Presto 4-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

Product Description

Cooks lighter meals, healthier, fast and easy. 3 to 10 times faster than ordinary methods - faster than a microwave. Chicken, fish, vegetables and more cook to perfection in minutes. Tenderizes leaner cuts of beef and pork. New ergonomically designed handles.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #614 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Presto
• Model: 01341
• Dimensions: 10.00" h x 7.60" w x 18.50" l, 7.14 pounds

Features

• Heavy-duty 4-quart stainless steel pressure cooker
• Comfortably ergonomic, stay-cool black plastic handles
• Strong-lock lid with steam vent, pressure indicator and overpressure plug
• Comes with rack for steaming food or for canning
• 16-1/2 by 6-1/2 inches; 12-year warranty

Amazon.com Review
Pressure cookers have experienced renewed popularity over the last several years because cooks have rediscovered what some cooks (particularly grandmas) have known for a long time--they're really fast. And it's easy to cook healthfully with pressure cookers, since the food retains so much more of its nutrients and flavor. Presto's 4-quart stainless steel pressure cooker is a multi-purpose pot that can stand in as a conventional saucepan as well as perform the kitchen magic that pressure cookers are famous for. Chicken Cacciatore cooks in 8 minutes! This professional-quality stainless steel pressure cooker is a handy addition to any well-rounded set of kitchen tools.

The heavy-duty lid locks down during cooking; an inner sealing ring keeps the steam in. In addition to a pop-up pressure indicator and a simple steam release mechanism, there is an overpressure plug that will let off steam if it builds up excessively. This pressure cooker is useful for weeknight dinners or for any meal that needs to come together quickly. An accompanying booklet contains more than 65 recipes, ranging from basic soup stocks to stews and pot roasts--even desserts like 5-minute custards! Tenderize lean cuts of beef or pork; or cook chicken, fish, or vegetables faster than you can in a microwave, and without losing moisture.

Nonabrasive cleansers are best for cleaning this stainless steel pressure cooker, though occasional use of a fine metal polish will help the exterior keep its shine. The Presto 4-quart pressure cooker is fully immersible; in addition, the sealing ring should be removed after each use to allow cleaning of the inside rim of the lid. The vent pipe is simple to keep clean with a small brush or pipe cleaner, and both the air vent/cover lock and the overpressure plug are removable. The pressure cooker measures 9 inches in diameter (16-1/2 inches including handles) and 6-1/2 inches tall (including lid). Presto guarantees this pressure cooker with an extended 12-year warranty. A detailed instruction and recipe booklet is included; special safety issues that pertain to pressure cookers are clearly explained. --Garland Withers

Customer Reviews

Excellent Product
This is an excellent pressure cooker. I also have the 8-quart stainless steel model by Presto and I don't like that one as much as this one. I like the little rocker on top better because I know exactly how much pressure it has. It is super easy to carry this extremely lightweight pressure cooker to the sink, run water over it, and in 5-10 seconds the pressure is down! It is not heavy or hot. You just have to be careful when you do this. I actually prefer this method of quick cooling to the method used in the 8-quart, which is to open the little weight and let the steam shoot out the top. That method takes about a minute, plus there's steam all over the place. That seems more dangerous to me than going to the sink.

This model is a smaller version of the 6-quart, so if you think this one is too small, that one would work for a family. This size is just right for one or two people. I always make very small quantities of food in it anyway as I don't like to have a lot of leftovers.

Cleanup with this product is very fast and easy as it is so lightweight. Another nice thing is that replacement parts are very easy to obtain (rubber gasket and overpressure plug).

I highly recommend this pressure cooker and the 6-quart stainless steel model as well.

Heavy duty, love this pressure cooker
I own three pressure cookers, I reach for this one the most. I use the bowl within the pot method to cook brown rice (I am too lazy to clean, this allows storage of the rice directly into the fridge.) After cooking brown rice in a pressure cooker, don't know how people have the time to wait around for a rice cooker. I like the audible rocking noise it makes, this way I know pressure is being maintained when I cook. I make mostly beans and brown rice, I cook for one and the bowl method allows me to have rice all week (using the 4qt Presto) I like this one best out of all three, because it seems not to clog like the others.

Comes without steaming basket!
This cooker comes with a canning rack that stands 3/8" from the bottom of the pot. The stainless steamer baskets have to be ordered separately from Presto (for a fair price) though its an inconvience if you had planned to steam food; you could "part boil" it for now. You can also order from the accessory list that comes with it; a video, cookbbook, additional steamer baskets for multiple meal cooking, glass lid to use it as a pot, and a couple of other items. I purchased this cooker because it is made of stainless to avoid food contamination from aluminum, but the bottom of the pot (outside, underneatth)is aluminum clad and its exposed. I gave it four stars because it does not come with a steamer basket and the exposed aluminum on the underside; which doesn't present a problem if you don't scrub it and contaminate your dish rag and dish water.