Stainless Pressure Cooker

[MABell]

Seems that I recall a conversation about stainless steel pressure cookers somewhere (my search turned up 500 hits that had nothing to do with cookers). Would like advice on a quality (small) stainless pressure cooker. Thanks in advance.

[jdoe71]

We have a Lagostina pressure cooker on the boat, about 7 litre size. It is one of the most useful items we have. It makes awesome ribs, among other things, fall off the bone tender in about 30 mins then 10 mins on the BBQ to grill up some more flavour. Great for quick one pot meals of rib stickin' groceries on cold damp days. Very good unit, has two fail safes built into it as well as the standard over-pressure poppet valve.

[starfish62]

The St. Pete boat show had a booth with some guys that had a VERY nice line, but I can't remember the name. Ours is very heavy, but I can't remember the name. Armour something? Here's one:

Pressure Cooker

[SV Someday Came]

After reading and researching, I settled on this model: Amazon.com: Fagor Duo Combi 5-Piece Pressure Cooker Set: Home & Garden

That is not the exact same configuration, but it is close enough. I have two pressure cookers with that set up and I found that unlike alot of other folks on this board, I did not need 8+ quart cooker.

Fagor is very well made. And I found the claims on their site as to how the manner in which the steel is constructed atthe bottom of the cooker to be accurate.

I also found I like alonger handle on a boat; I don't like the models with the two grip handles on either side. Fagor's handle is a bit shorter than other cookers with longer handles, and that makes it perfect on my stove.

This set became just about my entire galley. I got rid of three other pots once I bought this unit.


Michael

[Delezynski]

MABell,

Take a look at our web pages, under the "Position Reports". No direct links, but we talk about the use of ours in a few places and relate why we got it.

Greg

[quidam]

I recently purchased a WMF 6.5 qt. and its great. I did my home work and it had the best overall ratings. I was able to buy it locally for $219.00. The first time I used it I was amazed how quick you can cook things that normally take awhile.

Pressure cookers are definately gas savers.

[SV Someday Came]

Originally Posted by quidam

I recently purchased a WMF 6.5 qt. and its great. I did my home work and it had the best overall ratings. I was able to buy it locally for $219.00. The first time I used it I was amazed how quick you can cook things that normally take awhile.

Pressure cookers are definately gas savers.

You are so right: They save gas and time. Pressure cookers are utterly amazing. Potatoes in minutes. Stews in minutes. Carnitas. Lamb. Other than my electric tea pot, it is the singular most useful tool in the galley.

[MABell]

I appreciate the input - and ideas from others are still welcome.

[Mariposa]

Two hints on cooking the whole meal at once.
1. Presto makes an accessory basket that is 7 1/2" wide and 1 1/2" tall that lets you separate the food. Potatoes & carrots in the basket and the meat above on the tray that generally comes with the cooker.
2. If you are using a meat (chicken) that takes a shorter time to cook than the vegetables, use frozen meat and then it doesn't overcook.

[sfreivald]

I just started using a 10qt Fagor pressure cooker - I bought the larger size because my research showed the larger size was easier for canning... I haven't tried canning with it yet, but it is pretty large - perhaps a bit too large for regular meals as we are only two. I am looking forward to canning and will let you know if the size matters!

Sarah

[over40pirate]

Be aware that all stainless steel pressure cookers are not created equal.
Before setting out on our first cruise, friends gave my mate a ss pressure cooker. It had a dial type of pressure regulation, on the lid.
In less than 1 year of cruising, the pot metal parts in the pressure regulator totally crumbled.

[sailPDQ36]

We bought ours at the Annapolis boat show 6 years ago before we left off on our extended cruise. It is a stainless steel, 8 liter unit that has held up well to the rigors of life afloat. It is by far our favorite piece of galley-ware. The company we bought it from is at Pro-Selections

Regards,
Tom
Dream Catcher

[Brent Swain]

Lagostina is one of the best. I found the pressure a bit lower than I like, so I changed the rocker for a presto rocker with some 1/8th brass pipe fittings and the rubber presto blowout plug in an appropriately sized hole . Now brown rice cooks in 7 minutes , like the presto.
Like Pea soup , squirting a bit of cooking oil on top of the rice stops the rice from foaming out the rocker hole ,and keeps the lid clean.
Brent

[sparty]

Last year at the Strictly Sail show in Chicago, a fellow was demonstrating a marine cooker. It looked like the the Fagor model cited previously in this thread. He fried some chicken wings and french fries as part of the demo. I have to say, they were fantastic. Especially the french fries. Well cooked and not greasy.

I was very impressed but put off somewhat by the cost. They are much more expensive than the standard Faqor household style. We ended up purchasing a set of stacking pans with removeable handles at the show and put the pressure cooker on the future purchase list.

When we got home we did a lot of internet research and could not find any "household style" pressure cooker that was recommended for pressure frying. In fact most warn against it.

[GordMay]

See “Miss Vickie's Guide To Modern Pressure Cookery” at:
Miss Vickie's Guide to Modern Pressure Cookery

Specifically “What You Need to Know about Pressure Frying”
howto Section

“... If you want to do pressure frying then buy a pressure fryer. Fagor makes a pressure fryer, and so does Magefesa. Read carefully, because each of these manufacturers make several different models, but only one that is made for pressure frying. Pressure fryers have an additional safety feature consisting of a heavy duty metal bar that clamps and locks over the top of the lid in case of an accident. Pressure fryers also cook at a lower pressure than pressure cookers.“