Presto 1781 23-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker/Canner
|
List Price: Our Price: $75.42 You Save: $34.57 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Presto 1781 23-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker/Canner
Customer Review: Worked perfect!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's rare something comes out of the box with clear instructions and works the first time, but this does. This is not the usual pressure cooker that makes a bunch of noise a spews steam everywhere scaring the cat and neighbors, it's quiet in use. The pressure "weight" only releases steam at 15lb, you will process at less pressure that that using the pressure gage and stove flame to keep pressure at maybe 11lb typical, depending on altitude. I processed home grown tomatoes into sauce and was amazed at how easy and quiet this was, it doesn't use as much water as the water bath method, is faster and less energy intensive also. Keeping the gage at 11lb meant turning the flame way down and processing for 15 minutes and thats it, take it off the stove and cool it down. After it cools you can try and take the lid off but if any pressure remains it won't let you. This cooker has several safety features and is a well developed and mature technology. All the safety features would have to fail together at the same time to make this unit hazardous, ain't gonna happen. Be sure to thoroughly read the instructions and wash and scrub it to get the machining oil and residue off.Customer Review: Loving my canner!
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading reviews here I decided to purchase the Presto 23 qt pressure canner. I am thrilled with it! I have been canning so many different foods and it had been fun and easy to do. I look forward to being able to feed my family foods that are free from additives and preservatives. The only suggestion I have to make is this - if you purchase this canner go ahead and buy the extra canning rack and pressure regulator at the same time. The instruction booklet says that two layers of pint jars may be placed in the canner, with the second level staggered on top of the first. The jars tend to move around during the canning process and I was afraid they would fall and break and ruin a batch of food. The second rack eliminates this problem. The second concern I had was the constant warnings that the pressure gauge could be inaccurate, which would lead to unsafe jars of food. With the additional pressure regulator set for 10 lbs I was pleased to see that it began rocking at the same time the gauge read 10 lbs. Now I know if the gauge becomes inaccurate I will immediately know. I am processing a batch of vegetable soup right now - 7 quarts. :-)Customer Review: burned food
Summary: 1 Stars
I was excited at the prospect of faster and more energy efficient meal preparation that a pressure cooker offers, in addition to being able to can a broad range of foods. I was really disappointed with my first experience.
I made a big batch of goulash, and was dismayed, as the pressure increased during the cooking process, to smell burned stew. In the end, the stew was burned, iand t took 30 minutes of hard work to clean the bottom of the pot. I had to throw away 20% of the stew (about 3-4 quarts), and what I salvaged has the faint unpleasant odor and taste of burned food, but I couldn't bear to throw it out. I have to say the stew meat is very tender after only 13 minutes cooking under pressure. That part is impressive.
I am a new user of pressure cookers, and so I don't know if this problem is unique to this model, or if I did something wrong.....the instruction book does have a recipe for goulash in it, and didn't have any instructions for avoiding burning food. My stove is a standard electric one. But I sure am hesitant about using this pressure cooker again to prepare big batches of food.
Customer Review: Great pressure canner
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading the reviews for the presto 32 qt pressure canner I have to be honest; I was leery about it because one buyer had a bad experience. With that said, I took into account that of all the reviews there was only one instance of trouble so I purchased it that night. All I can say is wow! I am so happy with this canner; I was using a large kettle and canning via water bath. All though the pressure canner takes a little more time and a little supervision it is well worth that bit of time. As soon as it arrived I opened it and found the book. After reading through and making sure I understood not only how to use but what precautions should be taken I started canning! This unit is very easy to use; I have canned in the pressure canner twice and have had it less than a week! This is a great value and will pay for itself in a matter of weeks! If you enjoy canning this is a great buy. As long as you read the instructions and use as it is intended you will have no troubles.Customer Review: Please, be careful ....
Summary: 2 Stars
I was absolutely amazed at how HUGE this canner was. I bought it to can soups, stews, veggies, and any other sort of things that a waterbath canning wouldn't work for.
The first thing I set about canning (and yes, this was the very first time I was using my pressure cooker/canner) was 3 quarts of green beans and a quart of carrots. These required the same pressure .... and the same processing time, according to the recipe I was using.
I followed the recipe to a 'T' .... followed all instructions ....
And the pressure cooker LITERALLY exploded. And only seconds after I had my face near it to check how the pressure was doing. Thankfully, no one (my husband was nearby too) was hurt!
Please, please, PLEASE be careful .... I'm NOT the first this has happened to. No matter WHAT the USDA says, using pressure cookers CAN be dangerous ..... EVEN when you're following the instructions perfectly, as I was.