Do I need a new pressure cooker?

[Farmgirl22]

I have a Manttra pressure cooker that I got as a wedding gift several years ago. I haven't used it too much, because I have trouble getting it to seal and pressure up properly--whether this is from user error or poor quality, I wouldn't know. However, we've got a big pressure canner from Presto that we use to can our apples in that we have absolutely no trouble with, so I'm leaning towards poor quality or a bad part or something.

Anyway, after ruining dinner last night (it was partially edible) and stinking up our house, I'm ready to throw the Manttra out. It's constantly leaking steam from around the lid, so you have to actually hold the lid down until it gets a pretty good pressure, and even once it's set it still leaks copiously and you have to keep the heat turned up pretty high or it depressures quickly. I've replaced seals, I've changed the little plastic doodads on both sides of the lid, and it still doesn't seem to work quite right.

Is there something I'm overlooking on my old one?

Should I just replace it with a different brand (preferably not made in China)?

Is this something I can reasonably use on a weekly or daily basis to significantly cut down on my time in the kitchen for every day meals (i.e. not pot roast). If yes, what size do you suggest for typical meals for a family of 3? (My Presto canner is a 16 qt, the Manttra is an 8 qt.--by the time they get heated up and pressured, I likely could have cooked most things in a skillet.)

Sorry for the confusing post...I am thoroughly torn/confused/frustrated and it shows.

[Crockett67]

I have a 6 qt Presto that I like. While I can brown in it, I typically brown the meat in my cast iron then use the pressure cooker.

While I don't use it as much as my cast iron, for $30 it was worth it to me. But I only cook tongue, shank, ox tail, and such in it. I just cook tender cuts of meat on the stove top or oven.

[dcrb]

I am not familiar with the brand pc you have but I have used several and all of them warn about storing the pc with the gasket installed and the lid secured. I stored the gasket in the pot and the lid on; lately with the Kuhn Rikon, I seat the gasket after washing and drying, then place the lid upside down on the pot. I suppose that caution it to keep the gasket from deforming or something and preventing a good seal. Just something I wanted to pass on. My son and his wife have a Fagor and it is a solid cooking appliance. All of the brands mentioned herein get good comments.

I might add looking at the smaller Presto cookers since you are familiar with Presto as well as looking at the MirroMatic line, which I believe is all aluminum. Good luck.

[rasputina]

It sounds like the gasket is bad. Was there info in the box on getting parts from the manufacturer?

[Candy]

Fagor or Fissler. Both are excellent. I have 2 Fagors. I also bought a extra gasket. Today's silicone gaskets tend to pick up odors and when washed in the dishwasher come out fresh smelling. I have also found with the silicone gaskets that if you are doing a 2 step recipe where you must release the pressure and then add final ingredients, the gasket you started with doesn't seal well. If I pop in a fresh gasket getting a seal is no problem at all.

[Farmgirl22]

I think my gaskets are still rubber (black). I have 2 of them for the Manttra, both have maybe been used 2 or 3 times, plus the original one that also only got used a couple of times that stunk so bad I threw it away. I don't have a dishwasher, so everything gets washed by hand.

Thanks for the tip on swapping the gasket if you open the cooker--that might have been part of my problem the other day, though nothing about that was mentioned in the recipe. We don't do that with the canner, but I suppose the gasket and everything has so much time to cool between batches that it's not necessary. I'm assuming that the reason you change it is because the gasket softens too much?

[Miss Priss]

The problems you describe don't sound like the results of user error, so most likely you do need a new cooker. I haven't tried the WMF Perfect Plus recommended by Sid Post, but it always gets great reviews. However, it's fairly expensive, as are two other excellent European brands readily available in the US: Kuhn Rikon and Fissler. If you don't want to spend that much, you may want to look at cookers by Fagor or Magefesa, two Spanish companies offering several models at different price points, some made in Spain and some in China. I've had good experiences with the no-frills Fagor Elite and Magefesa Praktica. You asked whether a pressure cooker can significantly reduce the time you spend making everyday meals, but that depends on what you mean by "everyday meals." (For example, you exclude pot roast, but I think a 50-minute pot roast is very much an "everyday meal.") In my opinion, a 6-quart (or 6-liter) cooker is the best size for a family of three. You might want something bigger for stock or parties, but I definitely wouldn't go any smaller than 5 quarts. Hope this helps--or at least, doesn't further confuse.

[Farmgirl22]

I've heard good things about the Kuhn-Rikon (out of my budget) and the Fagor, but I hadn't heard of Magefesa or Fissler.

I mostly didn't consider pot roast to be an everyday type meal because it's usually huge with "extras" that I save more for special occasions (and my waistline thanks me for that!) I guess too that I'm not entirely sure what all types of meals people make in a pressure cooker, though I've recently discovered Miss Vicky's website and noticed that she had some recipes on there I thought I might educate myself with. :-)

[Miss Priss]

Miss Vickie's website is an excellent online resource; another is hippressurecooking.com. There are also plenty of good pressure-cooker cookbooks out there. I'd especially recommend anything by Lorna Sass, such as "Cooking Under Pressure" or her most recent one, "Pressure Perfect."

[Sid Post]

Both of my WMF PerfectPlus pressure cookers were ~$100 ebay items that were showroom samples with minor cosmetic issues. After six months use, I doubt you could tell the difference in a brand new never opened model and the ones I have.

[Sid Post]

I would suggest a WMF PerfectPlus 6.5L model. They are easy to maintain and a real joy to use. I make ham and beans in mine a lot. It's nice to come home and 30 minutes later have a nice dinner a of pinto's and ham. Chilli and stew are easy and quick to make as well.