How many people will the friend be cooking for most of the time? I cook mostly just for myself and thought a 4 qt. cooker would be plenty big enough.......wrong! A 6 qt. would have been better.

Stainless steel is the way to go. Presto has the weighted pressure gauge, while Fagor and Kuhn Rikon do not. The Presto is perhaps a more reasonably priced cooker if price is a concern.

I grew up with my mom cooking in her pressure cooker and now have had my own Presto for several years. Avid cooks should consider a modern pressure cooker - they are safer to use than earlier models and really make tasty, healthy, FAST meals.

Here is a link that might be useful: Review and buying guide

I also have an old Presto, I've had it since I got married the first time in 1974, I think it was Grandma's before then.

I use it for just a couple of things, like chop suey, and Elery uses it a lot for beans. When I want it, it's irreplaceable, but I have no experience with electric models or any others other than the Presto and my big pressure canner.

Annie

Definitely stove top over electric, from what I've heard. And like Teresa says, the larger the better. Mine is 8 quarts. It is 'stock pot' shaped and I would prefer it to be a little squatter for browning meats before I put on the lid.

Two two sources for recipes are Miss Vicky (on the net) and cook-book author Lorna Sass.

My latest PC usage was for making chicken stock. I'll put up a chicken on the grill and while it is cooking, set up my PC with some quartered onion, carrots, celery, a bay leaf, a few twists of a pepper mill, generally no salt. When the family is done with a whole chicken, I debone whats left, tossing the bones, back, wings, neck into the PC with about three quarts of water. Half an hour later, OMG stock. After straining out the solids, I fill three quart mason jars, topping off with water if needed, and freeze. Liquid gold.

Agree that stainless steel is the way to go. I have had several PC's, including electric, Kuhn Rikon and Fagor.

My opinions: don't bother with electric. Once I got a stovetop unit, I haven't used the electric one at all.

I cook for two or three, and a 6 qt pot is adequate. However, if you cook for more than that and have the storage space, get a 8 qt pot. It'll be useful for making big batches of stuff like chili or pot roast.

One feature you DON'T need is a two-level pressure cooker. Fagor has their 'Duo' line with low pressure and high pressure settings. Virtually all your cooking will be done at high, so IMHO there's no real need to spend money on a feature you probably won't use.

Best overall PC, price no object: Kuhn Rikon. Great fit and finish, very responsive.

Best value for $$$ spent: a Fagor multi set consisting of an 8 qt stock pot, a 4 qt frypan, and a pressure lid that fits them both and a non-pressure lid that fits them both. Fagor makes these sets in their 'Splendid' line ($120 at Amazon) as well as their 'Rapida' line ($90 at Amazon). The pots are good even when not using them as pressure cookers--the 8 qt stockpot works fine as, well, a stockpot.

The Fagor units are quite good. If the KR is the BMW of pressure cookers, the Fagor units are at least a Honda Accord. The performance is more than adequate.

Here is a link that might be useful: fagor Splendid set

I have a set of three pots, with one pressure lid that fits all of them, along with two glass lids. It's by Fagor and is stainless steel with two locking mechanisms. I love them all. We are a family of two and the set has a 7 liter, 4 liter, and 2.5 liter pans. Check Overstock.com for good prices. If your friend wants to spend more, the Kuhn Rikons are the creme de la creme!

I also have an electric 8 qt which I love for the simplicity of setting a few numbers and walking away.

Lee

FWIW, a number of people on the Yahoo Group for pressure cookers had the electronic models (various brands) and seemed to have way more trouble with them than those who had the stove top brands. Seems like it was fuses and re-setting issues. Also, they took longer to heat up and slightly longer cook time. Plus, you can't put them down in water to clean them either.

Tip 1: you can brown meat in the cooker, then add the rest of your ingredients and required liquid, then put the lid on and begin cooking when pressure is reached

Tip 2: cooking pressure will be reached faster if you bring the contents of the cooker up to boiling before you put the lid on; also, less liquid is evaporated by doing this and it is the liquid that is needed to produce steam which makes the pressure

Tip 3: always set a timer for the cook time when the pressure is reached, then reduce the heat down just to maintain the pressure; you don't pressure cook on HIGH heat the whole time!

Tip 4: read the instruction manual cover-to-cover before using the cooker the first time, then read it again!

Tip 5: you can do a trial run of the cooker first by just putting water in the pot and bringing it up to pressure then turn off the heat and allow the pressure to decrease naturally.

Teresa

I have two Kuhn-Rikon pressure cookers, and gave a third to a friend. If I were to keep only one, it would be the largest one with one long and one short handle. They seem like tools that will last a lifetime.

I will second (or third) the nomination for Presto. I've had Mirro and Presto, and I like the weighted gauge of the Presto.

My mom taught me to use a pressure cooker, and gave me hers (Mirro) when I went to college and was living off campus. Years later, when we bought an RV, the old pressure cooker went into the RV and I bought a new one (Presto). I still have that old Mirro, but prefer that Presto.

My own daughter went off to college. In her sophomore year, she asked for a pressure cooker for her birthday. (That's my kid!) She got a Presto, though I think I went for the aluminum version instead because she was going to use it in the sorority house kitchen. She still has it and loves it.

We make roasts, chili, stew, and other things.

Donna

I'm perfectly happy with my old aluminum Presto with the exception that it's a 6 qt model so it's too small for the big batches of chicken or turkey broth that I like to do. I searched rummage sales until I found it--wanted one just like the one that my mom had. Think of her every time I use it.

I am looking for an 8 or 10 qt to add to my kitchen clutter! :)

We eat a lot of Tex-Mex and the pressure cooker is great for cooking pinto beans at the drop of a hat. Don't have to plan ahead and no more cooking double batches and freezing half just so I'll have some cooked beans on hand. With the pressure cooker, I can have cooked beans, start to finish, in under 30 minutes.

Mom made awesome pot roast & Swiss Steak in hers.

Question for those who have had both a Mirro or Presto and a Fagor or Kuhn Rikon. How is the Fagor or Kuhn Rikon 'different' or 'better'? Asking because I haven't had any luck finding a used 8 qt cooker so looks like I'll have to buy a new one.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions!!

Annother vote for a good old Presto stove top pressure cooker. Like Annie, I've had my 4 quart since my first marriage in 1974, and I use my Presto pressure canner for larger meals. Here in Phoenix we do not fire up the oven from about May through October, too hot, so my pressure cooker is my best friend when I want a roast beef dinner with veggies all around or chicken, stuffed bell peppers, or cabbage rolls. Couldn't live without mine. All I've ever had to do is replace the rubber gasket and pressure release valve every few years. The best kitchen investment you will ever make, IMHO.

Here is the online source where I bought my stainless Presto several years ago. Very reliable, and fast delivery, with parts available too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pressure Cooker Outlet