I think the last time we had a pressure cooker thread was 2010 so it seemed like a good time to start a new one. We had a Presto PC and I believe the gasket died so we ditched it around 2011. My wife decided she wanted a new one earlier this year and after some research I landed on the Fagor Duo which is an 8 quart and was recommended by America’s Test Kitchen.
According to ATK the price should have been $80-90, but all we could find was $110 which seems kinda pricey for a pot. After some searching around we found it on Kohl’s website and with some bucks my wife had and a percentage off got it home for around $70. My first cook was beef ribs and wouldn’t you know it the lid had a defect. I sent a note to Fagor CS and they shipped out new parts and after install we’ve not had another issue.
Last night I cooked some pork ribs and my wife loved them. I still prefer a smoker for ribs, but 30 minutes vs hours on the grill is a big difference especially with so little prep to get rolling. We’re pulling it out about once a week and have even tried it with frozen meat with great results. The one recipe that didn’t quite work was a chicken recipe and apparently even when frozen they meant for the pieces to be separated.
If I were looking for a space saver I would get one of these and use it as a pressure cooker and a stock pot for dual duty.
Great idea for a thread. I love my pressure cooker and I’m interested in what others are doing. It is probably one of the best things I have gotten. The small amount of time it takes to make meals is hard to believe. I have the same one as you but if I had to do it again I would think of getting the 10qt one because I think you can use it to pressure can quart jars.
I’ve used it for all sorts of food. Sunday I used it to make a risotto, which was pretty good and was basically labor free compared to making it the traditional way. Last night I used it to make dahl and basmati rice. There are definitely some things don’t come as well as other ways of cooking, but man does it save time. I’ve been trying to get my wife on board with it so we can get rid of our slow cooker, which is taking up valuable real estate in our kitchen cabinets.
BTW I think you are the one I have to thank (or curse) for the advice about the akorn, which is another of my favorites.
I got the All-American, since I really wanted something built like a tank. I use it often for canning wort but I haven’t really gotten into pressure cooking meals. Maybe in the winter when things cool down. Risotto is an interesting idea I’d never thought of.
I have an All-American canner, but it would be far too big for meals unless you were feeding an army.
Glad you like the Akorn. I’m thinking of buying a second one to have as a backup and for when I need two temps. They now have a Jr. on the market.
Here’s the recipe from last night. I added in some brown sugar to the rub and I would boost the salt about 20% if I was going for it again. We did not have a rack for the bottom so I used a rack from a small oven tray which fit pretty well to keep the ribs out of the liquid. http://www.fagoramerica.com/my_fagor/recipe_library/pressure_cooker/meat/baby_back_ribs
I have my wife’s grandmother’s pressure cooker from the 1960s. They gave it to us with some spare gaskets so after replacing the gaskets it works great. So far I’ve only used it a few times and haven’t really delved into using it. I’m slightly terrified of it exploding though.
The junior akorn may be a purchase in the near future! Ribs sounds good and are making me hungry. When I made chicken I used the the basket that came with it to keep the chicken out of the liquid. It seemed to work ok.
It may not be traditional, but it comes out great. One of my favorites is asparagus. I blanch the asparagus and use the water to make the risotto.
This is what took me a while before I got one. The ones put out today have a bunch of safety features to keep that from happening. I still get a little worried when it makes a ping sound.
Hard boiled eggs come out great and are very easy to peel. I make a ring out of foil for each egg to stand them upright and cook them in the basket on low for about 5 or 6 minutes. Quick release and cold water bath for eggs. The shells come right off.
When I was a youngster my mother’s pressure cooker blew out the pressure relief valve which was basically a piece of metal. It gouged the ceiling. I think our old Presto had something similar.
The Fagor has an area of the gasket which will leak and allow steam to escape (no flying parts) and as a secondary the lid has two different mechanisms for keeping the pressure in check. Basically there is very little that could explode in this model.
We have an All-American for canning also doubles as the outside of a double boiler when I’m making cheese. We also have the Fagor splendid 10 quart (only one pressure) that we use quite a bit for cooking. Lately is have been put to use making bone broth, and as a second stock pot. It is nice to make broth in an hour (chicken) or 2 (beef) instead of 18 to 24 hours.
I bit the bullet on an Instant Pot IP-Duo60 about 6 months ago and have never looked back. I love it. I can have a bag of dry beans ready to eat in about 45 minutes including ramp-up time. Downside: It’s not recommended for canning. Upside: It can work as a slow cooker as well.
Cooking with a pressure cooker definitely takes some getting used to and I’m still learning.