Pressure Cooker Reviews
Pressure cookers can come in a variety of shapes, sizes, types, and prices. It can be difficult in trying to choose one. Whether it is well in your budget or not you still have to weigh some things when it comes to comparison shopping for pressure cookers. It's best to see what type will suit your needs and how it can work for you. Lets talk a little more on the proper type of pressure cooker for you and your cooking needs.Steel vs Aluminum Pressure Cookers
Stainless steel pressure cookers are known to be nonporus, a bit heaver in weight, and the bigger cost when you compare to an aluminum pressure cooker. One of the issues that some people have trouble with is that stainless steel will give you a great finish but has a hard time conducting heat. It needs to be layered with a coating of aluminum to help conduct the heat quicker.This helps provide for more of an equilibrium in cooking instead of having certain portions of the pressure cooker heat up more than others.
Aluminum pressure cookers are lighter in weight, weight less on your wallet, and give an all around heating of the food being prepared. An important factor to take into consideration is that aluminum is a great conductor of heat but can be known as a "cheap metal". It won't last as long as stainless steel but will heat evenly and cost less.
Its something you will have to weigh on your own conscience to see what works best for you and your budget.
How About the Size?
You first of all need to consider the food being cooked in the pressure cooker. You want to provide an even amount of steam in the cooker to cook the food evenly. If you shop in the store you can sometimes see that you have a certain size of potatoe chips but only see that its 2/3 to 1/2 full. This can be the same scenario for a pressure cooker which can advertise a certain cooking capacity on the box byt is actually 1/2 to 2/3 of the liquid capacity of it's cooking ability. Most of the common sizes are 4, 6, and 8 quart capacities.
What Size Works Best?
4-quart: This is good for making a small meal for a yourself or you and a loved one or friend. It works best on otatoes, vegetables, or a variety of what you can cook.
6-quart: This is what most people tend to purchase for small families of 2 or more people. This is usually designed for most meals and is a great tool for planning a late evening dinner.
8-quart: This is the type you might want for large family picnics or a large family meal with large amounts of food to prepare.
Canning: Some people are avid gardeners and like to can what they've harvested. larger models from 16, 18, or 22 quart models can be used for this type of example.
What Brand Should I Get?
Pressure cookers come from quite a bit of competing brands. This can be confusing as to decide which one is best for you.
Firstly you want to pick a brand that has a good reputation and one that can provide you some great quality. This is mostly due to the fact that pressure cookers have to have some parts replaced every so often. However those parts are not interchangable as with other parts.
Where Do You Find One?
Your local retailer is a great place to usually get one right off the bat. They are usually stocked in the appliance section and come in a variety for you to use.
If the store front is uncomfortable for you and you would rather not be in the crowds shoping online might be an option for you. Many retailer sites and bidding sites are to your disposal for you to use and shop around with. You might even be able to find some promo codes or coupon codes for the product you are looking for in the search engines to knock a little off the price.
Make sure when you shop around that you find a supplier who can give you the parts that may need replacing down the road for upkeep of the cooker.
What is a Pressure Regulator?
You usually see this as a small knob on the front of the pressute cooker or inside the pot in some fashion. These usually come in three styles and go by the following names:
Weighted valve pressure regulator (aka jiggle top)
Modified weighted valve pressure regulator
Spring valve pressure regulator.
Weighted Valve Regulator
Usually found on top of the vent pipe (a smallopening in the cover of the pressure cooker to let extra steam out) the weighted valve regulator will rock as the cooking time begins. A gentler rock will be accompanied by a lower temperature. This is important as it keeps the steam at a minimum.You can also hear and see an indicator that tells you the pressure cooker is working right. If it get's too quite then you need to adjust your recipe so it doesn't burn or is not undercooked. The price tag for these isn't too expensive.
Modified Weighted Valve:
This is attached to the cooker. It gives off steam in short bursts to let it escape to keep a standard pressure of 15 psi. The food begins to heat when steam escapes the regulator. You have to keep a careful eye out to make sure the steam is leaving properly. The pricing for the modified weighted valve is a little steaper than the the weighted valve but still works out farily decently.
Spring Valve: This is unique as it shoots up to about one inch sort of like those heat indicators yu might get for a Thanksgiving Turkey. The two cooking pressures it works best at are 10 and 15 psi. This takes a little extra attention as you can not hear it but need to watch it carefully so when the proper temperature is reached you can adjust your stove or heating source to reach the proper level needed. This type of regulator can cost a little more than usual.
The Cover Interlock:
Pressure cookers usually come with a locking device to prevent you from getting a steam burn or a younger child you might be curious. The device locks until the pressure is at a safe level for it to release. If you get a pressure cooker that has a visual indicator that will help you along with the locking device to see when its safe to open it for serving.
The Cooking Rack
Pressure cookers usually come with a rack or basket for cooking food at the proper level. this lets the food steam just above the liquid that is heating below it. It also is a great aid in providing separation so flavors of say meat for example won't absorb into the potatoes.
Handles
Pressure cookers can be heavy and need an extra firm grip for proper usage and handling. Some come with ergonomically designed handles to make it easier to pick up. The larger pressure cookers along the rate of 6-quarts will have handles on both sides of the cooker to help lift it up. It can come with an "assist" or "helper" handle for that purpose.
Base:
Some experts recommend that yu use a bimetal or trimetal base when picking a stainless steel pressure cooker. This helps reduce over heating of the food and gives a great means for heat conduction and easier cleaning.
Recipe Book:
It's great to have a recipe book to help enable you to prepare better meals that are suited for pressure cookers rather than conventional meals. It will make for a great tool for preparing your meals.
Warranty:
Most pressure cookers come with a 10 year warranty which is very useful and proves their long lasting design for your family's dinning needs.
Cost:
This can range from around $80 to $150+ depending on the brand name, size, and usage of the cooker that you are looking for in your useage.
Hopefully this has given you some helpful tips to take into consideration when using a pressure cooker and where you can find one that will suit your needs.
Take careful thought into what you are hopeing to accomplish with this and you will be on your way to a healthier way of preparing meals and a method that will provide great flavor as well.
