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Pressure Cookers: 2011 and beyond

Chris Amirault

By Chris Amirault
in Kitchen Consumer

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chippy

chippy

Posted
Posted

>

could you please elaborate on how they incorrectly (appallingly?) measured the max temperature ?

i for one would like to know, i'm sure others would like to know as well. all i can do is assume (if not trust ) they did it correctly, they had their computer readouts and graphs etc i assume they didnt just draw em up :shock:

cheers

chippy

(short utube thing on that PC test by ATK)

Chippy,

I did not say they used the wrong TOOLS to measure the temperature. I said they measured the internal temperatures while operating the pressure cooker INCORRECTLY.

It's worth noting that the video, article or blog posts do not give details on how they used the remote temperature logger. Was it on a steamer basket? Was it stainless steel or silicone? Did they put it in the cooking liquid? How much liquid? Was the water salty? Did they put the logger in potato? How big was the potato? Where was the potato placed?

All of these variables can play a role in reading temperatures inside a pressure cooker.

Don't assume just because you see charts and graphs in a video clip that measuring tools were used correctly OR repeatedly (I always test three times and average the results - more if the numbers look hinky) OR in the same conditions OR while using the tool or item being tested as the instruction manual states.

Ciao,

L

Hi there L,

no, of course i didnt mean to imply you are questioning the "TOOLS" they used

however you are clear (now) that you are question aspects of their methodology (of course its my fault, i asked the question, if you could narrow down what concerned you about it, particularly if you knew of any substantiated faulty method they used, which you havnt). but since they havnt provided that methodology i dont see how we (er, thats to say you hehe) can refute their methodology with any real integrity, unless you do your own tests and provide that info to back up your claims...(but that would require you buying one each of those PC pots)

not that i'm having a go at you for pointing out the possible variables (i considered that myself! it is important!) but i suspect (obviously) they are some sort of cooking magazine type business and providing overly technical information as one does when submitting a university paper outlining all the various aspects/discussions and methods that go with writing uni papers is beyond what is expected of them when writing an article and not at all interesting to the majority of their readers, you, me and a number of other technical fanatics being the exception. do we dismiss out of hand their results because in a short utube vid or article they didnt go into details of their methods, or because you saw a pic of a pot on stove with a hint of oddness about it here or there, done by a photographer ,not a tech, not a cook, i dont think so, do we trust that they had done a reasonable, common sense job and tested each PC with equal merit, i think so unless they are being paid for product placement (?) personally i don't see how they could have stuffed up getting the highest temp obtained from each PC so i am happy to give them the benefit of the doubt (thermosistors , couplers etc etc all have clear directions whether to place -or not- on steel, inside food or atmosphere etc and if they did the same3 with each one then it would be so much the better), to assume otherwise is to assume they are idiots...some other things they mentioned like scorching the food due to diameter of pots or rather overhang of sides relative to bottom is subjective imo because different diameters suit different uses and to match with your burners size is worth doing, however their point still stands as worthwhile to mention

cheers

chippy

pazzaglia

pazzaglia

Posted
Posted (edited)

Chippy,

I question ATK's methodology because I have used six of the eight pressure cookers America's test kitchen reviewed (earlier in this topic I said 5 but I'm currently testing the WMF).

Read back earlier in this topic, or what I wrote yesterday, if you'd like to know more details of what is wrong with their reviews.

Ciao,

L

Edited by pazzaglia (log)

hip pressure cooking - making pressure cooking hip, one recipe at a time!

fvandrog

fvandrog

Posted
Posted

Chippy,

I question ATK's methodology because I have used six of the eight pressure cookers America's test kitchen reviewed (earlier in this topic I said 5 but I'm currently testing the WMF).

I currently use two WMF PCs, and have to say they seem superior compared to two or three other brands I have used previously.

bonkboo

bonkboo

Posted
Posted

Thanks to hippressurecooking.com and Linda in particular but other egulleters, I had a successful day with mustard seeds, short ribs and chicken breasts. I really began to understand and appreciate this fast cooker.

Ttogull

Ttogull

Posted
Posted (edited)

I am relatively new to PCs. I had a problem I solved, and others have mentioned similar problems in various threads. The problem is that one has to constantly fiddle with the burner knob to maintain the correct pressure and it's hard to find the sweet spot.

My solution works for both my Presto and Kuhn Rikon PCs and will hold pressure for at least two hours without any adjustment. I don't know if it is well known, but I have not seen it before. I don't know if it will work for any one but me. I have used it at least a dozen times now.

So like most instructions say, bring the PC up to pressure in high, then turn to low. My theory is the PC is at this point unevenly heated. When the pressure drops usually in a couple of minutes, do not try to adjust the low flamebut instead turn the temp back to high until fully pressurized again. Continue this. I've never gone beyond three times. After this, at least for me, the PC can go for at least two hours on low with zero adjustments. There is also less risk of over pressuring the PC on a low but too high flame.

As I said, everyone else might know this. But it is not in my instruction manuals or anything else I've read.

ETA I should have said that I have a gas stove.

Edited by Ttogull (log)
  • 2 weeks later...
Kent Wang

Kent Wang

Posted
Posted

Low pressure - useful for white fish, especially thin fish like sole.

Also for steamed or even blanched vegetables, especially if you have a steamer insert. It's so fast that vegetables stay colorful and flavorful. You can poach fruit on low-pressure too, though that's something I haven't tried.

I just moved to London and need to build my kitchen from scratch. Instead of getting a regular big pot and a pressure cooker, I'd like to just get a pressure cooker. Boil pasta with the lid off.

I'd also like to have a steamer insert.

Any recommendations? Preferably available in the UK.

Miss Priss

Miss Priss

Posted
Posted (edited)

Kent Wang, on 24 Apr 2013 - 00:51, said:

I just moved to London and need to build my kitchen from scratch. Instead of getting a regular big pot and a pressure cooker, I'd like to just get a pressure cooker. Boil pasta with the lid off.

I'd also like to have a steamer insert.

Any recommendations? Preferably available in the UK.

Kuhn RIkon, WMF, Fissler, and Fagor pressure cookers are all available on Amazon.uk, and they're all good stainless-steel units. If the cooker will double as your pasta pot and/or steamer, I'd suggest going with the Kuhn Rikon, WMF, or Fagor, as they're straight-sided. It seems to me that the Fissler's tapered shape would accelerate the evaporation of the pasta water, and it might also be difficult to find a steamer insert for it, especially if you wanted a deep one. As for regular lids, it's easy to find inexpensive ones that will fit any of these pots.

Edited by Miss Priss (log)
  • 2 weeks later...
JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

The Fissler Vitaquick Pressure Cooker, 8.5qt is back in stock various places. I ordered one today from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00873AOIU

Any comments you can share about the Vitaquick? I'd love to hear what you have to say. I am still trying to decide between Fissler and Kuhn Rikon (and if I do get a Kuhn Rikon, which type of lid).

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

lindag

lindag

Posted
Posted

Oh my! I have both K-R and Fissler pressure cookers. Trust me, the Fissler (Vitaquick) models are head and shoulders above the K-R which is a really, really nice PC. However, the Fisslers are a whole different product. They are beautifully made and the bottom disc covers the entire bottom of the pan...a really important feature as the smaller discs encourage scorching.

I have the 6.5 qt. Fissler and the 4.2 Fissler pressure pan that comes with a steaming basket and separate lid. I have found this pan to be so useful that I use it several times a week. And, it still looks so beautiful you'd swear it was brand new.

Literally no comparison between the two brands.

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

I have the WMF pressure cooker which I bought on Amazon. It is a set, one is 81/2 quarts, the other is 41/2 quarts with an interchangeable lid. I haven't used it a while lot yet, as I am quite new to PC, but I really like them. I use both sizes.

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

If I decide to buy a Fissler I am thinking of the 8 L, 26 cm size. Do any Fissler owners know if this model is tall enough to accomodate quart canning jars standing on the supplied insert?

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

  • 2 weeks later...
lindag

lindag

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately, they chose a lesser model Fissler to test.

The Vitaquick was the top choice in the CI test.

Fissler got a middle grade. I just ordered the recommended WMF Perfect Plus.

Miss Priss

Miss Priss

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately, they chose a lesser model Fissler to test.

The Vitaquick was the top choice in the CI test.

Lindag, the Vitaquick sounds like a great cooker, but I'm not sure why you say the Vitavit is a lesser model. The Vitavit doesn't seem to be available in the US, but in countries where both models are sold, the Vitavit is the more expensive one (at least online).

I find CI's reviews to be very interesting and useful, and often take them into account when buying pricey kitchen equipment, but I'm still scratching my head over their previous round of PC reviews, 7 or 8 years ago. They claimed there was no way to quick-release the pressure from a Kuhn Rikon on the stovetop, even though the instruction manual clearly described the process. They gave their highest rating to the Fagor Duo, which is a fine product but, in my opinion, not the equal of the Kuhn Rikon.

jsager01

jsager01

Posted
Posted

Fissler got a middle grade. I just ordered the recommended WMF Perfect Plus.

i have been following this thread as i have been looking for a replacement PC, for sometime.

I agree with MIssPriss in her post above, ie

Which is the lesser (or latest) model in the Fissler range of PCs? the vitaquick or the vitavit?

Check out the Fissler website

http://www.fissler-shop.de/Schnellkochtoepfe/

Can anyone give a rational explanation of why a PC should be conical in shape?

It's dangerous to eat, it's more dangerous to live.

Miss Priss

Miss Priss

Posted
Posted

Can anyone give a rational explanation of why a PC should be conical in shape?

I read somewhere that it's to faciiltate stacking of units with the same diameter for efficient storage.

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

I found this site, Hip Pressure Cooking, with some very detailed reviews. Fissler got a middle grade. I just ordered the recommended WMF Perfect Plus.

I believe hip pressure cooking is pazzaglia's site, so she should be around to comment soon.

Meanwhile I have not ordered yet, mostly for reasons of cost. But I am still leaning towards the Vitaquick. I wish someone could tell me whether the 8q model can hold quart size canning jars.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

pazzaglia

pazzaglia

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thanks for the introduction, you guys are doing great and I only step-in to clarify things, or if no one answers a question now.


Fissler's early marketing materials used to refer as the bases being conical for easy stacking - that has since been removed it from most places, but the photos are still there. One model still has the original text:
"A practical advantage for several pots in the cupboard: they can be stacked in each other."

http://www.fissler.co.uk/en/products/pressure_cookers/lines/vitavit_comfort.html

In my opinion, the dis-advantages of a smaller cooking area outweigh the advantages of faster evaporation (or the ability to stack several cookers). If you want to do any braises, or recipes that require browning first, you would have to do in batches what you can brown in other cookers in one round.

The Vitaquick is Fissler's the economy model - but that was not the deciding factor. I was visiting Fissler in Germany, almost two years ago, when they were deciding which model to introduce to the US. Headquarters had received feedback from the US marketing team that Americans would be confused by a dial-setting of the Vitavit. I mentioned that Fagor, one of the top-selling brands in the US, has had a dial setting for years - and no one has ever posted or commented in the websites I follow that they don't understand how to use it. I recommended they do more research.


I have used the Euro Vitaquick and could never get it to work.  It curdled flans, burned risotto's, ect. I sent it back to the manufacturer twice and they kept sending it back saying it worked. They sent me a replacement and it still didn't. I was reduced to just boiling potatoes when the last one finally kicked the bucket (valve failed).


HOWEVER, the Vitaquick that is being sold in the US is not the same I used. Fissler made a different Vitaquick valve and lid to meet the 15psi "US standard." This might explain why a cooker I could not get to cook the most basic things got top ratings from America's Test Kitchen.

Take a look at the reviews in this amazon listing and look at the product photos the reviewer uploaded. Unfortunately, it appears that the Vitaquick has similar durability issues that I had with the Vitavit: http://amzn.to/Z2zWXy


The features on the Fissler cookers are really above and beyond most cookers I have seen. Fissler cookers are really a joy to use - when they work. They use top-quality stainless steel and distribute the heat so well their pans are ALMOST non-stick BUT I simply cannot understand the company's choice to use sub-standard materials for the handles that chip or valves that fail or don't even work out-of-the-box due because of manufacturing defects.


The height of the 8 quart model might accommodate at least ONE 1-quart canning jar, I don't know if the width will let you use more than that.f you want to also do canning, take a look at a 10qt Fagor Cooker/Canner - it's wide enough to accommodate FOUR 1-quart canning jars. Fagor has several models but the Futuro (http://amzn.to/10LdddN) and the Duo (http://amzn.to/10LdddN) also have two pressure settings.


Ciao,

L

Edited by pazzaglia (log)

hip pressure cooking - making pressure cooking hip, one recipe at a time!

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

Thanks. The height was my main concern with regard to the 1q jars.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

lindag

lindag

Posted
Posted

Everything I have ever read about canning says you CANNOT can in a pressure cooker, you must use a Pressure CANNER.

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