aluminium cooker please suggest me something about that. Thanks in advance.

A.Penny.Saved

Can anyone recommend a good quality Pressure Cooker? One which doesn't keep needing replacement parts such as seals. The twist on lid ones do seem to need replacement seals fairly regularly. The clamp types seem to be less of a problem unless you know differently?

I would like one which lasts! Not one that I will have to replace in a couple of years. I would be willing to pay more if it works well and lasts for 20 years.

Any tips? Anything to watch out for or avoid?

Do they need to be filled to a certain level or can they be used without being filled so much if cooking small amount? This would influence the size that I purchase.

I do intend using it very regularly.

keith1950

Where did you get your information about needing replacement parts ?

If you look after it you should get many years of good service. Carefully wash seals and dont drop the pressure valve on the floor.

My mother has had a twist on Prestige cooker for 25 years with no issues and I have had one for nearly 20 years.

No replacement parts on either !!

Its depends on what you are cooking but for instance if you were cooking a small selection of veg , just put it in the provided "separator" sitting on the little trivet with only half an inch or so of water in the bottom so that the veg isn't sat in the water....the veg therefore gets " pressure" steamed.

HPoirot

If you don't mind splashing out look for the Hawkins Futura range.

It's the creme de la creme in pressure cookers and should last you a lifetime. I use mine fairly regularly and would hate to deal with the fuss of a 'regular' pressure cooker.

A.Penny.Saved

keith1950 wrote: »

Where did you get your information about needing replacement parts ?

If you look after it you should get many years of good service. Carefully wash seals and dont drop the pressure valve on the floor.

My mother has had a twist on Prestige cooker for 25 years with no issues and I have had one for nearly 20 years.

No replacement parts on either !!

Its depends on what you are cooking but for instance if you were cooking a small selection of veg , just put it in the provided "separator" sitting on the little trivet with only half an inch or so of water in the bottom so that the veg isn't sat in the water....the veg therefore gets " pressure" steamed.

Just comments that I have read. I can understand why the twist on types could damage the seal far more quickly because the seal is squeezed hard as it closes which I would expect to weaken the seal. I wouldn't expect the clamp type to have the same problem.

I've never used one so far so I cannot speak from experience. I did purchase one from Aldi and after getting it home and seeing it I took it straight back. It had 304 Stainless Steel which is poor quality IMO and can be prone to pitting especially when there is any salt. I could only see this after opening the box because it did not mention it on the exterior.

ATM I intend using it for long cooked soups with large bones because they are very beneficial to the digestive system. When conventionally cooked they can take around 24 hours, I'm hoping that using a pressure cooker will reduce that significantly and also reduce a lot of the steam & humidity.

Thank you for the Hawkins Futura recommendation. I will take a look at them.

I would still be interested in people's experiences, any pressure cookers makes which failed, how long you have owned one and what amount of usage it got.

If anyone has cooked soup stock then what size PC do you use and how long did it take? Any help with the size to go for would be appreciated. I would like to use it for soup stock ATM but in the future it could be used for other things potentially including family meals, hence me asking about not filling it too much.