Presto 01362 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

Simple and easy to put the handles on. All the hardware is ready to assemble. I used it this evening (same day as delivery). Works great. Presto is a trusted name in our household. Works like a charm. And so nice and beautiful to use.

Works perfectly, this is a great 6Qrt pressure cooker, very heavy

I got this for the sole purpose of cooking those ginormous chickens from Costco (and most supermarkets). I can put a 6 lb. chicken in there with 1-1/2 C. water, and its done in 25 minutes! I have a smaller Presto pressure cooker that I got for a wedding gift 49 years ago, and it's still going strong! So, I trust the Presto name, and I'm very satisfied with this 6-qt. cooker.

I use this to cook Indian legumes or Dals as they are known commonly. Also cook unsoaked garbanzos and kidney beans as weii. While dals take 15 to 30 minutes of cooking under pressure, garbanzos and kidney beans might take 40 minutes to an hour. While it’s necessary to use the pot safely because of pressure, does alleviate having to soak ingredients for hours prior to cooking. While some Indian varieties do whistle, this one doesn’t, so will need to follow timing requirements for each ingredient. Not too complicated though! Happy to have it when one craves for spicy Dals without much preplanning. Not very happy that the wooden handles need frequent tightening! Great price at Amazon!

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: ===== - 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: ===== - 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: =========== - 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: ===== - 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.

Used it about ten times already and it works great. Excellent for making soups.

I had an old Presto aluminum pressure cooker which I finally got rid of when I downsized recently. Then I discovered that I really needed one! So I ordered this stainless steel one and, although it was pricey, I love it. Now I can make meals the way I'm used to. Yes, I had one of those fancy ones that require a college degree to use, but I gave it away. I used it once and hated how hard it was to use. And the results were unsatisfactory too. So I'm thrilled to have a "real" pressure cooker again!

I have a larger Presto pressure cooker that I don't use that often as it is just too big for me and my small kitchen. This one is just the right size to make smaller meals when I want, or larger ones when I am feeding more people. It works great and is very easy to use and clean. I can make a soup that will feed 8 people in this! When cooking beans, especially lentils, I recommend adding some oil to reduce foaming. I have not had any issues with the screw rusting as other viewers have mentioned. If I do, it looks like it will be easy to replace them cheaply at my hardware store. I have borrowed a $250 Fagor pressure cooker and this one works just as well. I cook more because this speeds up cooking time (especially at my high altitude), and everything tastes so much better. I don't bother adding broth to soups anymore as the simple act of cooking the ingredients in the pressure cooker amplified the flavor. I can cook heirloom beans in 20 minutes, potatoes in 5 minutes, lentils in 5 minutes, soup in 7 minutes, brocolli in 1 minute (may be faster for you if you are at a lower altitude). Yesterday I whipped up a chili with potatoes in 7 minutes that tasted like it had simmered all day. I have turned many friends onto pressure cookers because the speed and taste is so much better. Fresh cooked beans are a million times more delicious than canned! And cheaper! Do keep your eye on the time. It is easy to overcook your food and thus have it burn. But that is no fault of this pressure cooker. Set a timer and keep your eye on it. The included mini cookbook is helpful and a good start. But I recommend buying a cookbook. Follow the instructions to always remove the seal and wash it each time, then store it with the lid upside down. A friend didn't do that and his seal adhered to the lid, which was a pain to remove. I expect this cooker will last me for many years.

This is an update to the previous review of two years ago! I love this pressure cooker and it is working just great!! It really is large enough to make a lot for about ten people!!! I really am thinking of purchasing another one as back up to this one because I just don't want to be without this perfect one!!! I definitely recommend it to all!!! Previous review at the time I purchased it: This pressure cooker works very well, exactly like my last one of many years that I was used to. It cooked the beef stew exactly as expected and it is nice and heavy! It's a smaller size than my old one, looks really nice on the stove and it makes enough for a large family. Love it!

Good stuff

You require a timer to know if the food is cooked. Whereas in traditional cookers, the weights go off and one can count on the whistle to tell you if the food might be cooked.

Na culinária diária. Excelente qualidade!

I wish I could give this pressure cooker 10 stars! For about 45 years, I've enjoyed and used my very simple but large Lagostina. Now that I'm alone, I wanted to be able to pressure cook small pot roasts and corned beef, etc. The chuck roast I cooked first came out beautifully - I knew then my 4-quart Presto was just perfect for my needs. Where it went over the top was when I cut a larger corned beef piece into two pieces, added about a cup of water, put the pieces on the insert that came with it, brought the Presto to the point where the top hissed strongly, lowered the heat so it hissed quietly - and an hour later had the most succulent, tender, juicy corned beef that just melted in my mouth. The stainless steel is high quality and cleans easily. The manual said I could put it in my dishwasher, but I'm so crazy about this wonderful pressure cooker that I hand wash it lovingly. I don't think I can praise the Presto Pressure cooker adequately. I'm just dithering with delight and strongly recommend it. Lastly, the price is reasonable! Don't even think about it - if you need a smaller pressure cooker, this Presto 4 Quart is unbeatable!