They haven't rated six quart pressure cookers, but they did rate eight quart pressure cookers in 2005. Here are the recommendations. RECOMMENDED Fagor Duo 8 Quart (#85M7): -- $79.99, available from www.amazon.com -- Spanish manufacture The Duo's attractive features include an excellent handle that locks solidly, easy-to-read markings indicating pressure and quick-release positions, a valve that indicates when the pot is under pressure, and a wide bottom with ample sautng space. It also comes with clear instructions and a well-written recipe book. We missed having a clear indicator that would tell us when strong pressure has been achieved; the existing "signal" relies on the cook's ability to perceive a "gentle steady stream of steam." RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS Magefesa Classic 8 Quart (PG 04008): -- $85.00, available from www.magefesausa.com -- Spanish manufacture We liked the Magefesa for its quick steam time (time it takes to reach a steam), good locking handle, and consistent performance under high pressure. As with the Fagor, the indication of high pressure is a "gentle steady flow steam," However, we found the quick-release switch to be too flat and jerky to turn--it also gets very hot. The instruction manual is also wholly inadequate: unclear and with translation errors, it also contains only a handful of recipes. WMF Perfect Plus 8.5 Quart (#0793149300): -- $197.99, available from www.amazon.com -- German manufacture Given its high price, the WMF should be perfect, and it comes close. Its detachable, easy-to-clean handle locks easily, it has a well-marked valve that indicates low and high pressure, and it has an easy-to-handle quick-release valve, which directs the steam well away from the cook. Still, many of the cooks in the test kitchen so disliked the low hum the cooker emits at high pressure that they said they would never want it in their kitchen. Kuhn-Rikon Duromatic 7.4 Quart (7 Liter) (INOX): -- $169.00, available from www.amazon.com -- Swiss manufacture We found two problems with this cooker, neither of which we'd expect given its high price. While we liked the valve that clearly indicates both high and low pressure, we were uncomfortable with the fact that the handle had no audible or manual locking mechanism -- although it is locked when the handles are correctly positioned over each other. Second, while several of the cookers suggest running a pot under water as an alternative method for quick release (as opposed to slow and normal release), in the Duromatic this is the only option the instruction manual gives, (although some models do have automatic pressure reduction functions). Further, the maker says that only the rim should be rinsed, and manipulating the hot, heavy pot in the sink is very awkward. NOT RECOMMENDED Presto 8 Quart Stainless (#01370): -- $87.49, available from www.amazon.com -- U.S. manufacture The best feature of the Presto is a valve that indicates when all the pressure has been released. Otherwise, its handles are too short and, although advertised as "stay cool," we found they got hot, unlike the long handles on the other models tested. The bottom also has a slight tendency to scorch. Finally, more than any other model, this one spat water in different directions. Innova Stainless Steel 8 Quart (#42008) -- $89.99, available from www.amazon.com -- Chinese Manufacture We can't recommend the Innova for a variety of reasons. The instruction manual is so unclear that no one in the kitchen could figure out how to remove the detachable rings that control the pressure. The pot has a number of small, removable parts that must be detached with every use, including the pressure regulator, which got very hot. Under high pressure, this cooker spat steam straight up. It was also difficult to determine how much pressure was in the pot -- a "slight rocking motion" of the regulator is supposed to indicate maximum steam. Further, the only way to test whether the pressure was gone was to tilt the pressure regulator; if the pressure wasn't gone, the cooker would spew steam, which could easily burn your hand.

See, I have a beef with Cook's Illustrated (aka, America's Test Kitchen & Cooks Country). They are not very "customer" friendly, IMO. I had trouble once with a bill from them for their CI magazine (one I didn't owe, I might add) and they were very nasty and threatening. There are also a lot of complaints about them on line regarding their billing practices so I know it was not just me running into problems with them. That being said, I do like their recipes! I watch their shows but, of course, you can't go to their website and see the recipes unless you subscribe (another pet peeve I have). However, with a little googling, I have found every one of their recipes somewhere else - for free. Years ago I bought a few of their cookbooks, but to be honest, I never use them. The cookbooks I use the most are the Barefoot Contessa's books - I have all of them - about 10 of them. I can't think of one recipe of hers that hasn't been delicious (and easy). Also, my two other favorite resources is allrecipes.com and food.com. On their sites you can ask it to show you the ingredient list for 2 people and I find that very helpful, since we are empty nesters also and don't like leftovers.

Semi-sweet is NOT the same as bittersweet, at least in the West Coast where artisanal chocolatiers hold sway with chocolates that go upwards of $85/lb. Bittersweet is becoming the "gourmet chocolate of choice" in America but not elsewhere, where sweet dark and extra dark mostly rule. The reason chocolate sweetness varies all over the place is that the US government's FDA standard mandates the cacao content and milk/fat percentages for different chocolate types, but NOT the sugar amount. So, if Hershey's wanted to label their semi-sweet chips as bittersweet chips, they are breaking no laws because the entire category of "Bittersweet" covers anything that isn't Unsweetened, Sweet, Milk Chocolate, or White Chocolate. The reason one needs to be careful is that the Bittersweet category has the widest range of cacao solids allowed: anything from 35% to 99% cacao solids by weight. Obviously, baking with a chocolate that has 40% cacao solids is going to be very different than using one that has 80% or 90% cacao solids. Chocolate is "heavy" in texture and the more you use, the harder it is to get the texture of your dish to "lift up" and become light/fluffy rather than fudgy/solid. So in reality, most semi-sweet runs about 50% sugar. Most bittersweet runs about 35% sugar. Gourmet bittersweet can be much, much less sweet than that. The vanilla in almost all commercial chocolates, BTW, heavily masks cacao "terroir" flavor, with lecithin and sometimes paraffin used to give lesser quality chocolates the 'smoothness' of the expensive conching process. Info above was taken from the Ghirardelli website, linked below: Here is a link that might be useful: What goes into which chocolate type

Oh it IS exciting, and I'll definitely post pictures. Lpinkmountain may join us, if family responsibilities allow, and I've also been in touch with Naturegirl, who would like to meet us and I've not met her, so that's also exciting. I've emailed both of them to try to nail down a day when they can either just meet us here at the farm or go somewhere for lunch and adventure. Lars, I'm sure Elery would very much appreciate your hot sauce and you can try some of mine too. You guys can have your very own tasting and I'll just trust your judgment. (grin) Even if you don't make it all the way to the U.P., I still hope you and Kevin at least make it as far North as Mackinac Island. Although it's very "touristy" now, it's still beautiful and interesting and historic. I also would like to take you to Traverse City, the "Crown Jewel" of Michigan, and let you and Kevin do the winery tours, the Peninsula is astonishingly beautiful and I'm the world's best designated driver. South to Saugatuck for the "art scene" too, and cooking in between! Kevin and Elery can just eat and laugh at us. They are both pretty quiet, but I'm also glad they get along well. Lpink's husband is also a little quiet but a very nice man, so if he's with her I'm sure Kevin would like him also. I don't think all three of them together make as much noise as I do, though, LOL. I may have to do a little canning while you are here, though, as I don't think my garden is going to slow down while I visit... Meanwhile I've made AnnT's scones, they are waiting in the freezer for baking, and I just finished running the dough for pappardelle through the Atlas. I bought fresh local oyster mushrooms today at the farmer's market, as well as some sockeye salmon. I just need to mix up some spices for chicken chorizo to go in the shakshuka... Annie