Presto 50 01365 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, Deluxe, 6 qt, Metallic

So, after hearing horror stories about the pressure cookers of old, people losing eyes, explosions, etc, I avoided buying a pressure cooker until I read about them in Modernist Cuisine at Home and a few Indian cookbooks. Not wanting to drop the $$$ on a fagor or Kuhn, this seemed like a happy medium.You do need to attached the handled themselves when the pot arrives. Needs phillips head screwdriver and a little trying, but there are stickers on the pot to indicate which handle goes where. I took off 1 star because the handles arent really well designed, feel a touch flimsy, lack hanging holes for the lid (space is a premium in my tiny kitchen) and are a bit of a pain to put on and get appropriately tight.The "regulator" is a little weight/cap that sits on top of the pot lid. It doesn't screw on, but rather balances. When the steam/pressure builds up, it starts tilting due to the steam "flowing" out of the pot. It looks like a top handle for the lid in the picture and as a first time user, I spent a little time trying to figure out what part I was missing/why it wasn't screwing on.I tried closing and opening the lid a few times before using the pot (HiGHLY suggest doing this). It can take a little force, but not that much to get it opened (i am not the strongest, and if you line up the arrows and push down/to the side-ish while putting the lid on, it is easy. It should "pop" open when you slightly twist after pressure is released). If you are having trouble, I suggest checking the gasket, washing it, re-installing it, and trying again.We cooked a mustard pork chop "stew" the first night we used it. Browned 2 loin chops, remove from pan, added some onions/carrots/potatoes, deglazed with a mustard-white wine sauce, and threw in some rosemary. Placed chops on top of the veg/liquid mix, closed the lid, put the regulator on top, and turned up the heat to high.As the cooker heats up, you will hear some popping sounds. It's a little scary for a first timer, but these are just all the safety valves or locks closing. There is a "handle button" that pops up and prevents you from opening the cooker until pressure is released. Once you hear e regulator lock pop up (looks like a little hex nut on the vent tube below the regulator) and the regulator weight starts rocking (some steam will shoot out/make noise - again, normal, but a little scary) you start timing the cook process. At this point, you want to lower the heat do things do not scorch. Basically the lowest heat possible where the regulator is still rocking. We cooked the chops for 12 minutes, then shut off the heat.To depressurization, this version does not operate like the ones on "iron chef". Because of steam buildup and other stuff, the directions say NOT to remove or tilt the regulator until the pressure is released. We did this and are still alive, but could have burned ourselves (oops). After trying to incorrectly release the pressure, we ran the pot under some cold water in the sink. Just run the water down the side of the lid/pan, not on the regulator. It takes less than 30 seconds to depressurize and you can hear all the locking mechanisms "unclick" and see the safety button on the handle pop down. We were able to open the cooker by twisting the handles with 1 hand (not difficult at all) after releasing the pressure.I did notice some discoloration on the cooking surface where the liquid level was. This is normal occurance for stainless and can be removed with many household cleaners (baking sode, vinegar, lemon juice, barkeeper's friend, Bon ami, etc). Fwiw, the pan is made out of foot stainless, with a thick-ish bottom that did not discolor on the stove. All the semi stock bits came off easily with a swipe or two from a nylon palm brush and some dish soap.Overall, somewhat scary (mostly in my own mind, but the directions are not the clearest) but a super quick way to get dinner on the table. Unlike the crock pot, you do not end up with a "hospital food" overcooked texture and a bland, watery broth that we always ended up throwing out. The sauce created in the pressure cooker was delicious. And, dinner took 20 minutes from start to finish (I chop fast...) which is fantastic when your household is two adult who work long hours outside the home. We are going to get a lot of mileage out of this appliance! I took a closer look at the lid - first off, the regulator pipe is large and should/must be checked before every sue to make sure it is clear, and the gasket is hefty (also check before each use). There are at least 2 other "fail safe" valves - a little black gasket that I am guessing will "blow" if over pressure, and a blue release valve. The button/lock on e handle makes it impossible to open the cooker before full depressurization. Plus, if you get everything cooked up and are terrified to place this thing in the sink, you can always turn off the stove and let it cool. There are some foods you should not cook in this (applesauce), listed in the manual (which is available on the presto website if you want to read before purchasing).I may try to film/post a video. That would have been extremely helpful for me as a first-time user.

Pro: has worked well for many years. Do read the manual!Cons:The screws have rusted out on the handle within first few uses.the lower handle has been rattling ever since.$24 for the sealing ring and overpressure plus incl shipping and not available on amazon

This is the best little pressure cooker ever. Great for small cooking - This pressure cooker had become a staple to dinner preparation at my house.

{UPDATE: I still love this unit, & have had no problems at all with it. Just be careful & deliberate when cleaning it, so that the small, rubber plug in the lid (which pops-up slightly as a pressure-valve when in use) remains in the lid (loose) & does not pop-out to be lost in the sink or down the drain! No problems with the unit itself; just be mindful when cleaning}I needed a new & reasonably-priced pressure-cooker, & did a good amount of research before settling on the Presto 01365 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, Deluxe, and-- after having used it at least a dozen times thus far-- am glad I did. What won me over was the attentiveness of the customer-service. I called them on the phone before purchasing-- one reason was to be certain that replacement parts are indeed offered by the company, in case I needed them in the future. I was also glad to have learned from the rep that it would be wise to replace the gasket after a few years or so, since these things do wear-out with regular use, just like ANY gasket on ANY regularly-used equipment (the example she gave me was that of an automobile; you need to get stuff like gaskets replaced in your car's engine every few years or so, as routine maintenance; and if you don't then problems will eventually arise).Another reason to learn if, in fact, the removable rack was stainless or aluminum, as this listing on Amazon had mixed reports (I read everything in the description, plus very many questions & answers, as well as a lot of reviews). Even the rep I spoke to erroneously thought (at first) that all of Presto's pressure-cookers have the rack in only Aluminum, but after hearing my thoughts regarding the "Deluxe" model here, she checked (to be sure), & learned that in fact the Deluxe model's rack IS in fact Stainless Steel.Anyhow, I love using the pressure-cooker to prepare meals quickly.The user has to kinda guess the pressure of the unit... It's a case of just "learning" it, I suppose... Learning how often & to what loudness & length the hissing/ jiggle-sound is supposed to be maintained. The idea is to turn down the heat a bit to a temp that maintains a certain sound of jiggling & hissing (the higher the temp, the louder, faster & more intense the hissing/ jiggling). I do love using the Presto 01365 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, Deluxe, and I'm sure I'll "learn" it more as I continue using it, but it's the learning process & the lack of a meter or definitively accurate regulator that was the reason I rated only 4 of 5 stars in a couple areas. {EDIT: I did in fact "learn" this, & have perfected recipes made with it. The hiss/jiggle sound is simply a bit quieter & gentler than I was used to hearing with other cookers.}Also, I mistakenly thought it was going to be a bit larger than it actually is, but this is my own fault. I can't imagine how SMALL the smaller ones are. This 6-Quart one can barely hold 3 (large) stuffed peppers around it's base, plus 3 more atop those, kinda just about violating the "Don't Fill Above This Line" rule (but there's plenty of air & space between everything, & I've had no problems yet; so 6 large stuffed peppers cram in snuggly, but have cooked perfectly & without problem.All in all, it's an awesome unit... Just has a slight learning-curve... But get it; learn it. It's worth it.

Pequeña

Purchased this item after reading the reviews. Looks well built with very good finish. I returned it ONLY because it has a rubber gasket INSIDE -which is concerning for me - a plastic/rubber part exposed constantly to heat and steam, could become a toxic issue short and long term in my food

This is super easy to use. Just ask your grandma how to use it!! And because it’s stainless steel it doesn’t impart terrrible chemicals into your food. And it will last forever since it doesn’t have electrical parts. Love it!! Kickin it old school with a pressure cooker. What’s old is new!!

Wish we had bought it sooner, works very well

Perfect size. Great replacement for my 20 year old one.

va très bien, bon achat

Easy to use and clean, I have no problem for using it, but to be aware of its " overpressure plug" during cleaning. I lost my plug at the third use and it just went down to the drainer. In Canada, it is impossible to order only " overpressure plug" at stores. To buy on Amazon, it is over 10 CAD for one little plug. So I went Home Hardware and ordered a replacement kit ( with ring, vent and overpressure plug ) , only replaced the plug (09915 ) then discarded the rest ( because doesn't fit my presto)