It’s best to get straight to the point and deliver the facts about pressure cookers and pressure canners. Choosing the right pressure cooker is no an easy task, and some knowledge helps a lot.
The best cookers on the market are with us for a long time and they offer a variety of cooker sizes. If weight is an issue, aluminum pressure cooker is a great choice. Just in case, take a heat resistant handles on your pressure cooker. Pressure cooker that is a minimum for a family is a 6 quart. Go larger if you will use it as a durable canner.
The brand manufacturer is your best choice, even if you are giving primary consideration to the price. You get a better quality control and replacement parts that you will need 5 years from now. Valves dissapear. The gaskets do get damaged and wear out in time. Your cooker will lose its functionality if you happen to have a loose fitting lid.
Many models come with useful accessories like racks, trivets or vegetable steamers which keep food from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Because most chefs brown meats before putting the lid, sticking occurs. Still, you would want to avoid all nonstick interiors. It’s better to have some cleaning as inconvenience, then to risk the peeling of coating. The nonstick interior becomes less of a problem when you deal with and electric cooker.
The programmable electric cooker by Cuisinart is worth considering. Since it’s priced right between Kuhn Rikon and Presto pressure cooker, this cooker has a good value. The Cuisinart can be programmed for high or low pressure cooking, browning, simmering, sauteing or warming. Electronic thermostat gets advantage over the stovetop control that needs to be set in precise position. But, you can’t open a cooker until the cooker lets you and this is how you lose some flexibility. You can put the cooker under the cold water with the stove top models.