This is WONDERFUL simple easy to understand easy to get parts not that expensive buy quality live with quality love the simple yet easy to understand pressure safety measures my mom used pressure cookers all my kid life , they fell out of favor because of slow cookers and prepared meals at the store this DRAMATICALLY cuts down cooking time. we've done chicken roll ups , enchiladas, pork roast with cherry dejon cause (WOW WOW WOW). I debated aluminum vs stainless, get stainless lifetime durable not that much heavier, we got the 8 quart for the flexibility in cooking stuff. and the quick release valve IS THE BOMB SIMPLE push left to pressure push right to quick release ---that means you don't have to put in the sink with cold water when the recipe calls for QUICK RELEASE this valve is GENIUS leave it to presto to make my mom's pressure cooker so easy and safe to use another great idea---they have a pop up indicator to tell if under pressure--wait for the thing to fall down and bingo its safe to remove the lid. Clean up is typical stainless steel. Handles make it easy to use as a serving dish ---i hate to clean dishes why not combine things. goes to the table easy. WE ARE SO IMPRESSED WITH THIS my wife thanks me each time we have used it. I know you can buy cheaper, more complex but remember this is a well established company easy to get parts. and because its stove top based like you mom or grandmother they can give you insights and make it a re-bonding event. Most of the recipes i've reviewed calls for 15psi----those fancy electric models are very nice but they cook at lower pressure SOOOOOO you have to adjust cooking times---hey wasn't one of the reasons you go pressure cooker is to cut down on the cooking time----well be aware check out the recipe books BEFORE you invest in that non-15psi unit I called up my mom told her about my family going back to pressure cookers and at 87 she had tons of recipes and how to's bonding is wonderful she loved the attention. Can't go wrong with this unit and its size. I suggest you get another , say its 4 qt cousin for doing multiple dishes at the same time as we did. we also bought from amazon pressure perfect (no pictures but GREAT BOOK), AND Great food fast by bob warden---we go those BEFORE we got the pressure cookers to plan and understand. You will enjoy this for generations---try the pork roast with the cherry dejon sauce by bob warden- amazing Read more

This product as a stand alone item is excellent and I would recommend any person getting into preserving to make the plunge and buy this Read more

Not sure about other negative reviews but this unit works perfectly. Love that its dishwasher safe, and made of steel so I can cook tomato based recipes. Has been decades since I used a p/c and was a little nervous at first but followed a couple of the included recipes and am now ready to start 'winging' it again. Was a toss up between this and an instant pot. But because i like to cook items that require different cook times I wanted something that I could depressurize quickly, add next veg, pop back onto stove and finish the dish. Having the quick cool option under running water in sink allows me to make perfect dishes without having potato, carrot or green bean mush yet cook all ingredients together for max flavour and quick cook times. Read more

Ya tenemos un mes de uso y la olla funciona perfectamente bien, en cuanto al precio y funcionamiento este producto es superior a la de otras marcas, y por sus sencillez de manufactura y uso, estoy seguro va a tener la duración de la olla que usó mi abuela. Esperaba que el paquete incluyera un sello (empaque) (Presto 09980) de repuesto pero no fue así, de acuerdo a las opiniones de otros usuarios y el instructivo, se debe contar con el sello de repuesto para reemplazo cada 2 años de uso, el cual lo ofrecen en AMAZON, pero con un precio que considero muy alto, en e-bay se consigue con un mejor precio. Read more

Very helpful Read more

Naturally, a $200 pressure cooker will be better but you don't have to spend that much. The Presto 8 quart is the perfect size for me. I would not want anything smaller. I might cook one ear of corn but no problem. I just put the supplied spacer rack in the pot, add one cup of water, add the corn and cook under pressure for about 3 or 4 minutes. I then turn off the gas, manually release the pressure and remove the corn with some metal tongs. Add a little butter and enjoy. The advantage is time but mostly energy consumption. The amount of energy used to get the job done is remarkably less. My first Presto had rust around the inner rim. Apparently the rust proof coating did not apply properly during manufacture. I contacted Presto and they replaced it. The replacement has a good coating and no rust. The more expensive pressure cookers probably have a better grade of metal where the Presto only has a stainless steel coating on a cheaper metal. I guess it is similar to solid gold or gold plated. If they both look the same and work the same then why pay more? You need to stay near the cooker until it reaches pressure. Once familiar with it I can venture away once the stove burner is set to maintain proper temperature and pressure. The sound of the escaping steam is sufficient for me. It would be nice if it would whistle so I could venture further from the kitchen during heat up. I am fascinated with pressure cookers in how they increase the atmospheric pressure by 50% and speed up cooking and save energy. I would like to see more recipes for pressure cookers. The book that comes with this cooker is OK but the recipes are not the best. They are simple and adequate. The bean soup recipe was a disaster for me. The chicken soup was acceptable. If you are new to pressure cookers, try corn on the cob, if it is in season. For future efforts do not over fill the cooker and make sure the recipe has enough fluids to prevent burning on the bottom of the pot. Avoid the recipes where people tend to go out on a limb to be different. I made chicken soup where Italian sausage was used so spice it up. Very bad. Experiment. Have fun. Have some backup food for the microwave if you make a mistake. Read more