Kuhn Rikon 3043 Duromatic 6.3-Quart (6-Liter) Stockpot Pressure Cooker

I am extremely pleased with this item. I learned how to pressure cook with this pot, and now I can have osso buco ready in well under an hour; and I actually prefer it done in the pressure cooker!

Get a Lorna Sass cookbook and go to town with this baby. My only caveat: I usually cook for just two or three, and the size of this pot is fine for that. Most recipes are written for a six quart pressure cooker anyway. Still, there are a few times I wish the cooker was a little bigger so I could cook a larger volume--making stock, for instance, or making a big batch of chili.

If you're cooking for more than a few, you might consider the 8 qt model. That's not a criticism of this pot at all--I wouldn't part with it. It's a tool in my kitchen which I use often, sometimes several times a week. Highly recommended.

This is my second pressure cooker. My first was a Fagor of the same size that I bought about 10 years ago and finally started to not work well.

This one is so much easier to use. It's easy to see when the proper amount of pressure is built up and I like the fact that it isn't as heavy as my first one. This allows it to cool down naturally within a reasonable amount of time. It's also easier to open and close. I can see why people love this brand. I just ordered and received my second Kuhn Rikon cooker, a 4 quart version so that I can cook two things at the same time that require different cooking times.

I made perfect brown rice in 20 minutes and it didn't stick to the bottom like it does in my rice cooker. Since it takes about 45 minutes in the rice cooker, I doubt that I'll ever use that appliance again. It really turned out better in the pressure cooker.

Update 9/29/08 - I've been using this and the 4 quart Kuhn Rikon pressure...Read more

I bought this pressure cooker from a local kitchen store (same price as Amazon) and love it. I had a jiggler type before and this changes everything. With my old PC I had to be very careful to add enough water so that it didn't run out. Also, foamy items caused problems by clogging the valve. The K-R maintains pressure not by a release but by temperature moderation. You can cook using very little water because the water has nowhere to go. Some of the highly rated, but less expensive cookers still use some steam release method, which is way worse. Since the steam is trapped inside the K-R the flavors and vitamins are as well, meaning you get tastier, healthier food.

It's a bit tricky to determine the right settings on your stove (ours is old and uses buttons, only 5 settings), but once you do the pressure cooker is super easy to use. I only used my old one for beans, but I have already cooked risotto (soooo much easier than the old fashioned way) and steel cut oats...Read more