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(More customer reviews)Buy a pressure cooker if you think you'll use it at least once a week.
Buy this Fagor Elite pressure cooker set and you'll use it a lot more often. At home on ANY kind of range (smooth-top or coil electric, gas, induction), the two pots and their interchangeable lids add versatility to speed, and that equals more bang for your cookware buck (pardon the bad pun). The glass lid turns the 8-quart pot into a handy stockpot or pasta boiler. Put the lid on the 4-quart pan and, voila, it becomes that extra saucepan you never seem to have when you really, really need one. When dinner's ready but you're not (pressure cookers are rocket-fast, you know), replace the pressure lid with the glass lid to keep it warm without overcooking or drying out.
The stainless steel basket isn't big enough to hold a pound of long dry pasta, despite the photo, but it's the vessel of choice for shorter cuts like penne and rotelle, and for blanching filled pastas like ravioli and pirogies. Set it atop the trivet and it becomes the perfect steamer, whether you use the glass or pressure lid. And if it happens to fit a pot you already own, consider it a bonus.
Fagor pressure cookers are among the easiest to use and care for. Instead of a wobbling weight or a ringed post pressure indicator, Fagor uses a spring-loaded pressure regulator. Heat the cooker on high heat until steam begins to flow from the regulator, start your timer and then back off the heat to maintain a steady gentle hiss. Once you've found your stove's sweet spot, you're not chained to the cooktop. As long as you can see steam or hear the hiss, you can go about your other cooking tasks. Wobbling weight regulators can be thrown off if the pot is jostled, and sealed-system pressure cookers require a constant eye on the number of visible rings. The regulator is also the pressure release valve, engineered so that the steam dissipates and cools quickly. At six inches from the vent, the steam is warm but not hot enough to burn your skin. Remember, this is steam that's 250 degrees Fahrenheit when it's under pressure!
To keep the cook safe, Fagor pressure cookers have three locking mechanisms. The manual latch engages a pressure-activated locking pin that rises as pressure builds, keeping the cooker locked as long as pressure is present. The pressure itself pushes the flanges on the lid and pot together, creating a natural locking action. You'd have to be built like Mister Universe to force open a pressurized cooker. A small cutout in the lid exposes a portion of the gasket. If the pressure has no other way out, the gasket will stretch or snap, but will stay in place while the pressure escapes through the rim of the lid, not into the cook's face.
Odds are, whatever you pressure cook in one pot will be served with something you can prepare in the other as well. We use the 4-quart pot to pressure cook spaghetti sauce with quarter-pound meatballs in just 10 minutes under pressure, while the 8-quart pot and glass lid take care of the spaghetti. Every piece in the set, except the pressure lid and gasket, can go in the dishwasher. Your humble author uses Bar Keeper's Friend to take care of any really tough discoloration. Keeping the gasket clean is easy because it's so easy to remove and replace. With weekly use and proper care, a gasket lasts about 12 to 18 months. The money you save on energy will more than pay for a new gasket.
If you've never heard of Fagor or you're wondering if it's a brand a pro would use, Lola Bistro owner and head chef Michael Symon used a Fagor pressure cooker while competing to become Food Network's newest Iron Chef. He then went on to win his first Iron Chef America challenge, preparing one of his winning dishes in his Fagor. Although he's not officially connected to Fagor in any way, I can't think of a better endorsement.
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