Presto 01362 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

I received the 4 qt version of this cooker a few days ago. I almost did not order it because of the negative reviews but, having canned/cooked with pressure cookers for over 60 years, I realized many of the negative reviews were written by folks who simply had no business messing with a pressure cooker!!!!!!There is absolutely nothing wrong with this cooker. It cost $40.00 so the stainless is not surgical quality but IT IS GOOD!!!! The "rusting screws" is simply pure non sense. The screws for the handles are stainless, too, BUT the locking washers with them ARE NOT!!!! So, it may be necessary to replace the lock washers along the line or simply get rid of them and occasionally "snug the dern screws"!! Don't use "lock tight" on the screws on the lid as that handle might need to be removed for maintenance in the future.The business about the handles coming loose is mentioned above. If, perhaps, someone initially over tightened them then that would completely flatten the lock washer and if you then backed the screw out the washer would no longer serve a useful purpose and the handles probably would, over time, loosen a bit. No big deal. Do not "gorilla" tighten them! Just firm, snug, secure ... all that is necessary.I used the 15 psi regulator that came with this unit and it works just fine if you are looking for 15 psi. I don't like to cook at 15 psi, I like 10 psi at my altitude of 750 ft msl. Therefore, I tried the Presto variable regulator, part number 50332, that I have for two other Presto pressure cookers and it works just fine on this one. This allows me to cook at either 5 or 10 psi and that makes a huge difference re: texture and quality on some foods. This part is available here on Amazon or at PCO.This is a small pressure cooker so most of the time it will be operating at the edge of acceptable operational limits. Therefore, in my view, it is not a good choice for a Newbie to pressure cooking!!!!!! Volumes must be kept within limits and HIGH heat must be used to activate the two safety devices, over pressure plug and interlocking mechanism, so THE MOMENT DESIRED PRESSURE IS REACHED, regulator is jiggling a little, THE HEAT MUST BE TURNED DOWN IMMEDIATELY!!!!! The first downward adjustment would be slight and then a moment later a little more and a couple of minutes after that a little more!!!! Sorry, if you are not willing to do these things to gain the advantages of pressure cooking then don't fool with the devices. Heat must be adjusted downward until a slight jiggle is maintained on the regulator. Heat is controlled by the pressure, NOT BY THE BURNER!!!!! The burner must simply provide the bare amount of heat necessary to bounce the jiggler for the pressure you have selected.Bottom line, this is a fine device. It has three safety systems that must be maintained. The over pressure plug, the vent tube and the interlocking mechanism and seal must be kept clean and must be attended after each use!! Do not give one of these cookers to someone who is not able to follow instructions, not capable of remembering to turn down the heat, or, someone who is not willing to CLEAN THEIR TOOLS AFTER EACH USE!!!!Many of the negative reviews posted here are pure rubbish from a science perspective. Overfilled, over heated, under maintained pressure cookers are not apt to kill anyone but they can make a variety of messes!!!!! All this can be avoided by taking time to understand the basic physics involved in this wonderful cooking option.Again, small pressure cookers are not, in my view, a good choice for the novice. A 6 or 8 qt. unit is more apt to be used at safer loading levels and that is why I am pushing this point!Replacement parts are available for this and other pressure cookers at Amazon and at PCO, Pressure Cooker Outlet! I don't work for either but I enjoy doing business with both!!!!

I didn't grow up in a family with a pressure cooker (PC), so really the only thing I knew or thought I knew was that they were dangerous, hard to use, something from the past. Boy could I not have been more wrong. I started thinking of getting one probably for the same reasons you are, the appeal of fast cooking, with tasty and healthy results, and improved safety over the pressure cookers from the past. My wife and I have had this model now for a couple of weeks and it delivers on all counts.The basic idea is that because of the pressure that builds up inside, water gets to 250 degrees, it is super hot. And at that temperature it can break down the tough parts of meats and cook things very quickly. Yet it also retains nutrients and tastes good. Well it does cook fast and it is tasty. I will take the experts opinion that it is also a healthy way to cook.As a PC newbee I had no idea what to expect. First off is a little bit of assembly. That went quickly and smoothly. Second is READING the instruction booklet. This is not a pan or a microwave or something like that. It is safe..but also something that is, well, under pressure. And pressure can be dangerous. After getting familiar with the parts of the pressure cooker we cooked our first meal, a pot roast. It was super easy and delicious. We used, frankly, a pretty cheap piece of meat but it came out tasting fantastic. It was quick but something to keep in mind is cooking time does not usually include the time to heat it up and the time to cool it down. Also you can't just walk away. Once the pressure seals the cooker most of the time you have to then reduce the heat. But it really isn't that much oversight.In any event even taking all of that into account it was still by far the fastest pot roast I have ever cooked and better than average in taste. We have done some chicken dishes and some rice dishes. It has turned out perfect rice in a fraction of the time it would have taken otherwise. We are still getting a feel for seasoning. Sometimes we have had dishes too seasoned and other times not but nothing that hasn't been easily as tasty as other ways we cook things.So if you are a PC newbee like me I say give it a try. As long as you read the instructions and respect the pressure it is a pretty easy way to cook with excellent tasty results in a quick amount of time. Granted it has only been a couple of weeks but we have eaten out much less these 2 weeks. We picked up a well regarded cookbook on Amazon Pressure Perfect: Two Hour Taste in Twenty Minutes Using Your Pressure Cooker and so far so good. This could easily become the main way you cook, it has that a good a combination of benefits and realtive ease of use. What it excels at is...great results/unit of effort and time. I can't see many other ways that you can maximize your cooking effort and cooking time than a PC.