HAWKINS 3-Liter Hard Anodised Pressure Cooker

Good quality product, works as promised

Been using Hawkins brand for over 20+ years. Never had a complain. They last long. Hope over the years they maintained their quality. So far very good

I bought the smallest one, the 1.5L pressure cooker because it’s only for me. When I received it I loved the compact size, I believe the base diameter is 6.5 inches. I thought it was perfect size. However, after about 2 weeks the steam regulator valve (steam release) would release steam and get stuck in the open position and all the built up steam would release and the pot became useless. I called customer service and they (there are many number listed on the warranty card and booklet) they are all just distributors. They really have nothing to do with after sales service. Finally I got through to the distributor that sold this particular one and the person that answered referred me to someone else who was not in his office. I asked about the warranty and the person just said they’ll have to refer me to the manufacturer. I imagine if this equipment needs servicing it would have to be sent to the manufacturer with insured shipping of some kind and the hassle and cost would probably not be justified. This is a company in India, I’m not sure if there is a US headquarters or not. So for me this is a strike when customer service is not transparent and immediately available. Granted, it’s a very sturdy piece of cookware and little can go wrong – except it did.

After fiddling with it I realized the problem and it was easily remedied, at least in my case. Inside the weighted release valve, there are 2 small pins that allow the valve to snap into place, what allows these pins to have the spring action is a retainer clip, which is the black band around the weighted valve. If, for some reason this band loses tension or there is some defect in the pins (perhaps it was not rounded off or it is too short), or in my case the band was not flush against the pins, upon release of the steam the valve goes beyond the groove of the steam release vent and almost comes off and will not fall back to the “lock” position. What I did was just slide the retainer ring a little and this remedied the problem. However, I didn’t know if further problems may arise so I decided to return it nevertheless.

Strike one for iffy customer service.
Strike two for quality control in manufacturing. (there were few other reviews with same issue, if I recall)

However, I thought it really looked like a very solid well made cookware and I really liked it so I took a chance ordering the next size up 2L (again Amazon warehouse second). Boy did I luck out. It was less expensive than the 1.5 liter and it was basically brand new! I guess it was returned either unused or used once.

Needless to say, I am very very happy. Although I loved the compact size of 1.5L after using both 2L is so much more convenient. The greatest advantage to having this larger size (beyond the obvious that you can cook larger quantities), the size of the opening is just so much more roomy. The 1.5L opening is small, not impossible to deal with but when I used the 2L the difference is very noticeable. The access is very roomy. Granted, the larger space inside adds a little more time to building up steam but the larger opening makes getting out the food easier, washing easier and even taking off the cover easier as there is more room to maneuver. I guess I lucked out twice. If anyone asks I’ll say the upgrade is very much worth it for the small difference in price. I would also recommend the anodized it is so easy to clean even when you over cook and the food is burnt (oops, yup I did that) the burnt food just came right off with a scrubbing sponge.

So to summarize, the unit is sturdy other than the apparent 3 weak links. One is the weighted valve, second is the gasket and the third is the safety release valve. All of which are sold here on Amazon as replacement parts. I guess if anything ever goes wrong, I’ll see if one of those are the culprit and replace it on my own.

So for this particular unit I give 3 stars for all the hassle I had to go through to understand all the problems with the unit. However, I would give the 2L 4.5 stars (there still is the customer service issue) and would recommend the anodized unit.

El servicio que prestan se caracteriza por la rapidez y seriedad. Además de la calidad de los artículos

Love this cooker. Easy to use and clean. I am able to cook my rice, beans , lentils etc perfectly. I definitely recommend this pressure cooker!

I’m more than pleased with this cooker from Hawkins.
The product arrived in a good condition without any damages along with warranty.
It is pretty good quality wise and is very easy to use. It retains heat in a uniform manner and therefore the cooking time is decreased. Also, without the lid, it can be used as a kadhai, for making curries, kheer or halwa!
The open surface area is also large which facilitates easy ladle movement.

I’m happy with my purchase.