Pressure Cooker Reviews and Buying Guide:

The pressure cookers from the 1970's and 1980's were noisy, spitting pots that often created more mess than great meals. Today, pressure cookers are back in style and have come a long way with more features that make them easy to use and much safer. I had never seen one until my wife showed me at the cooking store the other day. The new pressure cookers have a quick-release option which cooks food even faster and eliminates using excessive water to cool things down. Presssure cookers resemble other kitchen pots but their lids are a bit different. The lids are built to comletely seal the pot so that the contents can boil easily inside the pot. You get higher cooking temperatures and much shorter cooking times because the steam produces an increase in pressure. It all sounds a little too complicated for me, but they do work and the food I've tastest so far is actually pretty good. Pressure cookers come in 4 to 8 quart sizes, but a 6 quart size is what most recipes are made for. You want to choose a pressure cooker that has a detachable pressure regulator so you can adjust the pressure to low, medium or high. A higher temperature on the inside of the pot will decrease cooking time and safety valves vent the steam.

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A key component of any pressure cooker is a timer. A few additional minutes on most items won't ruin them (like a pot roast) but with veggies and other delicate foods timing can be everything. You'll also want a pot that comes with heat resistant handles, a stainless steel bottom, and a locking lid that can be maneuvered easily. Some users also mention you may want a heat diffuser so that contact between the bottom of the cooker and the heat source is not allowed. For items like baked beans, pasta, and rice, you want to keep scorching and sticking to a minimum and the diffuser will do this. Another feature that is essential is a quality gasket or rubber ring that fits on the side part of the cover. A good seal will trap in steam and heat letting the pressure build. Some advantages to using a pressure cooker are a cleaner kitchen (no splashes or splatters since everything is contained in the pot), a cooler kitchen (heat and steam stay in the pot), they are energy efficient (less time to cook), and you get more nutritional value in your food when compared to other conventional cooking methods. Some general guidelines for using a pressure cooker are: never fill the cooker more than half way with food or 2/3's with liquid, saute or brown foods first for added flavor, don't start counting cooking times until the pressure cooker has reached it's full pressure or PSI, and add ingredients at different times since some items cook faster or slower than others. Most pressure cookers are priced from $40 to $120 with some of the nicer models closer to $200+. The top brands for pressure cookers are from Presto, Fagor, Kuhn Rikon, Mirro, Fissler, WMF, and American. We did research online at top kitchen appliance consumer sites like Cooking.com, Epinions.com, and Amazon.com. After reading product features and customer reviews and feedback, we came up with the results below. If you are ready to buy online, we recommend shopping with Amazon -- they are the most trusted online retailer, with great selection, service, and prices -- we've been doing business with them for more than 10 years. You can view their up-to-date list of best-selling pressure cookers here.

Best Pressure Cooker:

In our research, we found the Russell Hobbs 8 Qt. Stainless Programmable Pressure Cooker ($195) to have the best customer satisfaction and it rated high with experts as well. The cooker comes with a large 8 quart heavy duty, non-stick pot. Owners say the pot heats quickly and cooks evenly and the brushed stainless steel housing looks great and is cool to the touch. The 8 Qt. basket is removable and cleans quite easily. Users do say to read the manual/instructions so that you can quickly fine tune the pressure and temperatures. Fears of having the pressure cooker "expode" are no longer relevant says one consumer since modern pressure cookers can no longer be opened until the pressure has dropped to a harmless level. The Russell Hobbs pressure cooker is from Britain but sells well in the United States too. This cooker is great for roast beef, chicken soup, corned beef, brown rice, meatballs, pot roast and much more. A few people complained about faulty steam vents, but the vast majority of users say the programmable electronic controls and built in timer and thermostat are more than enough to purchase this cooker. The Kuhn Rikon 7-Liter Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker ($190) is a close 2nd and offers 2 pressure-release valves and a pressure indicator so that safe operation is alwasy ensured. The Kuhn Rikon is great for meats, soups, stews, risotto, or vegetarian dishes. An excellent 86 page pressure cooker cookbook in included when you buy this model. It's dishwasher safe and comes with an incredible 10 year warranty. Owners say it's quiet, efficient, and the food tastes great. See all Kuhn Rikon models here.

Top 12 Qt (Quart) Pressure Cooker:

We had some requests to include a 12 qt. pressure cooker in our review section, so we added the Mirro 12 quart aluminum pressure cooker and canner ($70) to our "best of" list. You get top rated features like a heavy duty aluminum body, tight sealing cover gasket, safety over pressure plug, canning/cooling rack, and automatic control at 5, 10, or 15 lbs. The manufacturer does say it is not recommended for use on glass top stoves. It comes with a 5-year warranty. People who use it for canning purposes say it works wonders at preserving meats, vegetables, and fruits. Cooking time on many meals can be up to 70% faster when using the Mirro versus conventional cooking methods. If you are looking for a larger, more industrial strength pressure cooker, consider the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry 21 1/2-Quart Pressure Cooker ($234). The heavy duty cast-aluminum pressure cooker has a pressure regulator valve that comes with 3 settings and the best part is that it has no gaskets or rings that can be ruined or replaced. The downside is that there is only a 1 year warranty for a product that is well over $200 when models that sell for under $100 have longer warranties. Another top seller is the Presto family, from 4 quarts to 23 quart sizes -- view lineup here.

Value/Budget Pressure Cooker:

There are a lot of pressure cookers under $100 that got great reviews, but one that stood out amongst the others is the Presto 01341 4-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker ($44). The heavy duty 4 quart stainless steel pressure cooker from Presto has a strong-lock lid with steam vent, a pressure indicator, and an overpressure plug. You even get a rack for steaming food or canning purposes. Owners say this cooker creates great brown rice, beans, pastas. Although much smaller than the 6 or 8 quart models, this one still performs well for singles or couples with no kids. Another great value pressure cooker is the Fagor Splendid 6-Quart Pressure Cooker ($60). Larger than the Presto 4-quart model listed above, the Fagor is great for producing stews and chili. Easily makes meals that feed up to 6 adults and cleanup is no problem say most reviewers. If you plan on making meals for more than 2-3 people, go with the Fagor for it's added capacity.

Pressure Cooker Recipes and Cookbooks:

The one thing that was blatant when reading reviews about pressure cookers is that most of us don't know how to cook with them or follow recipes too well when using them. Many come with recipes and cookbooks that make them a little easier to use, but we highly recommend venturing online or to your local bookstore to buy a pressure cooker cookbook. You can find some great recipes online at Recipebazaar.com and Amazon lists the Pressure Perfect: Two Hour Taste in Twenty Minutes Using Your Pressure Cooker ($17) by Lorna J Sass as one of the sellers. Pressure Cookers for Dummies ($12) is another top rated book by Tom Lacalamita.

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