Pressure Cookers: 2011 and beyond

[IEATRIO]

Haven't posted anything in a good long while, so figured I would say how much I like my Fissler Vitaquick.  I still see lots of well known cooking personalities reflexively recommend the Kuhn Rikon, which I think is based upon its extensive use and endorsement in the Modernist Cuisine books -- which are now decade old information.  I think though that if you compare the construction and functionality of the current KR to the current Fissler, it's not a hard choice between the two, and the Fissler is very obviously superior.  I certainly enjoy using Fissler more than the KR, which seems flimsy and clunky in comparison, for about the same price.

[jaw]

i got my fissler stuff. haven't used it yet, but it looks very nice!

 

 

^ btw, the handle swap was a success.

 

[jaw]

going back to the topic of fissler valve pressure from years ago...

 

despite being told that US models aren't being sold anymore (see a few posts back), i received a 10L vitavit premium directly from fissler usa's online shop with US stamped on the lid (handle is removed in this pic):

 

 

i'm guessing 2919 is a date code, but i don't know how to interpret it. perhaps day 291 of 2019?

 

the GB/EU manual says:

 

Quote

 

 

Setting 1: 45 kPa, 110°C (6.67 psi, 230°F)

Setting 2: 75 kPa, 116°C (10.9 psi, 241°F)

Overpressure limit not stated

 

 

on a european parts shop, i found a picture of the underside of the main "traffic light" control valve:

 

 

if you look very carefully, you can see it's stamped 75 kPa which references "Setting 2".

 

the printed USA manual that came with my cooker says:

 

Quote

 

 

Setting 1: 35 kPa, 108°C (6.67 psi, 226°F)

Setting 2: 50 kPa, 111°C (7.25 psi, 233°F)

Overpressure limit: 100 kPa (14.5 psi)

 

 

curiously, the underside of my control valve is stamped 60 kPa:

 

 

this suggests that my valve's high setting is probably:

 

Setting 2: 60 kPa, 113°C (8.70 psi, 236°F)

which disagrees with the manual provided.

 

maybe someone will find this interesting.

 

ok, and now for the million dollar question: should i actually care that my shiny new pressure cooker only goes to 60 kPa / 8.7 psi (or if the manual is correct, 50 kPa / 7.25 psi)? does food really take that much longer to cook? conversely, could the lower temperature actually be a good thing (degrades delicate volatiles less)?

 

i guess i could always order a spare 75 kPa valve from europe if i really want.

Edited November 11, 2020 by jaw (log)

[tcdo]

Huh. My control valve says it’s 115kPa - see attached photo. Slightly different SKU, too. This is from an 8.5qt Vitavit (2019 model) ordered from fisslerusa.com in Jan. 2022. The control valve seems slightly askew - the front edge of the red just barely shows when I hit overpressure.

 

I tried contacting Fissler US customer support via email about pressure back when I bought the PC but never got a reply. I figured worst case scenario the Cooks’ Illustrated intern (or staffer) who had tested the Vitaquick hadn’t read its manual carefully and ran it like I used to run my 8qt Fagor (which I had to get rid of when I couldn’t get a new gasket for it): heated to a gentle vent at 15kPa. In a year of light use it’s done a fine job.

 

I think this week I’ll try half a pound of soaked garbanzos as recommended above in this thread. My prediction is they’ll be fully cooked in 13 minutes. (Among other things, a larger cooker takes longer to come up to pressure, so beans cooked 13 minutes at pressure in an 8.5L will cook more than in a 6L or smaller.)

 

Fissler now sell both my control valve and a slightly different one for the 2020- models for $10 less. The SKU on the website matches my instruction booklet but not the SKU in these photos - maybe the latter is part of the control valve?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, tcdo said:

Huh. My control valve says it’s 115kPa - see attached photo. Slightly different SKU, too. This is from an 8.5qt Vitavit (2019 model) ordered from fisslerusa.com in Jan. 2022. The control valve seems slightly askew - the front edge of the red just barely shows when I hit overpressure.

 

I tried contacting Fissler US customer support via email about pressure back when I bought the PC but never got a reply. I figured worst case scenario the Cooks’ Illustrated intern (or staffer) who had tested the Vitaquick hadn’t read its manual carefully and ran it like I used to run my 8qt Fagor (which I had to get rid of when I couldn’t get a new gasket for it): heated to a gentle vent at 15kPa. In a year of light use it’s done a fine job.

 

I think this week I’ll try half a pound of soaked garbanzos as recommended above in this thread. My prediction is they’ll be fully cooked in 13 minutes. (Among other things, a larger cooker takes longer to come up to pressure, so beans cooked 13 minutes at pressure in an 8.5L will cook more than in a 6L or smaller.)

 

Fissler now sell both my control valve and a slightly different one for the 2020- models for $10 less. The SKU on the website matches my instruction booklet but not the SKU in these photos - maybe the latter is part of the control valve?

 

Mine says 60, which would be 8.7 PSI.  Not sure what to believe.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Last night I cooked up a mess of Rancho Gordo Mayocoba beans.  My poor Fissler was audibly venting more steam than I expected, which is why I took the valve apart to clean it, and to run the lid through the dishwasher.  When I visited the Fissler USA site just now I saw only one applicable valve.  I would love to get a higher pressure replacement.

 

 

[Susie Q]

Hi, I'm a long time member but mostly a reader & only rarely a poster. I am just now reading this thread and am very new to pressure cooking.

 

I bought my first PC, a Fissler Vitaquick 8.5, on Amazon Prime Days last week, July 2024. and haven't used it yet.

 

Are parts still available for it like the lid gaskets or a new valve?  Should I return it?

 

I'm only seeing 2 parts listed, a control valve that looks nothing like mine and also a valve gasket set that is out of stock. I don't want to throw good money away on a pot that can't be repaired or it's gaskets replaced.

 

Also, can you use silicone perforated and unperforated baskets and trivet with the stovetop PC or will it melt?

 

Thanks for any and all help. I sure appreciate it.

[Kerry Beal]

4 hours ago, Susie Q said:

Hi, I'm a long time member but mostly a reader & only rarely a poster. I am just now reading this thread and am very new to pressure cooking.

 

I bought my first PC, a Fissler Vitaquick 8.5, on Amazon Prime Days last week, July 2024. and haven't used it yet.

 

Are parts still available for it like the lid gaskets or a new valve?  Should I return it?

 

I'm only seeing 2 parts listed, a control valve that looks nothing like mine and also a valve gasket set that is out of stock. I don't want to throw good money away on a pot that can't be repaired or it's gaskets replaced.

 

Also, can you use silicone perforated and unperforated baskets and trivet with the stovetop PC or will it melt?

 

Thanks for any and all help. I sure appreciate it.

Don't know if it counts for anything - but I've basically abandoned all my regular pressure cookers in favour of the Instant Pot. I still use the heavy bottoms for candy making if I need something that size. 

[Susie Q]

56 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Don't know if it counts for anything - but I've basically abandoned all my regular pressure cookers in favour of the Instant Pot. I still use the heavy bottoms for candy making if I need something that size. 

Hi, Thank you for your input. I considered buying an Instapot a while back but found I was more interested in learning stovetop pressure cooking. I'm set on that and

even if I send it back I'll be purchasing another stovetop PC.

 

 

Since I bought this stovetop pot last week, and just found this thread yesterday and read through it, I'm wondering

if parts will still be available my newly purchased version of the Fissler Vitaquick.

 

 

Edited July 24 by Susie Q
Clarification (log)

[rotuts]

@Susie Q

 

pressure cooking is a technique  , not a particular appliance.

 

after a bit w your stove-top model ,

 

you will find the technique useful fora variety of things.

 

the iPot does them all , and perhaps a gbit more 

 

very convieenietly , by pushing s button , snd then waiting for a beep.

 

no supervision necessary.

 

keep you eye on iPot sales.   

 

depending onyounuse , when the 6 qt ' original ' or ' original + '

 

goers on sale , you can make the move.

 

consider the  steaming basket insert as a must add on.

 

take your time .  no hurry 

[Susie Q]

Thank you. I've done my research and I'm interested in the stovetop version of pressure cooking.

[Kerry Beal]

So can't really answer the question on available parts as I haven't gone looking for them. Have you contacted Fizzler directly? 

[gfweb]

Ebay has plenty of fissler parts/gaskets.

 

I'm in the minority re instant pot.  I gave mine away and am happy with my old school Kuhn.

[lindag]

I'm not an IP fan either.  I AM a big Fissler fan, though.  Expensive, yes, but really high quality.

[lindag]

These pots are so well made I doubt you'd ever need to replace parts.

I don't know about accessories.

.

[Smithy]

Getting back to the question that so far has gone unanswered: you should be able to use silicone trivets, colanders and the like in the pressure cooker. At 15 psi, if I'm reading the literature correctly, the boiling point of water goes up to 250F at sea level (less if, say, you're in Denver). Serious Eats has a discussion about it, and there are other such discussions as well. Silicone utensils should be good to much hotter temperatures. I've noted a bit of discoloration on my silicone dish covers when roasted in the 400F range, but no melting. Webrestaurantstore says that silicone utensils should be good to 428F. That's a pretty wide safety margin above the pressure cooker temperatures.

 

Edited to add: those temperatures are for the interior of the pot. I don't know how hot the inside bottom of the pot gets, where the surface is in contact with flame. Maybe you'd want a screen or standoff to keep the trivet / bowl / etc. from being in direct contact with that hot bottom surface.

Edited July 24 by Smithy
Added additional paragraph at end (log)

[Susie Q]

2 hours ago, gfweb said:

Ebay has plenty of fissler parts/gaskets.

 

I'm in the minority re instant pot.  I gave mine away and am happy with my old school Kuhn.

 

Hi, Thank you for answering my question. 

 

I'll check out eBay.

 

Some things I want & prefer old school. I get more satisfaction that way and look forward to the learning experience, memories and investing the time.

 

I've gone back to using my grandmother's stovetop Carolina rice cooker, and a hand cranked White Mountain ice cream freezer. I like using my ancestor's cast iron from their kitchens and sheep camp.

I like the fact that I can also take it when I go camping.

 

Too many bells, whistles & promises sometimes leads me to wonder about compromises being made.

 

Thank you for your help.

 

 

2 hours ago, lindag said:

I'm not an IP fan either.  I AM a big Fissler fan, though.  Expensive, yes, but really high quality.

 

 

Hi,  Thank you for your input. I don't mind expensive as long as it lasts. Quality over quantity. That applies whether it's a $5 or $500 item. 

 

1 hour ago, lindag said:

These pots are so well made I doubt you'd ever need to replace parts.

I don't know about accessories.

.

 

Thank you. They seem to be very well made right out of the box. So good to know your feeling about replacement. I saw an earlier poster, JoNorvelleWalker, said she was only "now" (2023) needing a replacement part after many years of use. That's a good endorsement in my book.  

 

My concern was seeing only 2 parts on Fissler's website, one of them being out of stock, and the possibility I just bought a model that was on its way out. 

 

Thank you for your help. 

Edited July 24 by Susie Q (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

8 minutes ago, Susie Q said:

I'll check out eBay.

I found everything that I needed at a local Chinese restaurant supply. Great quality at about half the price that they were asking on Amazon and eBay.

I got trivets, steamer baskets, complete steamer setups, and lots of lids and miscellaneous.

Also, I use silicone molds in my IP all the time so it should work in a stove top pressure cooker.

Edited July 24 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[Susie Q]

2 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Getting back to the question that so far has gone unanswered: you should be able to use silicone trivets, colanders and the like in the pressure cooker. At 15 psi, if I'm reading the literature correctly, the boiling point of water goes up to 250F at sea level (less if, say, you're in Denver). Serious Eats has a discussion about it, and there are other such discussions as well. Silicone utensils should be good to much hotter temperatures. I've noted a bit of discoloration on my silicone dish covers when roasted in the 400F range, but no melting. Webrestaurantstore says that silicone utensils should be good to 428F. That's a pretty wide safety margin above the pressure cooker temperatures.

 

Hi, Thank you for your help and information. I use silicone utensils when needed. I also have used silicone rings, but only for brief cooking such as eggs and batters. I was concerned about use in extended cooking and not wanting to wreck a new pot.

 

I'll look at those links.

 

Thank you so much!

[Susie Q]

6 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I found everything that I needed at a local Chinese restaurant supply. Great quality at about half the price that they were asking on Amazon and eBay.

I got trivets, steamer baskets, complete steamer setups, and lots of lids and miscellaneous.

Also, I use silicone molds in my IP all the time so it should work in a stove top pressure cooker.

 

Hi, Thank you, I appreciate the heads up! I see another visit to LAX-C in Los Angeles and 99 Ranch in my future. I have just a couple steaming items from there already, plus it's almost time to buy a new bamboo steaming cone for sticky rice.

 

Thank you again, I appreciate your help. 

[Smithy]

31 minutes ago, Susie Q said:

 

Hi, Thank you for your help and information. I use silicone utensils when needed. I also have used silicone rings, but only for brief cooking such as eggs and batters. I was concerned about use in extended cooking and not wanting to wreck a new pot.

 

I'll look at those links.

 

Thank you so much!

 

Even if a ring melts and sticks to the bottom of the pot (and I think that's unlikely) it should peel right off after the pot cools and the silicone resolidifies. I wouldn't worry about the pot at all.

[Tropicalsenior]

Just one example of the durability of silicone, the gasket on my IP is made of silicone and I've been using this one continuously since 2017.

[Susie Q]

12 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

Even if a ring melts and sticks to the bottom of the pot (and I think that's unlikely) it should peel right off after the pot cools and the silicone resolidifies. I wouldn't worry about the pot at all.

 

 Hi, Thank you. I've never had to deal with melted silicone and I appreciate your help and knowledge. 

 

Thank you.

 

14 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Just one example of the durability of silicone, the gasket on my IP is made of silicone and I've been using this one continuously since 2017.

 Hi, Thank you. That's good to know. I have silicone spatulas that are soft and pliable and have lasted almost 20 years and had an Oxo turner that lasted  just 2 years after accidently tearing it (bought another one just like it).

 

I was wanting to have extra seals & gaskets, or be able to get them, just in case I wreck the original ones.

 

Thank you.

[Laurentius]

3 hours ago, Susie Q said:

I was concerned about use in extended cooking and not wanting to wreck a new pot.

Silicone formulations vary, but most modern ones, e.g., platinum-cured, are stable to 400-500F.

[Susie Q]

2 hours ago, Laurentius said:

Silicone formulations vary, but most modern ones, e.g., platinum-cured, are stable to 400-500F.

 Hi, Thank you! Good to know and I'll have to read up on platinum cured means. 

 

I appreciate your help.