I had a Kuhn Rikon and still have a Presto pressure cooker. I got rid of the Kuhn Rikon. I love the Fagor Duo. The Kuhn Rikon design is a real pain if you have an electric stove. It is probably almost acceptable if you have a gas stove. The Fagor models work equally well on either type stove. Also, along the same lines, the Fagor and the Presto designs are much more forgiving. You better plan on watching a Kuhn Rikon very closely -especially on an electric stove -but also on a gas range. It can get to an over pressure situation easily. Granted you will likely just blow out part of your gasket (the safety measure) if you get distracted. Who needs that? You better have an eagle eye and fast reactions to maintain a reasonably constant pressure inside your cooker with an electric stove.
You do lose some steam with a Fagor though typically much less than with a Presto model. (You lose nearly no vapor with a Kuhn Rikon -that is about their only big selling point in my book.) The Fagor model uses a compressed spring to regulate pressure. The Presto uses a weight on top of a vent pipe -this combination is called a jiggler valve -to regulate pressure. To regulate pressure with a Kuhn Rikon you basically watch a rising spring loaded pressure indicator and adjust the heat as needed. Gas heat is more quickly adjustable than electric. You have to either hope for the best as you crank the heat up and down with an electric stove or play hop scotch between a too hot and a too cold burner. On the Fagor Duo there are two spring compression settings. You can cook at 8 psig or 15 psig. 15 psig is the normal setting used for most pressure cooking. For delicate foods, like fish, or if you are in no particular rush the 8 psig setting will come in handy.
Bottom line is I like the Fagor the best of the three pressure cookers I discussed, next I like the Presto. The Kuhn Rikon is built like a tank and it is an interesting design. I just don't like it as well as the Fagor's and I am a both a mechanical engineer and I cook for a hobby. I'd like to think my opinion is an informed one.
I use to own an electric pressure cooker, and after many scorched meals, decided to try a stove-top model.It was the best move I could have made!18/10 stainless, surrounding aluminum on the bottom has kept every meal scorch-free.I feel completely safe using this pressure cooker.It locks easily, and the dial indicating if the pot is at pressure and if it is at high or low pressure is fool-proof.There is nothing complicated about using this pressure cooker.I just can't say enough about this pot. I have cooked professionally, and I have cooked for many years.I would not be exaggerating if I told you that this is the best-loved piece of cookware that I own.Fagor has produced an outstanding product.
Buy Fagor Duo Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Now
About eight years ago I purchased the Fagor Duo 8-quart pressure cooker and have loved using it since my purchase. The pan is made of heavy duty stainless steel which cooks evenly and foods come out tasting like they are supposed to. No off tastes just well prepared food.
Once the pressure cooker reaches pressurization the cooker quietlycooks a tasty meal in minutes. Once in awhile you may hear a slight hiss but that's about it.
And finally, I think Fagor uses a standardized gasket for almost all of their pressure cookers. You can check with Fagor to confirm this.
Another plus is the ability to rapidly depressurize the cooker by turning the the knob to steam release. No more taking the pressure cooker to the sink to run water over the pan to quickly release the pressure.
I've cooked pot roasts, porcupine meatballs, soups, stews, ribs, and even rice pudding in my Fagor pressure cooker. All turned out great!
Read Best Reviews of Fagor Duo Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Here
Just got this pressure cooker a few weeks ago and we love it!Solid, well-built, easy to use/clean--if you're looking for a top-quality pressure cooker at a reasonable price, this is the one to buy!
We purchased a Presto 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker from Amazon about a year ago for $48.99.We were looking for a decent stainless steel pressure cooker without spending a ton of money. While the Presto is reasonably well made and you certainly can't argue with the price, in our opinion the Fagor Duo is 5 times the cooker at less than twice the price of the Presto.We're really sold on pressure cookers (the flavor, the time savings, etc) so much so that we decided to do our research and get a quality pressure cooker this time even though it would cost more. After a lot of research, we decided on the Fagor Duo.
First, I'd like to address some complaints about this item mentioned by some other reviewers here. I truly believe that many complaints come from people who didn't read and/or didn't understand the owner's manual, and trust me, when cooking with a pressure cooker you NEED to read the manual!!
For example, someone mentioned that it was hard to tell when this unit came up to pressure, and I couldn't disagree more!There is a plastic yellow rod built right into the handle that pops up about 3/8" when the unit develops the desired pressure, plus, with mine any hissing from escaping steam also stops once the proper pressure is achieved. I find this style of pressure indicator MUCH easier to use than the old "rocker-top" style cookers.Additionally, once pressure is achieved and you reduce the cooking temperature, the Fagor Duo maintains pressure MUCH better than our Presto rocker-top pressure cooker--in fact our Presto cooker was so finicky in this regard (you have to verrrrry slowly reduce the temperature or else the rocker stops rocking and you have to increase the temperature again.....) that we decided to get one of the newer style pressure cookers like the Fagor.
Someone else complained about putting the lid on wrong and having it jam.First of all, it's EXTREMELY difficult to put the lid on wrong--Fagor even engraves a mark on the lid of this pressure cooker that you line up with the handle to ensure easy and proper locking of the lid every time.In fact, that was another thing we didn't like about our Presto 6-quart pressure cooker--lining up the locking notches on the lid on was always a bit of a struggle, but the Fagor Duo model makes putting on the lid very simple.Again, reading the owner's manual (or watching the included Fagor instructional DVD) is VERY IMPORTANT!
Some of the features that we like the best are: The Fagor Duo is much wider at the base than the Presto cooker which is not only more stable, but also gives you more surface area for browning meats prior to pressure cooking.The Fagor Duo comes with a nice stainless steel steamer basket, an informative instructional DVD on pressure cooking, a well thought out and comprehensive owner's manual, AND a nice recipe book that includes over 50 recipes! It also has a very handy steam release valve built into the cooker lid that allows you to quickly vent the pressure (in order to open the lid after cooking is complete) without having to lug the heavy pot over to the sink to run cold water on it, or wait the 5-10 minutes for the pressure to drop by itself. There's also two pressure settings (thus the name "Duo") so that you can cook/steam delicate foods like veggies, fish, etc at a lower pressure.
All in all we couldn't be happier with the Fagor Duo.We considered a Kuhn 8 quart pressure cooker, but the $200 price tag for the Kuhn combined with the great reviews for the Fagor Duo make our decision easy.
If you're new to pressure cooking, don't make the same mistake we did by buying a lesser unit to save money, just bite the bullet and get the Fagor.With it's build quality and 10 year warranty it should give you many, many years of great service!
Want Fagor Duo Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Discount?
The pressure cooker caught my eye after watching Iron Chef.I too wanted to cook faster with awesome results.This pressure cooker does that.I am amazed by the variety and possibilities the device has opened up to me.Potato Soup in five minutes, chicken stock in under 20 and stuff cabbages that are out of this world;all brimming with big flavor.
My recommendation is to buy it.I could not substantiate handles breaking or any failings from a cooking or manufacturing stand point.The pot is solid.It is super easy to use and seems as safe as any other pot.Check out the vid review to see it for yourself.
Verdict: BUY
Save 10% Off
I bought this for $5 on clearance at CVS shortly after Christmas. The cake "balls" came out perfectly round and evenly baked. Some tips: take a "practice run" with it first, so you get to know which spots bake more quickly & fill those spots LAST. If the cake "balls" seem to brown more on one side, flip them over as soon as they are baked enough to do so. (I use a small "flipping utensil that came with my George Foreman grill). I used the advice in the booklet that is included, and use my batter at a "toothpaste-like" consistency. I have friends that have more trouble with their expensive cake pop makers than I do with my $5 one ;)
