Introduction
Pressure cookers are among the most popular and wanted appliances for quick, easy and practical cooking. With little time on their hands, everyone is looking for a way to eat healthily and cook fast.
Power pressure cookers claim to provide exactly that. Using the heat and pressure from the steam, they cook what would normally be a multiple-hour meal in less than half of time. At the same time, they preserve nutrients in meats and vegetables due to their balanced heat. But, what is the best to choose from?
This pressure cooker review will tell you which are the top picks to buy. You will be given insight into top brands and most popular models of power pressure cookers. You will also learn about features most customer praise, and those that could use improvement.
In this review, I will show you the top rated products and their top quality features. You will also gain insight into pressure cooker on the market, features, prices and customer impressions. Last, but not the least, tips for buying power pressure cookers and customer satisfaction when it comes to customer service is also something we will look into.
Different Types of Power Pressure Cookers
Before we get to the best pressure cooker review, let’s look into different types of pressure cookers. Most pressure cookers can be grouped into generations.
The first-generation pressure cookers are the old-fashioned ones. These worked on the principle of weight bearing valve. The first pressure cookers had one pressure mode and lacked options, comparing to the modern ones.
The second generation pressure cookers have spring loaded valves instead of weight-bearing ones. This allows you to control the pressure inside the pot by increasing or decreasing it. These cookers also don’t release any steam while cooking because they are sealed.
The top pressure cooker manufacturers offer the modern cookers of the third generation. They are most advanced and able to control the set pressure inside the pot. Built-in microchips monitor data while cooking, which helps to adjust options when it comes to pressure.
Multipurpose pressure cookers are and additional category. These appliances have additional features built-in, like keeping the food warm. Some of the pressure cooker brands offer additional cooking options, like sauté and roast. Because of this, they are great at making otherwise tricky meals and deserts, like crème Brule.
Pressure Cooker Brands
Here are our picks for the pressure cooker brand:
1. All-American.
This brand features one of the most popular and most sold power pressure cookers on Amazon, the All-American 21-1/2-Quart Pressure Cooker Canner. The company also produces both stovetop and electronic pressure cookers and canners, with a close-to-perfect reputation among consumers. In fact, some of their products have a perfect 5-star rating on Amazon.
Though the prices aren’t exactly low (you will have to invest a couple of hundreds of dollars), the brand delivers exactly what it claims when it comes to their products. Their most popular products are highly effective with canning and preserving foods and easy handling. Their pressure cookers also come with multiple pressure settings, which is one of the most important quality when it comes to a good quality pressure cooker. Their products are also great for family use, safe and user-friendly.
2. Presto Pressure Cookers/Canners
This brand produces many lines of pressure cookers, and they are popular due to their high quality and affordable price. Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker are among the highest rated on Amazon. Users praise their canning features, as well as their performance with pressure cooking.
The majority of their products are made of aluminum but are known for their durability and long-lasting warranty (over 10 years). The Presto Pressure Cookers are a unique blend of traditional pressure cookers and modern, multifunctional appliances. They have a traditional, simple appearance, but still, offer multiple options when it comes to pressure height and canning.
Top 10 Pressure Cookers
In this pressure cooker review, we have also compiled a list of the most popular and highest rated pressure cooker on the market.
1. All-American 21-1/2-Quart Pressure Cooker Canner
This All American model scored a top-notch reputation on Amazon, with over 2000 satisfied costumers giving it a 5-star-rating. But, what is so special about this model?
The All American Pressure Cooker Canner comes in multiple sizes, but the 21-1/2 Quart one seems to be most popular. This quality pressure cooker may not be the cheapest one out there, but it offers advanced features that users find to be simply perfect. It can hold 19-pint jars or 7-quart jars. It is made of hand-cast aluminum which guarantees durability, and its satin finish makes it an aesthetically pleasing accessory to every kitchen counter.
The model offers features such as easy clean, easy on-off cover and easy opening and closing. Its metal-to-metal sealing system guarantees steam-tight stealing. It has automatic overpressure release and option to choose between 15psi, 10psi and 5 psi settings. Its size makes it ideal for family use and making special dinners for multiple people, like friends and family members. The manufacturer promises a lot, and according to customer reviews, they deliver.
2. Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker
With multiple thousand satisfied customers from Amazon and a high 4.5-start-rating, this Presto model is a close-call to our top pick. With its accessible price of less than $100, it’s no wonder why it is one of the most purchased models among the power pressure cookers.
This Pressure Canner and Cooker also preserve salsa, pickles, jellies, jams, and fruits with its boiling-water canner option. Its large capacity also makes it ideal for family use and making family dinners for multiple people.
It is made out of warp-resistant aluminum which enables fast, even heating. The model works with smooth-top and regular ranges and comes with a 12-year warranty. The precise measurement of its complete range of processing pressures is significant at higher altitudes.
This model’s substantial size makes it great for doing big canning jobs. The product comes with a canning/cooking rack included, and it features a complete recipe and instruction book of total 76 pages.
3. Zojirushi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer 1.0 Liter, Stainless Brown NP-NVC10
This is another pressure cooker model that is praised by a lot of users. It comes with a staggering number of different cooking settings, such as quick cooking, GABA brown, brown, porridge, sushi/sweet rice, mixed and white. Its stainless surface makes it appealing, and a modern, elegant design makes it a wonderful accessory to every kitchen counter.
The model also has the Umami setting that makes rice better tasting by extending the steaming and soaking time. Its steam-reduce setting will reduce steam up to 50% of its regular setting. This pressure cooker is also ideal for special dishes, because of its scorch setting roasts rise, making it crispy and golden-brown. It also has easy-to-read LCD control panel, which will make the user experience more practical.
While the model has many satisfied users, the fact that it is specialized for making the rise and rise based dishes makes it more appealing to those who base their diet on rice or at least enjoy to make it frequently.
4. Cancooker JR-001 CanCooker Junior
This small-size pressure cooker is ideal for quick and easy preparation of smaller meals. Its traditional, vintage design, combined with modern, stainless surface makes it a truly wonderful and aesthetically pleasing appliance to keep in your kitchen. It is also a great to-go solution. The price of the cooker is more than accessible, and customers found it to be near-perfect, giving it a flattering 4.5-star rating. With multiple hundreds of satisfied users, this model had earned its place among top 5 pressure cookers.
Cancooker JR-001 CanCooker Junior comes with a wide-mouth design that makes stocking and removing food easy and practical. It also comes with a gasket made of premium, high-quality silicone. Along with heavy duty, revited handles, Cancooker JR-001 CanCooker Junior is ideal for outdoor cooking as well as in-house use.
5. NuWave Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, 6.5-Quart
Rated highly among multiple hundreds of Amazon customers, NuWave Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, 6.5-Quart seems to deliver a lot for its low price. This small-size cooker might be simple to look at, but it surely delivers quality performance that earned it a 4.5-star rating among Amazon users.
The manufacturer promises quick and practical cooking experience with food full of flavor, which is something customers clearly agree with. Along with this, its 18/10 Stainless Steel Interior provides long-lasting cooking results for those determined to cook fast and healthy on a daily basis.
The model is perfect for cooking family dinners since its 6.5 Quart Capacity makes it appropriate for purposes of daily cooking. Though the cooker is simple to look at, its exterior, made of stainless steel that is highly polished, along with its induction-ready base, will make it a fine accessory to any modern, elegant kitchen. NuWave Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, 6.5-Quart can withstand the temperature of up to 580 degrees Fahrenheit.
The remaining 5 cookers on our top 10 pressure cookers list include:
• Cuisinart CPC-600 6 Quart 1000 Watt Electric Pressure Cooker (Stainless Steel)
• Presto 01370 8-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker
• Tayama TMC-60XL 6 quart 8-in-1 Multi-Function Pressure Cooker, Black
• Power Pressure Cooker XL 6 Quart – Silver
• Hohm Pressure Cooker Pro, Multi-Functional Electric Pressure Cooker 6 Quart 8 Preset Settings 1000 Watt (Silver)
Buying Guide
How to choose best pressure cookers?
In this review, we will touch on the topic of buying the right pressure cooker. With such a variety of pressure cookers on the markets, it is not easy to decide which one is the best for you.
If you are not careful, you could waste hundreds of dollars on a product that promises a lot and delivers little to nothing. To avoid that from happening, we have compiled a list of tips for you to follow in order to buy the best possible quality pressure cooker for your budget. In order to be great, your pressure cooker needs to be/have:
Fast and effective. Many pressure cookers cost a lot of money, but they take insanely long time and have performance issues. You need to be sure that the cooker will do one basic thing you are buying it for- cook.
If some of the models catch your eye, do a quick google search to find out more about its performance. Regardless of other features, like stainless surface or a digital panel, you will be wasting your money if you buy a product that doesn’t perform. A good cooker should cook well, but a great one should be at least 50%-70% faster than regular cooking.
Easy and accessible. If you don’t understand the logic behind the cooker’s settings, it should be a deal-breaker. Make sure to ask store staff about using different setting and think about whether the programs and settings are easy and convenient for you to set up. The user manual should be detailed and easy to read and understand, especially for elderly people.
3. The right size. You should calculate about 1 quart (liter) per every person in the household. If you like making meals that will last for several days since press cookers can make smaller meals than their size. Also, if you frequently host dinners for a lot of people (you have a rich social life or a large family) and want a press cooker to be able to make larger meals without too much hustle, getting a big pressure cooker is a good idea.
4. Right features. Though manufacturers love to add different features into a pressure cooker to make it stand out and be more appealing to the customer, there are a couple of crucial features that make a good pressure cooker.
Spring/Float valve, first for stove top and second for electronic cookers, is a most in a quality product. These features prevent steam and smell from filling your kitchen. They also make the cooking process a lot quieter than traditional pressure cookers.
Your stove top should be made of stainless steel (not aluminum). This material is the safest and most durable, and it is also easiest to maintain. Avoid non-stick coatings, since they get damaged very easily.
5. Multiple settings. A good pressure cooker should come with at least two different pressure settings. The high-pressure setting is necessary for meals that need longer cooking (meat, legumes) and Low pressure is needed for lighter foods, like fish, veggies, eggs, and pasta.