We purchased this to replace a decent, less expensive pressure cooker when it started having issues sealing and holding pressure. We had had mixed experiences with the first one and had problems with burning on the bottom, but the convenience of pressure cooking was appealing so we decided to try another one. This pressure cooker has been absolutely wonderful. We have had no problems with things burning, even cooking a lentil and barley veggie stew that ALWAYS burned in the cheaper cooker. I believe the construction of this cooker helps distribute the heat better, and it seems easier to regulate the pressure. My husband loves the quick pressure release, just press the button on the top down and watch the steam come out! Our other one had a quick release too, but this one is more fun to use.

It is perfect for cooking for the two of us and having leftovers for lunch. In addition to the dish above, we have made fantastic beef stews (multiple recipes). Just brown the beef in the pressure cooker, then sweat the veggies, add the beef back in with some potatoes and liquid of your choice and pressurize! The meat is flavorful and you can break it up easily with a fork even using the standard stew beef from the market.

I was hesitent to spend this much on a pressure cooker since we don't use it that much. But it appears to be the model used on some of the shows on the food network with top notch chefs (the style is pretty distinct, so I am pretty sure it is the same), and we wanted a quality product as I am a little nervous about hot things under pressure. After almost a year there are no problems. It seems like it will last for a long time, and I can't wait to try it out on the induction range we are getting this winter.

I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking for a quality pressure cooker. It does have some specific storage recommendations to ensure the gasket remains functional, but as long as you read and follow the easy directions you should have no problems. The recommendations are pretty standard for pressure cookers from what I have seen.

UPDATE: Still loving this item! And it works beautifully with the induction range. Btw, induction is absolutely awesome and we highly recommend that too.

This pressure cooker is amazing. Get one. Please! Get one, and you'll never regret it. (And I'm not even paid to say this!) Frankly, I was terrified to use a pressure cooker for years, assuming that of course it would explode and kill me while I was just trying to make soup, and that's why I hesitated to get one until the ripe age of 42. Never mind that people all over the globe have been using them for decades, and never mind that I have an engineering degree...I was scared of them.

No longer. This one is easy to use, not very scary, certainly not explosive, and it cooks like a sweet metal dream. I've made my famous chicken stock/soup about 10 times already and it cooks faster and with no loss of water...and the bone broth gels every time now! I've also steamed veggies (trust the manual; if it says broccoli in 4 minutes, don't second guess the book and leave it in for 10, and then end up with green mush, like I did the first time.). And rice. And stew.

It's easy to clean, and I use it on an electric stove. At first it took a little playing around; when the pressure got too high I had to move the pot to a cool burner for a few minutes to wait for it to calm down before putting it back on the burner. I hate my electric stove (but that's for another review, I suppose.) But if I - a lifelong pressure-cooker-fearer, can cook with a pressure cooker over and over again on an electric stove, you can too!

Seriously, this thing is well made, kind of like a sexy streamlined metal tank. I'm not afraid of it. Give it a try.

The only thing I am upset about which has nothing to do with the quality of this product itself. the original box that it came in. It was not in a condition in which I thought this item was new the original box was dented from the inside and out, even the cookbook and instruction book was dented up.This was not due to shipping because I ordered this with a set of other pots which was both package in a bigger size box and that box itself was in perfect condition. I was second guessing myself on returning this item but I thoroughly checked over the pressure cooker to ensure it wasn't used previously and I could find no sign of use so I decided not to return it.

This is my first pressure cooker ever so I made sure to do my homework to find the best one out there and guess what my research brought me to this one. Research showed that bad ones, easily burn at the bottom, hard to keep track of the correct cooking pressure, and don't last that long due to the fact of getting burned and other reasons.

Since this was my first pressure cooker I made sure to read the instruction manual thoroughly and even watch some YouTube videos on how to use this Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker before preparing my first ever pressure cooker meal.

My first pressure cooker meal was simply easy and came out great. This pressure cooker easily identifies to you with 2 red markings the correct cooking pressure temperature you need for the meal you are preparing inside the pressure cooker. Simply adjust the heat to keep it leveled to the red markings on the top of the cover. The cover itself locks on easily without much strength needed and the pot itself has a good weight to it that lets you know its not cheaply built. The looks are a plus for this pressure cooker as well but looks don't mean nothing to me if it cant do the job and this pressure cooker obviously does.

This pressure cooker is quiet as well almost to quiet theirs none of that hissing sound for this pressure cooker. You might say to yourself "I want the hissing sound" so it could let you know the food is cooking. I like change and this is a good change, no need to worry about noise when im watching my tv show or talking on the phone. Dont worry this pressure cooker will hiss at you when it needs to, basically when you have too much pressure developing inside this pressure cooker it will let you know with the hissing noise you have been used to which tells you to turn down the heat you have too much pressure building up. So when you hear no hissing noise you are ok and if you hear hissing noise it means you have to much pressure so turn down the heat. The hissing noise is there only when its needed so dont be scared of the quietness with this Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker. The quietness of this thing actually works in your favor.

I learned in life you get what you pay for so $200+ for this Kuhn Rikon is worth it. I can see myself getting a cheaper pressure cooker but next thing you know I will find myself having to throw it out for some reason and keep buying a new one. Research for Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers shows people having there same Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker for 10+ years with the same cooking results as the first day they used it so its worth it in the long run.

Highly recommend this to first time pressure cookers such as myself as this pressure cooker really makes it easy for you to use.

After using other stainless steel pressure cookers over the past thirty-plus years, we decided to update our older 6-quart model for this one. We are extremely happy with this purchase so far. We've made vegetarian chili (using TVP instead of meat), Pan-in-pot method brown rice, pulled pork (from an 8+ pound shoulder roast) all with great success. The puled pork was extremely tender and surprisingly delicious. We also made one of the recipes from the included cookbook (Italian Chicken) and were delighted with the results.

Most impressive is how quickly this cooker comes up to pressure and how quickly pressure releases using the natural release method. One thing we needed to re-learn: determining when to turn the heat down as the cooker gets to cooking pressure. The older cooker makes a racket with the jiggler rocking and steam hissing. This one is very quiet and needs to be watched as it comes up to pressure so that it doesn't go beyond its proper cooking pressure. We really appreciate how quickly this cooker responds to the flame adjustments on the stove. Overall, we are impressed and sorry we waited so long to make this investment. Like most good things in life, you get what you pay for...this is expensive and worth it!

I like the way the 8-1/2-QT stockpot cooks. Couple of lessons. 1) Make sure food is THOROUGHLY THAWED before cooking 2) stockpot is too tall and skinny to cook a whole chicken without quartering the bird. 3) the guide provided is not as handy for US consumers as it probably is for European consumers 4) the pot shows a lot of water spots after cleaning. Bar Keeper's Friend will clean it very nicely.

The pot cooks very well. Venison leg comes out tender and delicious. Cuts down cook time a great deal. I really like the piece, and will use it often. I just wish it didn't look so dingy after the first use. I spend WAY more time cleaning this piece than I do any other piece of cookware (Le Cruset and Pampered Chef). That is the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars.

Summary of reasons to like this pot:

1. Regardless of its being a pressure cooker, the pot itself is high quality;

2. It is easy to clean;

3. It is easy to use;

4. It can make cooking go faster; and

5. It forces flavor into meats and beans better.

1. I was surprised by the quality of the actual pot itself. I cook real food almost every day and have a nice pot set. The aluminum sandwich bottom for this pot is better than any I've tried before. When you're browning meats to enhance flavor and taking them off to brown onions and garlic, it is not uncommon to have scorched spots in the bottom of your pan because of where the flame hits it. The heating on this pan is so even, that the browning effect (where so much flavor is!) is even as well.

2. Because the browning is even, it's easier to clean, plus there are not too many parts to remove and clean.

3. Although it works a little differently than some pressure cookers, bringing items up to temperature first and then putting the lid on is easy. Wait for the first or second red line to appear (as directed in the accompanying cook book), and turn down the flame to very low. You'll get the hang of it quickly.

4. Cooking real food takes time. Chopping onions, vegetables, meat, etc. is a chore and there's way around this fact. Browning in the pan adds flavor, but also prep. time. Where a good pressure cooker can help you is to reduce the time needed to simmer and enhance flavors. Because so little steam escapes from this unit, all the flavors are forced together and intensified. Example: I have a bean recipe I got from a friend I've made regularly since 1998. It's simple, flavorful, has few ingredients, and everyone loves it. I make extra so that I can render the fat out of chorizo to make refried beans, which my kids love even more. If you did not soak the beans the night before, you have to boil them hard for 1 hour, pour the water out, rinse the beans, put them back in, add the other ingredients, and wait 1-1/2 to 2 hours. If you want beans tonight, you need to know in advance and start early. BUT, with this pan you can "pre-soak" in 10 minutes time and have the beans ready, from start to finish, in under 1/2 an hour. Stews, soups, broths all go ridiculously quickly and easily. Even when preparing ingredients to add to a casserole, using this pot makes the entire process shorter.

5. I'll admit, I really don't understand why, but somehow using this pot intensifies flavors. The first time I made the bean recipe I referenced above, both of my kids (14 & 16) like them better--and so did I. Same ingredients, same amount of water (I could have used a lot less), better result. That's been the case for just about every trusted recipe I've cooked in this thing. But in less time.

Yep. This item's a little spendy. It's worth it.

I made the mistake of not returning this product, was going to give it a test. It looked and felt like a cheap Presto product for 3 times the price. Worked great the first 2 times, I was so impressed I let my guard down. Food was cooked to perfection. Then it had failure to bring up pressure, caused horrible burning to the bottom. This was reported by a few others. I waited the amount of time and released the steam, and found uncooked food. Never dreamed the charcoal on the bottom that was waiting for me. I have been using every method I know to clean the heavily charred bottom. Clearly do not recommend this product.

I am on my second Rikon. The first I got for my cruising sailboat. They were having some kind of sale and I got a 6 qt for under $100. It worked OK on the alcohol stove. So I got one for my home, same model but with the short handles. This time it was $160. It worked OK until the seal went. Then it was $29.86 for a new seal. Really? For a silicone seal? And the old one wasn't used that much. I won't whine about the lifetime because hey, it might have gotten nicked by a knife during washing in the sink.

But I will whine about the absolutely ridiculous pressure control setup. First, It has this weird snap-on cover that *always* gets broken so that it won't snap on securely. I replaced it once and it was extremely overpriced. Then, there is a depression in the top of the lid that collects water, and when the pressure is released, say with a cold water rinse, the thing sucks that outside water back down into the pressure cooker! OMG! Oh, and by the way, the price is now $218. That is with the strong dollar.

I'm sorry, but there simply is zero justification for this price. It is definitely solidly made, though the lid material seems kind of thin, but the whole concept has not changed a bit in at least 15 years, and that stupid little cover is still the same. When you can get a nice stainless steel pressure cooker for $100 or less that is the same size and does the work better, why would you pay $218 for this???

Some people are worried about explosions and stuff, but really, the pressure here just isn't that high. These things are overpriced. They are not garbage, but they have some strange problems and it appears the company is just resting on it's laurels and using this as a cash cow, rather than putting money into improving it on a periodic basis.

The cost of most of the other decent pressure cookers on the market is about the same as what I have paid in parts so far. Just move on.

I bought this mainly for canning and pickling and it works perfectly. I'm thinking I would like vegetable baskets to make more flexible use of tge pressure cooker.

Dopo aver utilizzato per anni WMF Pro e Lagostina Tower ho voluto acquistare questo prodotto (versione 6L diametro 22 cm con manici corti) di cui avevo visto ottime recensioni. La consegna è stata velocissima con l'involucro originale in perfette condizioni. Effettivamente la pentola è costruita molto bene con materiali di ottima qualità e con elementi valvola estremamente semplici totalmente costruiti in metallo; quest'ultimo aspetto è stato decisivo nell'acquisto considerato che il gruppo valvola della Khun Rikon non è cambiato dal 1980 e quindi oltre che stracollaudato è sempre disponibile come ricambio contrariamente ai gruppi valvola della WMF e della Lagostina che sono composti da più parti di cui alcune in plastica che usurandosi, col tempo, portano alla rottura della valvola stessa che poi non è possibile sostituire perché i ricambi non sono più disponibili . Dopo averla utilizzata circa una decina di volte devo dire che è molto silenziosa, velocissima ad entrare in pressione e a portare a compimento la cottura utilizzando pochissima acqua. L'unica cosa negativa è il libretto di istruzioni che è veramente minimalista e che per quanto riguarda l'indicazione dei tempi di cottura è, per alcuni cibi, non molto preciso. Complessivamente anche tenendo conto del costo consiglio caldamente questo prodotto.

AGGIORNAMENTO. Dopo 2 mesi di intenso utilizzo, confermo la recensione. In definitiva una eccellente pentola a pressione. Cucina con pochissima acqua, rimane in pressione col fuoco al minimo e molto rapida nella cottura.

I bought this to replace an aluminium pressure cooker of the same size.

Now, it's not a wide 8 litre, but a tall 8 litre.

It also doesn't come with basket/seperators so you will have to purchase those seperately. Considering the price of the item I found this a bit disappointing.

There are several differences between my old pressure cooker and this one. Firstly, it's so quiet. I mean, really quiet.

Knowing which pressure level you are at is easy, thanks to markings on the valve - no more 'is this spinning at the right rate' etc.

When I read the instruction booklet, I thought it was wrong honestly. I thought, how can I possibly cook food with so little water. So, I used the amounts my old pressure cooker called for. Mistake - it's surprising how little water escapes with this cooker.

This cooker is also very economical on the fuel. I have a gas cooker and for most things it will maintain high pressure at just above the lowest setting of a normal ring on my cooker. To hit the lower pressure setting I use the small ring instead.

To give an idea of cooking speed, once up to pressure, it takes four minutes for cut potatoes to be ready to mash. Casserole beef is done in around 20 - 25 minutes, so very speedy. I use water hot out of the kettle to add to the cooker to speed it up getting to pressure.

One difference I did notice with this cooker is it doesn't lock into place as I'm used to. If you push it around all the way, the handles don't align. It's in the correct position with the handles aligned - just something to be aware of for those of us who are used to a locking system.

All in all, if you can swallow the cost, I would heartily recommend this cooker for beginners and veterans to pressure cooking alike.

It's well made, non scary, economical to run and hopefully will provide many years of faithful service, and the way fuel prices are rising, it will probably pay for itself in the first couple of months anyway :P

Es la primera olla a presión que compramos y me informé muchísimo por internet. Leí cantidad de blogs de opiniones y consulté con otros compradores. Todas las maravillas que cuentan de ella se cumplen con creces. Es algo asombroso. Cocina realmente rápido, con muy poca agua y como resultado obtienes unas comidas que conservan un sabor mucho más natural. Lo último que cocinamos ha sido 500 gr de lentejas (con su zanahoria, patata, puerro....) en 7 min. El resultado es increíble. Muy fácil de limpiar, no se ralla, muy segura, conserva el calor de lo cocinado durante horas. Se abre y cierra con un simple click, nada compleja, se desarma fácilmente para su correcta limpieza. Cuentan con tienda oficial Kuhn Rikon en Zaragoza. Tierne garantía de 10 años. Viene con una pequeña bandeja que se deposita en el fondo de la olla o encima de aquellos alimentos que puedan soltar "hilos" y que puedan atascar la válvula. La olla viene con su manual de instrucciones y con un breve recetario para los guisos más típicos. La recomiendo 100%

Très bon cuiseur vapeur qui change du Seb traditionnel. Il faut cependant acheter les paniers séparément et il en tient trois maximum dans ce modèle 22 cm 8 litres. Le « plateau » fait un peu cheap par contre, avec des bords un peu agressifs.