Food & Wine tested and rated pressure cookers in their current (10/12) issue. Unfortunately they don't go into much detail about their testing but...

Cuisinart 6 Quart - Our favorite electric model, with its good price, sleek design and user-friendly controls.

I hope you don't mind if I throw in a piggy-back question. F&W says electric is great for unattended cooking and stovetop is speedier and better for browning meat and vegetables. How finicky are stove-top models and how much attention do they need? I'm asking specifically because I have a ceramic-electric cooktop which of course is a little slow to adjust. Would I drive myself nuts with a stovetop version?

Here is a link that might be useful: F&W article

Deborah, First, PCs are not dangerous. My PC is one of my most used cookware in my kitchen. The Cuisinart CPC-600 seems like a good unit.

I prefer a stove top PC, because it's lighter, dishwasher safe, and you can depressurize quickly under running cold water.

FOAS, I don't trust publication reviews because they can't test real life durability. Also they may be biased because they take advertisements.

As I said, I prefer a stove top PC. An electric one has programmable features which are great for many, but that's more things that can go wrong. Learning curve for a stove top is short.

dcarch

A pressure cooker doesn't often need unattended cooking, because the cooking times are short. 15 min in pressure cooker at high pressure = 1 hour boiling in normal pot. So you'll seldom cook anything in the pressure cooker for longer than 1 hour. It's not a crockpot after all.

Good point about the convenience of quickly releasing pressure under cold running water. I used to stand there, pressing the pressure release button, but that takes too long. How long does it take to release pressure on the electric pressure cooker?

Also, I suspect that a stovetop pressure cooker will get up to operating temperature more quickly than an electric, simply because there is more energy available at the burner - depending on your burner of course.

All in all, I'd lean toward the stovetop cooker, but that's without having tried an electric one.

I have a brace of Kuhn Rikon cookers and they seem like lifetime cookware.

Ditto on getting a stovetop pressure cooker. My advice would be to stick with one of the most common brands like Presto or Mirro...reason being that replacement sealing rings, etc. are more likely to be available locally and less likely to become obsolete or impossible to find a few years down the road.

Personally, I have an old 6 qt Presto that is just like the one my mom had. It's a quality piece of cookware that gets used several times a week. Many, many times, I have wished that it was an 8 qt. Remember that you can fill a PC only about 2/3 full because you have to leave room for the steam to create the pressure. So, in reality, a 6 qt cooker has room for about 4 qts of food. (I end up dragging out a pressure canner when I'm making broth.) 1 1/2# of dried beans is about the limit of the 6 qt...sometimes I would like to cook 2 # of pintos...

Another thing to consider is the shape of the cooker. I'm seeing cookers that are taller than they are round. That is another limitation...I cook rice in the PC which requires a bowl in the cooker.

And I try to avoid fancy electronics wherever I can...the more complex a machine, the more things that can go wrong.

I think the current advice is to NOT use a 6 qt cooker for pressure canning although I have in the past and will continue to do so...maybe add another 5 minutes to the processing time. (Pints are the lgst jar you can fit in one.) I fitted my Presto w/ a Mirro cooker stem & weight. The Mirro weight (the ones I have anyway) has three ports on it where I can select between 5, 10 & 15 pounds of pressure.

Lastly, I see lots and lots of PC's at garage & estate sales for very little$. My last acquisition was an 12 qt Mirro canner, still in the box & with instruction booklet. Looked like it had been used one time. No missing weight & the sealing ring was pristine. I paid their asking price--$7.

Don't waste your money with rubber sealing rings, they will age and can't keep pressure.

Measure the diameter of your ring, go on eBay and buy a SILICONE rubber sealing ring.

1/2 the price, lasts forever.

dcarch

One more for you, FOAS

There is nothing much to do with a stove top pressure cooker just the following.

The pressure cooker can only cook at one temperature, once the pressure is reached, does not matter how hot the fire is. That's the law of physics.

Any more heat once the pressure has built up is a waste of energy.

Set the temperature high to build up pressure and then keep the fire at the lowest to maintain pressure.

dcarch

Thanks, dcarch, that's exactly what I was getting at. I've never used one so I didn't know how precise the heat setting had to be in order to strike a happy balance of keeping up pressure and not exploding. By the way, I recall that within the past several years a poster here was seriously burned by a newer PC failing. I'm pretty sure it was an electric model and I think I remember the brand (not Cuisinart) but I won't post it since I'm not 100% certain.

I completely agree that a stove top PC is the way to go. My 6 qt. Presto is over 7 years old, easy to use, easy to clean, safe and reliable. The Quick Release (at the sink under running water) is a help at times.

Re: the sealing ring: if you take care of the rubber ring, it will last quite a while; do not store the cooker with the lid fastened on; instead, turn the lid upside down and lay it on the cooker when storing between use. When washing the ring, check for any cracks, tears or dried food particles. Use warm, soapy water and your fingers to gently clean the ring; rinse and let air dry. I'm still on the original ring that came with my cooker.

Get a stainless steel cooker, not an aluminum one!

I cook brown rice in my cooker w/o the use of a bowl in the pot. Then I freeze portions of the brown rice by itself in freezer zip bags. So handy to have that already cooked! Same for barley and other grains.

Your son needs a PC! How's that for enabling? LOL
Teresa

I have two stove top stainless steel pressure cookers and they have been used a lot. When I worked and had a large family to cook for, they got frequent use, but now that I am home, I don't use them as much. They are great for cooking whole grains or a recipe with a less tender cut of meat.

If it weren't for having to store another appliance I would probably buy an electric one also, because I like the fact that you can set the timer, forget about it, and it will keep warm until you are ready to serve the food. I think there is a reason to have both, if storage space isn't an issue.

A good show to watch on-line is Chef Brad's Fusion Grain Cooking. He uses both stove top pressure cookers and electric ones in a lot of his shows. I'll link one season of his shows below which has 28 episodes and his recipes are avalable.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chef Brad

FOAS, that was me....

Yes, it was an electric model, not stovetop.

Best but priciest PC brand: Kuhn Rikon from Switzerland. Gorgeous, but you pay for that snazziness.

IMHO, best buy is the set at the link. An 8 and 4 quart pot, a pressure lid that fits them both, and a non-pressure lid as well, all for $99 including shipping--plus, the pots work well as ordinary pots in 'non-pressure' applications. I cooked with this a lot until a relative 'borrowed' it, leaving me with only my Kuhn Rikon.

If you're only getting one, make sure it's stainless, not aluminum; if you have the space to store it, get an 8 qt rather than a 6. Most recipes are written for a 6 qt, but there are times you'll want a little extra capacity--making broth, chili, etc.

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

I have ceramic electric stove and currently have Kuhn Rikon PC and before had Fagor. No problem with my stove. I like KR much more than Fagor, but both are good and of couse price difference is big.
Olga

I have a Fagor stainless steel 6 qt. pressure cooker. It replaced my old Presto aluminum one when I purchased my induction cooktop about 7 years ago. I added this comment because sometimes people worry about using pressure cookers on smooth top stoves. I've never had a problem.

I use mine mainly for cooking Greek stuffed grape leaves. That's how my mom cooked them, so that's how I cook them. The pressure cooker gets the veins of the grape leaves tender without turning the rice stuffing into mush. For what it's worth, I weight down the grape leaf bundles with a heavy plate and some "cooking" rocks. The pressure cooker works in such a way that the grape leaf rolls aren't jostled around by a bunch of bubbling liquid. So they come out intact yet tender.

Gee whiz I'm so grateful for all of your insights and great suggestions!
In reading your responses to my son, I think he's decided to look for a stove top PC. That way he will be able to use it for canning also.

Thank you ever so much for taking the time to share your thoughts :)

I would caution him about using it as a canner. They are pressure cookers, not pressure canners. Check the Harvest Forum for more information on that.

I agree with soonergrandmom! You shouldn't try to can in an 8 qt. pressure cooker. A canner is much, much larger than a pressure cooker for cooking family meals. Most of us have a pressure cooker AND a pressure canner - two separate things, different in size and use.

Teresa

I remember the burn incident, too, foas, and as I recall the user and her husband were trying to force open the pot while it was still piping hot. I think it was the hot slosh and steam that burned her when the lid came loose, not the pressure (unless the pressure hadn't dropped all the way yet and she didn't realize that it takes such a long time to do so...but I don't think any pc can be forced open while still under pressure) or the pc. User error, easy to make mistakes, nevertheless a serious burn accident. I hope she is OK.

I love my stovetop pc, use it frequently for beans, meats, stews. I have an inexpensive off brand that is at least ten years old, still going strong.

I own 2 electric models, both QVC's house brand, Cooks Essentials. One is 11 yrs. and the other I've had for 4 yrs. I bought the 2nd one when they were at a special one-day price so I could keep one at the lake.
I was always afraid of my Mom's stovetop pressure cooker growing up, but loved the food that she cooked in it. I've never had problems with either of mine.
Just wanted to mention that my electrics both brown food, work on timers, and keep things warm. They come in handy for me around the holidays - almost like an extra burner/chafing dish combo. They're attractive enough to set on the buffet server to keep soups, chowders, chili, stews, etc. at the perfect temperature.

I've never used an electric one, I have an old 6 quart Presto (or is it Mirro?) that was Grandma's and I've had no problems. I did replace the gasget once, they are cheap and available at my local hardware store.

I also have a big pressure canner, which is not the same as a pressure cooker. A pressure cooker is not designated for canning unless it's officially designated by the manufacturer as a cooker/canner. The smaller cookers do not reach pressure during the same time frames as a bigger canners, and it throws the timing off. I wouldn't even try to guess at what a safe time would be.

Anyway, I use them both. Elery makes beans in the pressure cooker regularly, I mostly use it for chop suey and swiss steak, it tenderizes so nicely, and I've also made stock in it.

Annie

Shermann,

As I said, that was me and my husband and I were not "trying to force open the lid while it was still piping hot". Why on earth would anyone try to do that????! And yes, it was the 'hot slosh and steam' that burned me WHEN the pressure was released.

If you 'don't think a pc can be forced open while still under pressure', then how do you think we forced it open then?

This cooker was actually advertised as 'physically impossible to open under pressure' and yet it opened on the first turn.

I'm sorry, but it baffles me to hear someone suggest that we would purposely force open a pressure cooker while it was still piping hot.

I have two pressure canners (vintage, 22 qt) stove top, one 8 Qt pressure cooker stove top (it's an eyelash away from closing the lid on 4 qt jars, the minimum size for pressure canning so I only cook in it), and for the last year a Fagor electric multifunction cooker...pressure cooks on two temps, browns very efficiently, holds at warm, and slow cooks on two temps. I use the Fagor a lot, it's a kitchen appliance I've really enjoyed. I was looking at the Nesco, really needing to only replace my aging slow cooker, then became attracted to the multifunction and chose the Fagor because of the dimensions. It's an inch smaller in diameter than the Nesco same product, and will fit on a standard 12" kitchen shelf with the cupboard door closed. No storing in the basement inconveniently :)

I was a little nervous about pressure cooking and started out with an electric one, but it was very limiting. It was very slow to heat up and I was unable release pressure quickly. It died within a year of purchase and was replaced, only to die again...I gave it up and went with a stovetop, and have been much happier with it. They are much easier to use, and much more flexible than the electric models. I can make things that only take a few minutes, like corn on the cob. I can bring the pressure up fast, cook 5 minutes and then quickly release the pressure in the sink with cool water, no overcooked mush and no vat of boiling water to deal with. I have two Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers with the turn tops. I like the turn tops because it's very easy to see the pressure level, and you can park it in the 'up' position to release the steam. I made a rump roast in one the other night that was beautifully tender in less than an hour. They're great for stock, too. My crockpot now only comes out to keep the potatoes warm during Thanksgiving. :-)

Cj