Presto 01362 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker
|
List Price: Our Price: $46.95 You Save: $13.04 (22%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $42.31 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Presto 01362 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker
Customer Review: Price and Value; Just right.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using a pressure cooker ever since I was young. Everyone in my family has one and they do last for a long time.
Now, I cook professionally. One of my valuable cooking vessel is the pressure cooker. It takes really tough meat and make is buttery soft. I haven't tried cooking veggies on these things, just because they are more delicate than a piece of shank. By the way, I just ordered two for gifts. And it made from stainless steal.
One word of caution though!!!... When cooking with this, make sure after you hear it whistle, turn down your heat to a low medium to a medium!!!.. All you want is a soft whistle. It's compared to having a roll boil and a boiling water; it's just a waste of energy. Violent whistling means, too much pressure is building up, not good coz, the food can only take a certain pressure to still be recognizable, and the pot can only take so much pressure. I've heard form a couple of users who neglected this "alarm", actually had their "tops" blow up. A couple of users also reported, they actually got burned by the steam. Also, if you have to move the pot while is hot and still whistling, do it carefully, make sure it level and place it down carefully or the pressure might burst the top off. But, don't let this scare you!!! Like any other tools, you have to know how to use them properly. A knife should be used with care. A pressure cooker!!! A LOT of care and common sense.
Tips and advice: When cooking stews and other stuff, make sure you dont' have too much liquid or meat/veggies when cooking or you might end up with burnt food or worst, a stew geyser. If you need to add more stuff to the pot while it is still hot and whistling; care fully place the hot pot under running cold water and cold bath and wait for the pressure to decipate. Always clean the rubber seal coz, it does accumulate food residue. And always, always be careful with dealing with high pressure and high heat. Happy cooking.
Customer Review: Great pressure cooker-highly recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not my first pressure cooker. I was looking for a replacement for some weirdo one my hubby's ex left him years ago. I have a giant-sized Presto pressure canner and love it. So I like Presto and liked the size of the ex's weirdo canner. (weird because it had handles that came off all the time, no instructions, no visible brand I could find and was a strange operator.)
I wanted stainless steel--easier in the long run, to clean and to cook in. Six quarts is just about the perfect size since I rarely cook for a crowd anymore.
This is a nice, solid, reliable cooker. Presto does a good job on the owners manual, some basic recipes, etc. The cooker has a little rack so you can keep your meat off the floor of the cooker.
This is not a canner. You could (and I have) use it as a little baby canner for a small load of small jars. I have used it as a canner for about 4-5 pints. The instructions do not say this is a canner, and you probably should know what you're doing if you plan to can with this. It takes about the same amount of time whether you can in this or in the giant cooker, so why not do a large load, I say.
Pressure cooking doesn't necessarily save time depending on what you're cooking, when you consider it takes a while to build the pressure. This takes some practice, and knowing your food and your stove. I like it because it cooks meat really tender quicker than any other method.
It takes very little experience to get to know the proper pressure without a guage. It makes a rythmic rocking noise, not too fast,not too slow.
I find clean up a breeze. This baby is dishwasher safe. I soak it a couple minutes, if needed, then pop her in the DW. Take the rubber gasket off first. You should always hand wash the gasket.
Customer Review: Fine Value, And The Manufacturer Takes Care of You
Summary: 5 Stars
After ruining my 17+ year-old aluminum pressure cooker, I was in the market for a new one. I decided on stainless steel, and was looking at 4- and 6-quart models. Frankly, Amazon has everyone beat on price for this model, and the Presto name is well known among pressure cookers and other home appliances.
I chose the "Super Saver" shipping option and received the cooker in five days. Upon receipt I throughly washed the cooker and broke it in by cooking a whole chicken.
The fit and finish of the body and lid is excellent. The pop-up indicator in the large handle positively tells you the unit is under pressure, and the lid will not budge so long as it is up. I was disappointed that the cooking rack was aluminum, as opposed to stainless steel, but aside from that minor complaint this pressure cooker is a great value.
While cleaning the unit after it's first use, I noticed that the small "helper" handle (opposite the large handle on the cooker body) had a tiny crack running across its entire width. Since the shipping and product boxes arrived with no visible signs of abuse, I figured it was a manufacturing defect.
I called Presto's customer service department (page 63 of the instruction/recipe booklet, not a toll-free number) and told them of the problem. The representative took my name and address and told me a replacement handle and screw would be shipped to me, free-of-charge. I did not have to send the damaged handle back to them. The new handle arrived 8 days later.
For Presto's support after the sale, this 4-star pressure cooker gets a bonus star.
Customer Review: EZ Cooking
Summary: 5 Stars
To all of you cooks out there who have memories of one of those old, scary pressure cookers, perhaps even one that blew its top, the modern pressure cookers are nothing like that!
I love my new stainless steel pressure cooker, I have an older one made of aluminum and it works great, I wanted one made of stainless steel, it will not react with acidic foods, no worries about anything leeching into the food. I like the 6 quart size, it's perfect for 2 people, I can even cook a whole chicken.
This cooker works great, the lid is easy on and easy off, the parts are easy to clean. The main thing I cook in mine is pinto beans. I live 100% off grid, think camping in style, I can't have something cooking all day, I don't have the propane or the electricity to spare for that. Now I just clean and soak my beans overnight (or even half a day), I pop them into the pressure cooker with a little seasoning, bring it up to pressure and 12 minutes later, I have perfectly cooked beans. I have to cook mine a little longer because of the higher altitude where I live. The other food I love cooking in my pressure cooker is baked potatoes, those take about 15 minutes (after coming up to pressure), normally those would take at least an hour in the oven. I clean the potatoes, prick them with a fork, place them on the steam rack, add enough water to come up to the rack, then cook them.
Bottom line, it cooks fast, it saves electricity and/or gas, it is safe, it works great, and you can't beat the price on Amazon, I searched in the local stores and found the same cooker to run about $70+.
Customer Review: What a Wonderful Addition to my Kitchen!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Oh,how I wish I hadn't waited so long to try Pressure Cooking! My mother instilled so much fear in me about using a pressure cooker that I didn't even want to try it until a friend finally convinced me. Now I'd absolutely hate to be without this fast and safe way to cook.
My first experiment was a recipe for Chicken Cacciatore. Three pounds of chicken cooked for 10 minutes (at 6000' altitude) and was fork-tender and delicious. My next endeavor was a ham and bean soup, which cooked for 35 minutes without having to presoak the beans, and it turned out perfectly. Beans were completely cooked but not mushy. Next came a pot roast with potatoes, which cooked for 45 minutes starting partially frozen, and was perfect. Then tried a chicken with plum sauce--again a nine-minute success. Most recently we tried pasta with meat sauce, which was a delicious one-pot meal ready in 7 minutes cooking time.
I love this Presto model cooker, because it has all the safety features, but still allows careful monitoring of the"jiggle top", and allows me to judge how fast the dish is cooking. This is a heavy and well-built unit. The safety precautions are easy, and are fully described in the accompanying manual.
I also recommmend Lorna Sass' book "Pressure Perfect", for beginners. This book is a well-written primer on pressure cooking, with recipes that are reliable and carefully written. The recipes have a degree of creativity, but are all things that "real people" eat.
Happy cooking!