How To Choose The Best Pressure Cooker

The pressure cooker is currently of great importance for the modern kitchen around the World. It holds the secret to preparing a great meal; which is the wish of every cook be it at home or at the cafe's kitchen. A quality pressure cooker cooks a variety of foods, among them beans, vegetables, rice, noodles, stews, a variety of meat and soups. This cooker is one of a type as it has revolutionized how cooks prepare food thus making their work easier and making their profession far much more enjoyable than ever before. The cook does not need to tell the eaters of his or her meal that it took lesser time than conventionally and that he or she did not put as much effort as previously required in preparing such as meal. It's therefore the joy of the cook to see everyone enjoying the sumptuous meals which he or she has prepared using this modern technology. It is with no doubt that the quality of food cooked by these kitchen appliances will depend much on the features of the appliance itself. It is therefore a great deal for the cook to find the best pressure cooker from the dealers to ensure the best quality of food is cooked and served to the eaters, be it the members of the family or customers eating at a restaurant. A review of the existing pressure cookers would go a long way in helping the users find the perfect pressure cooker for their kitchen needs. The most common pressure cookers include the Presto pressure cooker, the Cuisinart pressure cooker, the Fagor pressure cooker, the Nesco pressure cooker and the Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker.

The Nesco pressure cooker comes in two sizes, the 4 quart and 6 quart with functions such as steaming, browning and pressure cooking. It also enables slow cooking for up to 9 and half hours and has a delayed eight hour start pre-set program. It comes with a self-locking lid, a cooking rack, trivet and an automatic pressure release system.

The Cuisinart pressure cooker boasts of its one and only CPC-PLV600 model which has LED display, automatic locking and a digital timer. It boasts of a non-stick coating on its pot, cool-touch side handles and programmed settings that include sautéing, simmering, pressure cooking, browning and warming. It comes in 6 quarts and has a three year warranty.

The Presto pressure cooker is available in three sizes which include: 4 quart, 6 quart and 23 quart models. This brand tops in durability, quality, price and size. They come with a twelve month warranty and a 64-page recipe manual and a cooking rack to enhance its functionality. This pressure cooker is ideal for both home and restaurant kitchens as they come in small and big sizes.

The Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker boasts of a special lid which is cone-shaped enabling a larger surface area for quick cooling and a spring valve for safety of the users as well as an automatic lid-lock. It is made of stainless steel which is able to withstand higher pressure than aluminum and is more durable than aluminum thus guaranteeing quality.


The Fagor pressure cooker boasts of its 18/10 stainless steel type with a spring valve mechanism and a high pressure setting of 15psi. It comes in different sizes ranging from 4 quart, 6 quart and 10 quart. It has a visual pressure indicator and an automatic pressure release system which is ideal for hands off cooking experience especially for the busy cook. It has a ten year warranty and a recipe book.

How To Choose The Best Pressure Cooker

In choosing the best pressure cooker it is important that the user considers his or her needs to ensure that he or she chooses the best for use under his or her circumstances. In doing this, the user should bear in mind factors such as the size of the pressure cooker, the valve, the cover interlock, the cooking rack, the pressure release, the warranty and the type of pressure cooker.

The pressure cookers come in three types, namely: the electric, the aluminum and stainless steel pressure cookers. The electric pressure cooker has a removable pot for easy cleaning and a digital timer that enables different settings for different types of foods, ideal for restaurants which have a variety of recipes. They come in different sizes but are more expensive than the aluminum and stainless steel pressure cookers. The stainless steel pressure cooker is more durable than the aluminum one due to the strength of steel. It is able to cook foods for a shorter amount of time than its aluminum counterpart due to its ability to withstand higher pressure than aluminum pressure cooker. Due to the features, this pressure cooker is more expensive than the aluminum one. As for the aluminum pressure cooker, it is cheap, has better conductivity of heat due to aluminum material and has lighter weight than the stainless steel pressure cooker.

When it comes to choosing sizes, the home kitchen user might prefer a smaller pressure cooker as it is ideal for the family setting, as opposed to a restaurant kitchen user for which the bigger the pressure cooker the better as they deal with bigger quantities of food at any given time.

Many people prefer the quick pressure release knob as it does not take time to let the pressure to calm down.

The spring valve is mostly preferred for its pop-up pressure indicator which shows how much pressure is inside the pot, carefully showing a rise in pressure until the desired pressure is achieved. This is however more expensive than the modified weighted valve and the weighted valve. The modified weighted valve needs tending of the cooker to maintain steady flow of steam while the weighted valve is ideal for the busy cook as it releases excess pressure to maintain the desired pressure.

The cooking rack is ideal when cooking different recipes and it is preferred by many users.
As for the cover interlock mechanism, many buyers prefer pressure cookers which only start pressurizing after the cover is safely locked in its place, and many buyers prefer those that won't open until the pressure inside has dropped significantly.

The warranty is important as it protects the buyers from buying defective appliances and assures them of quality service from the appliance. Many buyers prefer appliances whose warranty is more than one year.