Presto 01370 8-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

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.

After researching available pressure cookers on the market, I went with this one.Features I was looking for:1. 8 Qt. Capacity. Perhaps the 6 qt. would have fit our needs 80% of the time, but for the other 20%, when a big stew or batch of stock was necessary, this pot gives us the flexibility in one pot.2. Stainless Steel. Easy to clean. Additionally, this PC has the tri-ply base, so it efficiently handles heat, and allows you to saute or brown ingredients prior to putting them under pressure.3. Reputable Manufacturer and Worry-free spare parts. Presto fit the bill perfectly. They've been around forever, and parts are readily available from a variety of sources.I had a 6 qt aluminum prior to this pressure cooker. The aluminum cooker was a basic model with the rocking top. It did what it was supposed to do and did it well. However, I found myself wanting a larger capacity cooker with the above features.This Presto doesn't have the fancy bells and whistles of some of the other manufacturers, but it is safe and it performs just as well. A pressure cooker either holds its pressure or it doesn't-- I wasn't convinced I needed to pay 2-4 times as much for a unit that didn't perform noticeably better or give me any real additional benefits.The pressure regulator on this unit doesn't rock-- it simply begins to emit a wisp of steam when it comes to pressure. The lever controls 2 things-- pressure or venting. When you slide the lever to "vent", the steam exhausts straight upwards. It's not dangerous to your hands, but can also exhaust part of your liquid-- this is a drawback in my opinion. However, it's only a slight drawback for me because I prefer to depressurize the unit by running the cooker under cold water to minimize steam escaping into my kitchen.The handles are a bit different than those found on other cookers. This has 2 small handles versus a long handle and a shorter "helper handle." I wasn't sure if I'd like the handles, but I find I'm always handling the cooker with 2 hands anyway and don't mind not having a long handle.Here's an interesting thing I noticed as I compare my old aluminum with this Presto-- it takes significantly less energy to keep the Presto at pressure than the aluminum. When the aluminum unit came to pressure, I'd turn down the burner to about 4 or 5 to keep it at pressure. On this Presto, I can go all the way down to "1/Lo" and it keeps chugging right along.Some of my favorite things to make with this include:1. Stocks. Chicken, Beef or Veal-- these stocks come out perfect in 45-50 minutes versus the 4 hours I used to spend developing all the flavors. Thick and rich-- can't beat it.2. Soups. Use some of the stock you've either made fresh or have frozen from before. Brown your meat, saute your mirpoix, add your fresh or frozen veggies and any other liquids, and then "lock and load" for appropriate time. Yummy!3. Risotto. Follow Miss Vickie's instructions on her website. OMG!! Cook like Top Chef!4. BBQ. Use this for a quick braise, then finish it off on the grill. Fall-off-the-bone tender!5. Beans. Any time, any where. I used to not do as much with beans since to cook them on the stovetop, you'd use just as much energy and time to cook the whole bag as half a bag--so..... I'd cook the whole bag. Then I'd have leftovers that would go bad. Not anymore. Now I cook the exact amount I need because the time/energy used in the PC is negligible. I like to give the beans a full soak and then cook for just a few minutes.6. Anything else that usually involves "T-I-M-E" because with a pressure cooker, time is no longer a 4-letter word for a busy person!This is a good quality piece of cookware that should last you a lifetime.