Presto 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

Bought it in 2014, still working very well. Except for a bit of rust on the (apparently replaceable) screw holding the body handle from the outside, the pressure cooker looks almost like new after all those years.

As said in other reviews, sometimes the lid is a bit finicky to get closed, and the pressure regulator (a.k.a. “the weight”) is not kept in place by any lock-in mechanism, so a bit of care is needed to avoid flipping the lid and cause it to fall off, but overall it is a well-built, traditional-style piece of cookware.

The overpressure plug just went missing after the last trip on the dishwasher, so I decided to buy a new one. You can find it under Stock No. 0136208 on the manufacturer’s website, where you can find the manual and parts numbers. I will be buying a sealing ring/overpressure plug pack (25% of the price originally paid on the pressure cooker) and use the opportunity to get a new rubber sealing ring. It’s nice to see that parts are still available – via third-party suppliers in Canada – and hopefully that will keep the cooker performing well for another decade.

I bought this cooker 6 months ago from amazon for $35, and frankly, although the reviews I read on this product all said that it’s great, I was very skeptical about the $35 price tag and was not expecting much. On top of that, both my mother and my mother-in-law warned me that cheap pressure cookers are dangerous, and I *must* buy something more expensive for safety reasons. I am just very glad that they were both wrong!

This is definitely one of the best purchases I have made on amazon. I still cannot believe they sell this for $35! The pot does not feel cheap at all. It has very sturdy handles, and a thick, heavy bottom, which holds in heat well. I like this pan so much that sometimes I use it instead of my skillet to sautee meat, because of the deeper pot + the cover, less cleaning up for me 🙂

I love making soup and stock, but it usually takes up so much of my time when the stock is simmering. With this pressure cooker, I can make a meat-fall-off-the-bone soup in an hour!

Some might find this pot to be a little on the small side, but this pot works great for my wife and I. Although we have guests over regularly, I find the capacity of the pot to be very good. I would guess that this pot would work well for up to a 4-person family.

Pros:

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– Cheap, at $35, it’s hard to beat

– Sturdy, I was afraid that the plastic handles would break easily, but they are in fact quite strong

– Stainless steel makes it great for browning meat pieces for stew or stock, and it heats up fast and holds heat well.

– Safe, you cannot open it when it’s pressurized.

– Dish washer safe, though I prefer to wash it by hand.

Cons:

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– The handle can be tricky to hold with one hand. My hands are small, and when you’ve closed the top, the handle is kind of big. Luckily, I don’t need to do this very often, and when I need to move it around, I just use both handles.

– The top cap can be tricky to clean. I usually soak it in hot soapy water, and then clean it thoroughly with Q-tip.

Watch outs:

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– The handle curves in a way that it catches any dripping liquid, I’ve hurt myself once when I wasn’t careful at opening the cover.

– Do *NOT* remove the cap while it’s blowing! The steam from inside is extremely hot and as soon as you remove the cap, the hot steam will shoot up faster than you can move your hand(s) away.

Tips:

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– I keep some water bottles in my freezer, and when I need to cool this off in a hurry, I can make a bath of cold water in my sink, put the hot pot inside, and throw the froze water bottles in. This usually cools it down very fast, great when I want to refrigerate it overnight to skim off the fat, and didn’t want to wait too long for it to cool down.

I have been wanting a pressure cooker for years not, and I have looked at several to buy. I chose this one because of the reviews. It is easy to assemble (just the handles) and you are ready to go. I remember using my mother’s pressure cooker from years ago, and this one does the job. It is more light weight than what I’m used to, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue. It cooks evenly, and I’m looking forward to cooking some more dishes (there are recipes!)

Reviewed many pressure cookers before deciding on this one. While it requires a bit of assembly (handles and valve) these are minor issues. Very well made cooker and the 64 page booklet included useful information and recipes. Bought the 4 quart model since use for one person most of the time. Not having used pressure cooker before appreciated the warnings and useful tips on how to use safely. Like the fact that Presto has replacement seals when needed. Obviously cooker is useless if do not have this seal and in time am sure will require replacement. Buying one for my daughter as well who is busy career woman and wants to eat healthy and quickly. Keeping nutrients and vitamins in the food a plus as is the savings in time cooking a good meal. Easy to recommend this item.

The instruction book that comes with this cooker is probably one of the best I have read in recent years. At the same time it is also very detailed in the care, maintenance and handling of the cooker. For example, it recommends replacing the seal and the safety plug once every two years. Of course that probably depends on the amount of use and the care you take of the product. In any case recommends replacing the safety plug when you replace the seal. Both are available on Amazon but this will mean a continuing cost to use the product. At the moment using Amazon Prime cost is about $15 for the pair of items or roughly $7.50 a year if replace every two years. I do highly recommend anyone wanting to use the product to read the instructions very carefully and perhaps highlight the key items. For example what foods to cook and more important what foods not to cook. What level in the pot to use for various items depending on their expansion during cooking. Also you need to look through the hole for the safety plug to be sure it is clear and use pipe cleaners to clean that hole and also the hole through the nut, all explained very clearly in the instructions. Various tips on how to clean (and how not to clean) the pot are very useful. If you have induction stove you will need the stainless steel pot since the aluminum pots are not magnetic, but then you probably knew that.

Today with so many instructions written in China often they are difficult to read or not very worthwhile. The instructions with this cooker are quite different. They are important to use the product safely and to get the most value out of the product. If you are someone who seldom reads instructions or is not willing to spend an hour or so learning about this cooking method or who will not take the time to follow the safety instructions then you probably should consider a different method of cooking. But an hour or so spent learning about he product will pay off in better cooking, shorter time spent cooking and more healthy eating. I ordered a second cooker for my busy career oriented daughter but then cancelled the order after reading the instructions as I am not sure as busy as she is that she would read and follow them. I plan to show her mine and see if she will spend the time to learn the system. If so will order again for her. Or give her mine and buy second for myself. To me it is worth spending the time to learn about safely using this product but I can see that it is not for everyone. It is not a pot you just pour water into, stick lid on and fire up the burners. But once you learn how to take care of it and use it I think you will be extremely pleased with the cooking experience. And the time spent learning and caring for the cooker will pay off in shorter and better cooking. For those willing to invest a little time, bon appetite!

I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THIS PRESSURE COOKER-PRESTO STAINLESS STEEL 4 LTR
I ALSO HAVE 6 LTR COOKER OF THE SAME WHICH I ORDERD IN 2019.
I USE BOTH FOR MY COOKING EVERYDAY.
I WOULD BE VERY OBLIGED IF YOU COULD GIVE ME DISCOUNTS FOR ANY PARTS THAT I ORDER IN FUTURE
EG..SEALING RING WITH AIR VENT AND OVERPRESSURE PLUG, REGULATOR, HANDLES ETC