Buy Pressure cookers

There are different variations of pressure cookers that are availbale in the market.

Choosing the one that you really need will be a daunting task. Moreover, they come in different sizes, materials, and different methods of releasing pressure. And their prices vary according to the factors mentioned earlier.

We are here to help you by providing more information about pressure cookers so you could invest in the right pressure cooker and gives you the best return.

There are 4 factors to look when you buy pressure cookers

Type of Pots
Material of Pressure Cooker's Pot
Pressure Cooker Valve
And Size of Pots

Type of Pots

when you buy pressure cookers, there are many types of pot out there. Among these were pressure saucepans, braisers, skillets, canners, stockpots, and electric countertop types.

Stockpots

They are the most familiar and popular type of electric pressure cooker. They are available in either aluminum and steel cases and can be on the size of 4 quarts, 6 quarts and 8 quarts.

For singles, couples or those who are used in preparing a one-course meal, a 4-quart size is perfect.

The 6-quart pressure cooker is the standard size and is recommended for family of two or four.

On the other hand, the 8-quart electric pressure cooker is ideal for large families that requires large preparations of meal.

Saucepans

Defining the term itself, saucepans are useful for making sauces and other simple quick-cooking foods like the oatmeal and polenta.

This kind of saupan,nevertheless, can be more beneficial as a pressure cooker because of the usage of a secure lid and a fastening latch. It is best for the preparation of smaller meals that is good for one or two persons.

Skillets

They are characterized with long handles and can double as a small pressure cooker or a skillet without a pressure cooker.

One of the purposes of skillet is to saute vegetables, brown meats and otheir proteins like the ground turkey and ground beef.

When used as a pressure cooker, always secure the lid. Skillets are ideal smaller recipes and are commonly available in sizes of 2.5 quarts.

Braisers

They have almost the same function as the skillet type, and it has one long handle and on the opposite side are two short side handles.

Braisers are changeable that you can cook brown meats and later, by attaching the lid, you can proceed with your pressure cooker recipe.

Sizes that are availbale for braisers are in the range of 2.5 quarts to 5 quarts.

Canners

They are large stockpot-type pressure cookers that are used solely for the purpose of canning foods like meat, fruits and vegetables.

Commonly, they come in sizes of 17 quarts and 22 quarts. They are ideal for large food preparations like group gatherings and parties.

They are not encouraged for a typical sized family unless they do have large preparations of food. And they require a lot of storage space too.

Material of Pressure Cooker's Pot

when you buy pressure cookers, looking at what they made out from, will help you sort the choices.

Generally, aluminum pressure cookers are lighter compared to steel type and are good conductors of heat. Usually, they are cheaper compared with the other type. However, because of their aluminum composition, they are not quite good when it comes to durability. However, if you are on a tight budget, having an aluminum type of pressure cooker is still a good start.

On the other hand, pressure cookers that are made of steel materials are more durable and are commonly expensive. Stainless steel are characterized by having cold and hot places, or spots that has less or more heat. These spots may be the cause of burning the food while cooking in the pressure cooker.

As a conclusion, it is advisable that you buy a pressure cooker that has the material of the combination of both steel and aluminum. These type has the tendency to have a better and even heat conduction compared to those that are pure steel in material and much more durable than any aluminum type.

Pressure Cooker Valve

"You must know which pressure cooker valve functions the best before you buy pressure cookers."

All electric pressure cookers are composed of a part called the valve. Its primary function is to release and retain the pressure inside the pressure cooker.

Traditional and old models of pressure cookers have weighted valve that exhibits a loud sound and jiggly movements that are quite scary to listen and watch.

New models, on the other hand, have valves that are less intimidating and are more improved in design and specifications.

Below are the main classifications of valves and the function of each types:

Weighted valves are the oldest type of valve and are used on old models and are situated above a little pipe of a vent. As mentioned earlier, they have a jiggly movement when spouting off the released steam. Although these type of valve functions just fine, new models of valve have improved design that minimizes the noise, making it not intimidating.
Modified valves are also connected on top of the pressure cooker, but it has a regulator that is responsible in releasing the steam in less bursts. With the aid of the regulator, the pressure cooker is less noisy and it does not jiggle.
Spring valves are the recent innovation on steam regulators designed for pressure cookers. The size is a shorter pop up and it is equipped with a built-in regulator in which the pressure can be monitored and heat can be adjusted to either high or low as necessary. They are more quiet compared to the other regulators or valves. Electric pressure cookers with valves of spring type are more expensive than the other types.

Size of Pots

The size of the pressure cooker is one of the most important thing to consider when you buy pressure cookers.

Usually, it depends largely on how many people composed a household. Standard sizes of pressure cookers include 4 quarts,6 quarts and 8 quarts sizes.

For singles that are the ones cooking for themselves, the smallest size of 4 quarts will be fine. On the other hand, if you are cooking meals for a large family, then sizes of 6 quarts or 8 quarts will be ideal.

Eventhough, there are larger pressure cookers that are available in the market, a 6 or 8-quart size is able to meet the needs of the entire family.

However, it will be an advantage to purchase an 8-quart size to a family that is composed of four. You can serving some and saving some for quick and easy meal by freezing the leftover.

Additional Tips to buy pressure cookers

Besides 4 points above we need to take several additional tips to buy pressure cookers:

Decide on stovetop or electric. There is a range top model which works faster and the pot can also be used as a stockpot. Another one is an electric pressure cooker which may be slower than a stovetop model but it may double as a slow cooker or a steamer. One benefit of an electric pressure cooker is that it automatically adjusts pressure thus taking the guesswork out of cooking.
A good cooker to look for is made of stainless steel and has a heavy aluminum base. The stainless doesn't interact with the food and the aluminum spreads the heat evenly.
Pressure cooker which has more than one setting...high and low will allow you to cook many different types of food such as meats and vegetables, respectively.
Look for built-in quick release setting which makes easier to release or drop the pressure quickly