Amazon BasicsStainless Steel Pressure Cooker, 4 litres, Silver

Firstly, allow me to say that this is my first ever pressure cooker, nor did I encounter one in my childhood, therefore, some of the points I might make maybe generic to all pressure cookers, I am not able to say.What do I use my new pressure cooker for? I regularly cook stews, nothing fabulous, just good hearty meals :-P to which I add tomato powder and chilli powder (reviews of these on Amazon). What I aim for is a tasty, hearty meal that, importantly, I look forward to eating :-PThe Amazon Basics pressure cooker is easy to use, took me a few minutes to figure out and I was away. The size, for me, is very good, I make a large pan of stew and put portions in the fridge to have over the coming days, for this purpose this pressure cooker is great for me.Pros:1) My stews certainly are cooking more quickly, this leads to reduction in energy usage, important, but also a significant a reduction in the vapour and odour produced in my kitchen, the smell of a stew is nice on the day of cooking, but several days later can be a pain.2) The flavours in my stews are better than previously, I suppose that a pan hubble-bubbling away for four hours may boil out the flavours, while this pan is taking about half the time to achieve the same result, with the benefit that the stew is more flavoursome :-P3) Cleaning at the end of cooking is straight forward, the bottom corners are rounded, so a scourer gets these clean, I didn't experience any bitumen on the base of the pressure cooker, not sure if I was lucky or this was due to reduced cooking times, I'll find out in due course.4) Certain items that can be problematic in traditional pan cooking seem to be no trouble for this pressure cooker, for example, I add dried peas and dried chickpeas (both soaked overnight) to my stews and have on many occasions had stews where the peas and chick peas have been like ball bearings :-/ not so with the pressure cooker they have been tender and succulent :-P5) As I said above, I have found this pressure cooker easy to use, it fits in with the type of dishes I cook, particular over the winter and is replacing a pan of a similar size.6) I find the Amazon Basics pressure cooker to be robust and well constructed, certainly a good deal thicker stainless steel than my previous traditional pan.Cons:1) Only one main one for me, I used to like lifting the lid of my pan and take a look at my stew, maybe stick a fork in a carrot to see how it's doing and add different ingredients at different times, for example I put my diced red and green peppers in towards the end of cooking, keeps them intact and crispy when served, a personal preference, however, the pressure cooker is better when you can put everything in, close the lid and cook. Here I have compromised, and stop cooking a little early and pop in the delicate ingredients and cook more traditional for the last fifteen or twenty minutes. I do have to say I really miss putting a fork in though.Overall, I find the Amazon Basics pressure cooker to be economic (cooking more quickly), produces flavoursome food, doesn't fill the house with as much odour or water vapour and has been easy to clean. I did look at other reviews at the time of purchase and I have experienced no issues with venting of fluids, mine comes to the boil and there's a gentle hiss when the pressure is reached, plus I'll turn the gas down then.

Just used it for the first time-on Christmas day, none the less and it cooked my oxtails in exactly 20 minutes. Literally melt off the bone. A regular pot would have taken an hour and still not as tender.You do get a manual and two rubber rings. The pot itself is hefty and easy to use. You just put the meat in (mine was presesoned) plus a clove of garlic and ginger that became liquified at the end. Fill to the 1/2 mark, click and slide handle to the left, and turn the pressure valve to 2. The valve will whistle, mine did so immediately because I did stir fry the meat in the pot first with a tiny bit of oil, so the pot was already at maximum heat. Then at 20 minutes I took the pot off the stove for 5 minutes then turn the pressur valve to the 'steam' icon.-- I waited another 5 minutes because tbh I was a bit scared here, it was my first time using a pressure cooker but I've seen accidents before😬. Nevertheless it slid open easily. The liquid was drastically reduced! Less than a quarter. But then I added some more vegetables and a cup of water took the cover off finished cooking for like 6 more minutes..Cleaning was a breeze. I only wiped the lid with a cloth because virtually only steam got up so far. And pot I washed regularly.I hope this help any first timers who may have been scared using a pressure cooker or knowing what instructions to follow.

In light of the mixed reviews, I was apprehensive about purchasing this product. Thankfully, the pressure cooker works rather well (so far). Hence, I wrote this review to assist other potential buyers who may also share my reservations.Points to note, in no particular order, include:(1) STAINLESS STEEL BODY: Good quality, heavy stainless steel. It has a thick base to prevent burning. This is NOT flimsy rubbish, it is a quality item. The listing states the 4L weighs 2.61kg.(2) INDUCTION COMPATIBLE: Works on my induction without any problems.(3) EASY OPERATION: Operating the pressure cooker is pretty straight forward and if you follow the instructions CAREFULLY you should be fine.To help those who have not used a stove top pressure cooker before the steps are as follows:* Check all vents are clean and clear.* Place the gasket in the lid.* Place the requisite amount of food and liquid/water in the pan.IMPORTANT: when pressure cooking food items it is important to remember that: (a) a specific minimum amount of water is required for pressure cooking (manual states 330mL) as pressure cooking is based on the steam generated from the water (basically, low water = low steam = low pressure = not cooking at pressure) and (b) set ratios of water are required for certain food items e.g. as a very rough guide, 1 cup of beans requires 3 cups of water when pressure cooking, obviously the exact ratio varies with specific beans and you will need to look this information up on the internet.* Place the lid on the pan and make sure you ALIGN the arrows on the pan handle with the arrows on the lid correctly. Then slide them over each other to close.* Push the red locking button situated on the handle downwards. I once, accidentally forgot and was quickly reminded when water promptly commenced leaking from the handle (!).* Select the desired cooking level 1 (low) or 2 (high) on the pressure regulator valve.* Place pressure cooker on the heat source and set the heat on high-medium.(Side note: the first time I used the pressure cooker I used 1600W on my induction but when it reached pressure, steam blasted out like an explosion, thereafter, I decreased it to 1200W, this takes longer to reach pressure but is less explosive when it does).* When working pressure is reached, the regulator valve (steam valve) will release steam continuously, now turn the heat DOWN. I use a medium–low heat setting, this equates to 600W on my induction (this is a lower heat setting than I use with my Hawkins, thus I was sceptical at first, however, the food still cooks at similar times). Visually you should see a small controlled, steady continuous stream of steam coming out of the valve (not a big blast!).NOTE 1: If steam is blasting out, you have set the heat too high, IMMEDIATELY decrease the heat. Leaving the heat too high will make the liquid/water evaporate quickly; this will cause food to burn. Worse still, potentially, the internal pressure can built up to unsafe levels (and in the worst case scenario, should all the safety mechanisms be overridden, causing it to burst open). If you wish to use a stove top pressure cooker, make sure you use it safely and properly.NOTE 2: When pressure has been reached a small red button will pop up (called the ‘safety valve/pressure indicator’ in the manual) and it situated on the top part of the handle near the red locking button. This button (‘safety valve/pressure indicator’) will pop back down when the pressure cooker depressurises after it has been taken off the heat source.* Cook the food for the requisite amount of time – this may involve some trial and error. The Amazon manual does NOT give cooking times (!). Fortunately, the manual with my old Hawkins was great; it provides cooking times for different beans, so I am able to use that as a rough estimate.NOTE 1: The cooking time starts when steam is released from the pressure valve (i.e. the pressure cooker reaches functioning pressure and food is now being cooked under pressure) and NOT from the time when you switch the heat source on (as food is not cooking under pressure at the start because the pressure cooker has not reached functioning pressure). I hope this makes sense.NOTE 2: When cooking legumes/beans the cooking times can vary significantly depending upon: (a) the type of bean being cooked and (b) whether the legumes/beans have been pre-soaked or not. You will need to look up the cooking times on the internet.* When the cooking time is complete, turn the heat source off and remove pressure cooker from heat source to allow the pressure to come down. The safety valve (red button that popped up on the handle when cooking pressure had been reached) will go down to indicate it is now safe to open the pressure cooker. Decreasing the pressure takes around 10 mins (never actually timed), and will depend on numerous factors like quantity food, size of pressure cooker, temperature used during pressure cooking etc. This natural cool down method is advised in the manual for foods that foam. NOTE: this model does NOT support the quick steam release method of placing it under a running tap.(4) TWO COOKING PRESSURES:(a) Gentle cooking = 50 kpa = 111.35 oC (setting 1). Steaming and stewing delicate foods e.g. veg, fish, fruit.(b) Fast cooking = 90 kpa = 118.6 oC (setting 2). Cooking and braising e.g. meat, soup, stews etc.(5) QUIET OPERATION (for a pressure cooker): This is a relatively quiet pressure cooker. This is in comparison with my Hawkins pressure cooker that gives off intermittent blasts of steam and sounds like a steam engine (!).(6) SPARE GASKET PROVIDED: The silicone gasket provided is good quality. The pressure cooker also comes with an extra spare gasket – a useful addition.(7) BAKELITE HANDLES: I was worried the plastic looking handle would be flimsy but it seems secure; however, only time will reveal the robustness.(8) PRESSURE REGULATOR VALVE: On the negative side, the steam valve seems quite flimsy; I use it with extra care. (It is not as robust as the steam valves on my Hawkins pressure cooker, but then again, my Hawkins was more expensive).(9) INTERNAL CAPACITY LEVEL INDICATORS: Internally the pan has markers indicating the total volume capacity for 2/3 full, ½ full and 1/3 full.(10) TOTAL COOKING VOLUME: I purchased the 4L pan to cook small quantities. I already own an 8L Hawkins pressure cooker for larger/batch cooking.It is very IMPORTANT for a novice to understand that with respect to a stove top pressure cooker, you should NEVER fill a pressure cooker:(a) No more than 2/3 full EVER and this includes the requisite liquid/water required for cooking.(b) No more than ½ full (including water) for foods that expands e.g. rice, dried food etc.My Hawkins manual also advises:(c) No more than 1/3 full (including water) for foods that froth during cooking e.g. moong lentils. In the case of frothing foods, if frothing still occurs, you may need to reduce the quantity further.In light of this guidance, it should be apparent now why there are internal markers inside the pan indicating the total volume, namely, 1/3, ½ and 2/3.* Overfilling can result in a big mess and water/food particles spraying all over the place via the steam vent etc.* The Amazon manual advises that food that can excessively foam + froth and thus clog the pressure release device (steam vent) should NOT be cooked in a pressure cooker. EG: applesauce, cranberries, pearly barley, oatmeal or other cereals, split peas, noodles, macaroni, rhubarb or spaghetti. The point here is that a pressure cooker has its limitations.***IMPORTANT**** When deciding whether to purchase the 4L or 6L model, the total allowable/safe cooking capacity is a very important consideration* In real terms this means that for a 4L pressure cooker, the approximate volume capacity (including liquid/water) is: (i) at 2/3 capacity is 2.7L (maximum capacity); (ii) at ½ capacity is 2L (e.g. dried foods); (iii) at 1/3 capacity is 1.3L (e.g. moong lentils). If these volumes are too small then you may wish to consider buying the larger 6L model.* I hope a novice can now understand how the maximum allowable cooking capacity can reduce considerably, depending on the food being cooked and your personal usage requirements.(11) PRICE: At under £35 (at the time of purchase), in my opinion, this pressure cooker represents value for money.(12) USER MANUAL: The manual is good at providing information regarding how to use the pressure cooker. However, it falls short by not providing information on cooking times (!). This is a significant omission, especially for a novice who will have no idea how long to cook the food (and will have to search the internet).CONCLUSION: This pressure cooker is made from good quality stainless steel; with good functionality and is easy to operate; induction compatible; comes with an extra gasket and represents value for money. I am delighted with my purchase, and based on my experience thus far, I would not hesitate to recommend this product to others.

Impressed so far, speeds up cooking for things like mutton. Meat is tender and juicy and things like Dhal come out perfect in half the time.