Anonymous Modernist 10142

I'm a big fan of pressure cooker sets, so you'll get a big endorsement from me on getting two bases that share a lid! Ciao, L

Solomon, Since your plan is to follow Modernist Cuisine recipes, which are timed to 15 psi you can't go wrong with the Kuhn - it's what they use and recommend. Neither the U.S. or Euro Fissler Vitaquick operate (or cook) anywhere near 15 psi. Don't be alarmed if you read the Kuhn Rikon manual (http://bit.ly/18WGbPR) and see that the second ring is at .8bar (equivalent to 80kpa or 11.6psi). This is just a mark on a progressive bar. The Kuhn Rikon can keep building pressure (and the bar can keep rising) until it reaches 17.4psi - at which point the safety mechanism kicks-in and begins venting the cooker. The fundamental difference in the Fissler US Vitaquick is that the safety mechanism is set to vent 14.5 psi. I am curious about how America's Test Kitchen, for example, was able to measure 250F (equivalent to 15psi) in a pressure cooker that vents for safety at 14.5 psi. I used the same measuring apparatus and same pressure cooker but I was only able to achieve a temperature equivalent to 10.1psi before the cooker began to vent. Ciao, L

So, were you able to find out if Fissler is selling the Euro Vitaquick (80kpa at high pressure) or the US Vitaquick (60kpa at high pressure) to Canada? What Fissler USA is sharing via email differs greatly from what their printed manual says, what Fissler Germany has told me and what my own measurements have been. Please forgive the cross-post to a different forum but I posted my preliminary measurements there with an impending article about the discrepancy. It's an awkward situation to counter what their customer service is telling you, but I would have erred not pointing this out. Especially since an article about this discrepancy is to be published shortly as well. Ciao, L

Hi Solomon, You can use the 2.5L pressure pan for making a pasta sauce, pressure cooking 2 servings of rice or making 6 cups of soup. A small side dish can also be made in the smaller pot. The best part, is that you can also use it as a small high-quality skillet! The pressure of the new Fissler Vitaquicks is LESS than the Kuhn Rikon. Kuhn Rikon can reach 15psi at high pressure, while the US Labeled U.S. Vitaquick can only reach 8.7psi (here is the manual http://bit.ly/1c6LHwu). Fissler's previous model for the US the Blue Point reaches 14.5psi at high pressure. Ciao, L

I have fully reviewed the WMF pressure cooker now, here are the highlights... PLUSES: -Should definitely be called a "14 psi" cooker (rounded up from 13.8psi) since other Euro-made cookers are called "15psi" (rounded up from 14.5 psi). -Extremely durable - complexity is NOT it's downfall as I had earlier mentioned in this topic -Very easy to tell when this cooker is in over-pressure (it toots!) -Fantastic in-handle pressure release (no need to reach over the hot lid to release pressure). It's hands-off and you can even regulate how quickly to release pressure. NEGATIVES: -The cooking surface is rather small since the cooker is conical shaped the opening starts out as wide as the KR, but then the cooking surface is more narrow. -The cook has to remember to "lock" the cooker to get it to reach pressure. -I've had some unique problems with the handles (they want to stick or suction together) Bottom Line: The Kuhn Rikon and WMF scored exactly the same. If anyone is reading this topic for the first time, my advice now is that you can't go wrong with either one. The choice comes down to choosing between a Mercedes and a BMW. If you want to know more, you can check out the whole review here: http://bit.ly/Z9BRJd Ciao, L

Modernist Cuisine has several recipes in jars - that's another way to go for clean cooking. HOWEVER if the jar seals the contents can become pressurized (no valve to release pressure on a jar lid) so I would only recommend doing that by covering the jar with foil OR not opening it until the jar and its contents have completely cooled.

You called? Thanks!! ; ) I've found the pan-in-pot method for rice works best with max 2 cups of white rice and 1 1/2 cups of brown rice - any more rice and the ratio of the rice that is steamed on top and boiled on the bottom gets kind of thrown off so you get uneven results. You also want to make sure that your stainless steel bowl is as shallow and wide as possible. Right now I'm using stainless steel storage containers similar to these (http://amzn.to/15ZD1Hu) but the largest one is 8" wide and I love them. The key to cooking rice pan-in-pot (or bain marie) is a container with flat bottom and wide to maximize the surface area, lowering it in the cooker (with minimum liquid and trivet/steamer basket) UN-COVERED and the cooking time should be the same as doing it in the base with a slight adjustment to the water/grain ratios (about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup less water depending on the quantity). Cooking rice this way leaves the base free to pressure cook something else, like a curry! http://bit.ly/15ZDJV1 Ciao, L

No, your cooker should not be venting while one ring is showing. Read to the end, I think you are experiencing the second problem. This is proper function of a Kuhn Rikon Cooker: 1. You turn up the heat to high and contents inside begin to boil. Vapor begins to build, faster and faster inside and you begin to see a small bit of venting. 2. Pressure begins to build, the venting stops and the pressure signal begins to rise. There may be a small amount of visible vapor - but very small. 3. The correct pressure is reached and you turn down the heat. The cooker cooks at pressure with a slight hissing sound and very thin wisps of steam. The things that can go wrong: - If you fail to turn down the heat and the signal is past the second ring, a very loud and persistent vapor release will take place. - If vapor is released DURING the rise of the pressure signal the safety nub on the side of the main valve may be releasing pressure. The silicone ring around the safety nub and aluminum mechanism are very delicate and can be damaged by just ONE accidental run in the dishwasher (Kuhn Rikon is not dishwasher safe) or by aging. Though your cooker may be new,it may have sat in the warehouse for a while and the age could have damaged this vital little piece that will stop the cooker from maintaining pressure. Though the lids do not have a manufacture date, the bases do. Look just under the words DUROMATIC. The second set of numbers with a dot in the middle is the manufacture date. Though I am not sure if the first number is the month or the week of the year (each manufacturer has its own system), the second number is the year of manufacture. I have four Kuhn Rikons and they are dated 04.09, 10.10, 06.11 and 01.12 If you DID NOT run the Kuhn Rikon through the dishwasher and it behaved like this on the FIRST use you should contact the vendor and ask them to send you a replacement UL valve http://amzn.to/XSzya3 Ciao, L

Which model did you get? The price differences are not only due to accessories there may be price variations also based on the model. Fagor has a range of models from economy to premium. Here are all of their descriptions. http://www.fagoramerica.com/cookware/pressure_cookers/splendid_line/splendid Note that the Rapid and Splendid only have one pressure setting and their premium models Futuro and Chef are made in Spain and have some nice extra features. Congratulations on your new cooker! L

Thanks Judy!! Ciao, L

dkliman, I figured out the secret formula for AL DENTE pressure cooker pasta - I'm in Italy so we have very high standards!! ; ) Pressure cook pasta at LOW pressure (that's setting 1 or the first ring on your Kuhn cooker) for HALF the cooking time written on the pasta package. Add just enough water (or tomato water) to cover the pasta and open with the Normal or quick release. For a 500g/1lb pack of pasta, make usual amount of pasta sauce in the base of the cooker, then add dry pasta, 2 teaspoons of salt and just enough water to cover. See Arrabiata, Spinach Pesto, Cacio e Pepe and Ragu with dry pasta recipes here (http://bit.ly/13XMrjT) - these are NOT modernist recipes but I think the technique is perfectly suited to directly injecting the tomato water into the pasta. Ciao, L P.S. Don't try the grocery store brand pasta - it's made with cheap wheat and usually not hard-semolina. Use a quality brand like Barilla, De Cecco or Divella. They are high-quality pastas DESIGNED to retain AL DENTE for a wider cooking range.

Shawn, Unless you have a particular situation (like a commercial range with high BTU burners) or are consistently getting a scorch you won't need a flame-tamer for your new pressure cooker. I have a gas range and ALL the burners have ONE flame that annoyingly sticks out further than the rest. This is a problem with any other pan except for my pressure cookers. Congrats on your new pressure cooker! Ciao, L P.S. Previous post was from me.. don't even know how I accidentally created a new account!!

P.S. I'm not the first to say this, and probably won't be the last, but something about those reviews just doesn't "smell" right.

Having measured the KuhnRikon evaporation myself using a gas range, I am certain that Cooks Illustrated measured it while it was in over-pressure. This cooker needs VERY LITTLE heat compared to say.. a Fagor. So I imagine they used the same heat setting causing it to continuously vent (thusly evaporating). I would take the temperature readings with a grain of salt. It's obvious that the testers didn't know how to operate the pressure cookers. The Magefesa, for example is photographed with the valve in the incorrect position (which would explain why it "couldn't" maintain pressure) so taking measurements in conditions that are not ideal would give you junk results. I have used 5 of the 8 cookers listed - 6 if you count the Euro Vitaquick (which appears to be re-disgned for US) and thoroughly reviewed 2 of them. Can't say that I agree with ANY America's Test kitchen's pressure cooker review conclusions. Here are more of my thoughts on their review previously posted in another forum... "Unlike the ATK reviewers, I haven't had any issues with "bulging cookers". I absolutely love the "beer belly" on the Fagor Futuro which accommodates larger cuts of meat without having to go to the expense of getting a pressure braiser (though those are REALLY nice, and REALLY wide!) - no scorching, though I haven't made a crepe in it like ATK testers. I had the most trouble with their "highly recommended" model - the Fagor Duo. It works great, but it's tricky to lock the lid shut and to tell when it has really reached pressure - it's prone to false positives which in turn alerts the cook to turn down the heat too soon. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on their highly recommended model Vitaquick - I only have their Euro model and could never get it to work properly. I reviewed the big- sister the Vitavit and it broke during the review process (it was great while it lasted - except for the laser-beam three-directional pressure release). On the bright side, the US Vitaquick appears to have substantial changes from the Euro model - and if it's anything like the US Blue point (their previous US model) then I expect that it performed quite well." Ciao, L

QUOTE FROM BBUKLEY "See here: http://www.wmf.com/fileadmin/u…..rachen.pdf The WMF has an "operating pressure" of 95 kPa, or 13.8 psi. The "regulating pressure" is 130 kPa, or 18.85 psi The "maximum pressure" is 150 kPa, or 21.75 psi. I'm genuinely curious why there is a common assertion that WMF has low pressure. As far as I can tell, the pressures of the WMF are the same or greater than KR." The number you want to look at is "operating pressure" - that is the pressure at which the WMF cooker actually cooks. The other numbers are all about when the the safety systems kick-in and the durability of the base. I just (this week) got a WMF in-house, and even their American rep told me it cooks at 13psi. After having used it just a couple of times, I would confidently round WMF's 13.8 up to 14. I haven't done my tell-tale chickpeas, yet, but potatoes were ready in just 10 minutes - not 15 like my Euro 13psi Fissler. It will likely be the next pressure cooker I review, so stay tuned! BTW, 15psi cookers are not really 15psi - they are 1 bar (100kpa) which is actually 14.5psi. Manufacturers round it up to 15. Ciao, L

Mweinstein, It depends on the kind of recipe it is. If it's a steamy or braising-type recipe, no need to increase the cooking liquid. If it is a stewy boiling type recipes, you can increase without changes providing you don't exceed 1/2 capacity of the cooker with legumes and grains or 2/3 with everything else. If it is a short-cooking recipe, say risotto, the cooking time will need to be shortened - the cooker will take longer to reach pressure and the contents are still cooking during that time. If you can tell me more about the recipe you want to increase, I can give you more specific things to keep in mind! Ciao, L

Mweinstein, It depends on the kind of recipe it is. If it's a steamy or braising-type recipe, no need to increase the cooking liquid. If it is a stewy boiling type recipes, you can increase without changes providing you don't exceed 1/2 capacity of the cooker with legumes and grains or 2/3 with everything else. If it is a short-cooking recipe, say risotto, the cooking time will need to be shortened - the cooker will take longer to reach pressure and the contents are still cooking during that time. If you can tell me more about the recipe you want to increase, I can give you more specific things to keep in mind! Ciao, L

Which model Fagor do you have and why do you think it's defective? In the meantime, you can do an evaporation rate test on it: Put your pressure cooker on your digital kitchen scale and pour in 1000g of water. Pressure cook the water on high for 10 minutes, and then let the pressure come down naturally (just turn off the heat and don't do anything for about 10 minutes). Zero-out a bowl on the scale and pour in the contents to weigh. The weight of remaining water should be in the usually 980 to 960g range ( 2 to 4% evaporation rate). Remember to start timing only when the cooker has actually reached pressure (by touching the yellow signal) and turn down the heat to low once it has. Ciao, L

I can't help you with the recipe, I only have the first set of books, but I can help you with pressure cooking. I will assume the recipe required at least, two cups of liquid - which would be abundant for braising pork for 45 minutes. If that is the case, something may have gone wrong with the operation of the pressure cooker. A few things to know about pressure cooking, and especially Fagor pressure cookers: 1. Turn the heat up to max only to reach pressure. 2. Some Fagor models (Duo, Splendid), have a button that you need to slide up to "lock" the pressure cooker. 3. Once the pressure indicator (little yellow dot) rises in the Fagor it DOES NOT mean it has reached pressure yet, it means that it is REACHING pressure. The only way to make sure the maximum cooking pressure is reached is to touch that yellow dot. If it falls back or feels springhy- the cooker has not reached 15psi. If the dot it feels firm to the touch, and a little vapor is coming out of the main valve (the one with the selector of 1 or 2) then it HAS reached pressure. 4. With all pressure cookers, once they have reached pressure, the heat needs to be turned down to a minimum or near- minimum to maintain pressure. My guess is that either the lid was not locked or the heat was turned down once the cooker reached pressure. Either of these mistakes will cause large amounts of vapor to exit the cooker, running it dry and burning the contents. Ciao, L

Not all canning jars come with bands, and lids. Some have "regular" looking lids. However, you do need to ensure the jars are suitable for canning. "Any ol' jar" might be designed for jams and hot water baths. Canning jars are designed to resist the super-heated environment in the pressure cooker without cracking or shattering. Do your jars have a brand name? Ciao, L

Sharp eye! Yes, looking at the photo of the kitchen set-up again in the preview it does look like the taller one is a 7L and the shorter one for sure is 2.5L. Ciao, L

BTW, back to pressure cooker size. I answered an interesting question in a separate topic.. Any technical differences between using a smaller vs. larger pressure cooker? http://modernistcuisine.com/cooks/forum/other-appliances/pressure-cooker-1-bar15psi-importance-and-kuhn-wmf/#p1217 Ciao, L

I share as much of my knowledge, research and findings freely to help everyone get pressure cooking. But, a detailed technical review and correction of Modernist Cuisine @Home should not be conducted in the forums - or from a PDF preview. When I posted concerns about one of their videos on their blog, it was not well received. http://modernistcuisine.com/2011/11/new-recipe-garlic-confit/ (see comments) If Modernist Cuisine expresses interest, I will gladly detail the errors in the illustration and safety concerns from a recipe a friend scanned and emailed me from the new book. This will ensure that the MC team can make the appropriate corrections in future re-prints and update their errata file. Ciao, L

I can't really tell the size via the ingredients because the illustration is so beautifully Photoshopped. My best guess is that the pressure cooker in the cross-section is 5L (judging from the 1:2 ratio of the handle height to the base height). Ciao, L P.S. There are several technical errors in the descriptions pointing to the pressure cooker - nothing egregious - they are pointing and describing features that the pictured model does not have. Probably, they had originally meant to use the a cooker cross-section from another manufacturer but swapped out the photos without updating the descriptions.

I have not seen the new book, yet. But I looked at a table of contents and there appears to be a whole sub-chapter on pressure cookers in Chapter 2. You mean size is not addressed at all there? http://eater.com/archives/2012/10/25/modernist-cuisine-at-home-preview.php The "kitchen" photos of the above I see both the 2.5L and the 5L - which is the Kuhn Rikon Duo set - whether it's representative of what they actually used in the cooking lab I can't say. Best to wait for them to answer that! Ciao, L