Presto01370 8-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

This is WONDERFUL simple easy to understand easy to get parts not that expensivebuy quality live with quality love the simple yet easy to understand pressure safety measuresmy mom used pressure cookers all my kid life , they fell out of favor because of slow cookers and prepared meals at the storethis DRAMATICALLY cuts down cooking time. we've done chicken roll ups , enchiladas, pork roast with cherry dejon cause (WOW WOW WOW). I debated aluminum vs stainless, get stainless lifetime durable not that much heavier,we got the 8 quart for the flexibility in cooking stuff. and the quick release valve IS THE BOMB SIMPLE push left to pressurepush right to quick release ---that means you don't have to put in the sink with cold water when the recipe calls for QUICK RELEASEthis valve is GENIUS leave it to presto to make my mom's pressure cooker so easy and safe to useanother great idea---they have a pop up indicator to tell if under pressure--wait for the thing to fall down and bingo its safe to remove the lid. Clean up is typical stainless steel. Handles make it easy to use as a serving dish ---i hate to clean dishes why not combine things. goes to the table easy. WE ARE SO IMPRESSED WITH THIS my wife thanks me each time we have used it.I know you can buy cheaper, more complex but remember this is a well established company easy to get parts. and because its stove top based like you mom or grandmother they can give you insights and make it a re-bonding event.Most of the recipes i've reviewed calls for 15psi----those fancy electric models are very nice but they cook at lower pressure SOOOOOO you have to adjust cooking times---hey wasn't one of the reasons you go pressure cooker is to cut down on the cooking time----well be aware check out the recipe books BEFORE you invest in that non-15psi unitI called up my mom told her about my family going back to pressure cookers and at 87 she had tons of recipes and how to's bonding is wonderful she loved the attention. Can't go wrong with this unit and its size. I suggest you get another , say its 4 qt cousin for doing multiple dishes at the same time as we did.we also bought from amazon pressure perfect (no pictures but GREAT BOOK), AND Great food fast by bob warden---we go those BEFORE we got the pressure cookers to plan and understand. You will enjoy this for generations---try the pork roast with the cherry dejon sauce by bob warden- amazing

This is my first pressure cooker, and I couldn't be happier. This turned out the best pot roast and potatoes I've ever had, ribs so moist and tender I just plucked out the bone with some tongs, and I'm looking forward to trying many different things in this pot.First of all, the pot itself is very high quality. Better than my Calphalon Commercial pots in my opinion. It has an amazing mirror polish finish to it, which does take a bit of extra effort to keep looking new. And a nice, thick, triple-clad bottom that heats amazingly evenly and both takes and holds heat beautifully. Judging by how things brown in it and the evenness of bubbles in simmering liquids, this spreads the heat out very evenly, unlike some of my other pots and pans. And it can take a blast of high heat (of course with liquid in the pot) in order to get it up to pressure quickly. No discoloration or suspicious clinks and clangs as it heats and expands.Took a little bit for me to figure out exactly how it all worked, being I'd never used one before, but finally got it figured out and it worked exactly as designed. The instruction/recipe booklet that comes with it is very well done, compared to the usual confusing and poorly done quality of such things.Cleaning is a bit of a chore. Not particularly difficult, but I like to do a thorough job, and it's a fairly large pot to scrub out. I've found that I've had to use some Softsoap cleanser and non-scratch scouring pad to get some of the discoloration off the metal after cooking. This is just trying to keep it looking new... I'm sure I'll stop being so particular at some point and won't have to spend so much time scrubbing it.To clean, in addition to scrubbing and washing the pot inside and out, (and another reviewer said this one was light compared to her old one and she hoped it held up. It's plenty heavy for me to try to hold in one hand while rinsing with the other, etc. Not sure I'd like it if it were heavier.)... they also say to remove the plastic sealing gasket and wash that completely, which isn't tough. The over-pressure plug is easy to remove if you want to clean around that, and you can also remove the little metal post and gasket of the cover lock mechanism, though if you use the pot normally, you probably wouldn't needed to clean them very often. Water spots/stains appeared on the inside of the lid from cooking, but again, I'm sure they won't affect anything.Having never used a pressure cooker before, the first time I flipped the lever to do a quick release of the pressure, it startled me pretty good, as it instantly shoots out a jet of loud steam that would probably go 10 ft high if it didn't roll off the ceiling or range hood... and continues for around 3 minutes before settling down. Rather amazed that in all the instructions, nothing was said about being sure to avoid being over the pressure valve when you release it. I could see someone who didn't understand how it worked possibly leaning over it when they flipped the lever and if they did, they'd end up being scalded terribly on their face I'd imagine.Since it's winter and the air in the house is dry as a bone, I've actually used this as a sort of quickie humidifier. Just bring a few cups of water to pressure until steam is escaping the pressure valve, (I added some lemon juice to give a pleasant smell. Could use vanilla or whatever) and carry it to whatever room or area you want to humidify. I sat it on an upside-down cast iron pot lid, and then flipped the pressure relief lever and it blasted out a torrent of steam. Did it a few times and according to my thermometer/humidity gauge, it brought up the humidity in the room about 5% and left a nice scent. So... it's multi-purpose. ha!But the greatest thing about it is the FOOD. Just so tender and delicious. I particularly like to brown/sear meats in it in a tiny bit of oil, then add liquid and things like carrots/celery/potato and pressure cook for a bit. Leaves everything done perfectly and with a nice flavorful liquid that can easily be made into gravy. Haven't tried beans or vegetables, but meats come out amazingly flavorful and fork tender. So good.A good product and well made. Keep it clean and perhaps replace the gasket every year or so, and it should last forever.