Fagor Splendid advantages and disadvantages.....I am a longtime cook, skilled with old aluminum Presto pressure cookers. I received the Fagor Splendid 2-in-1 cooker as a requested gift about 3 years ago. My biggest complaint after a couple years of use was the fancy V-cross-section gasket, which stopped sealing properly after about a year of use, and is pricey to replace. 2009 update: Fagor has switched to a much longer lasting grey gasket (the early ones were turquoise) that seals better. I bought one a couple of years ago and it is still going strong.
.....I hardly use the shallower pan from this set, but the deep pan is wonderfully useful. It's stainless steel, not aluminum, so I don't worry about aluminum getting into the food. It's got a nice heavy bottom, and so is good for deepfrying and popping popcorn as well as pressure cooking. The tall capacity is nice, I can parboil a whole chicken before roasting it, without clogging the vent.
.....The complex safety features are kinda tricky to wash, but this is...
Works great, even for beginnersThis is my first pressure cooker and it works just fine. I had read a million reviews before finally purchasing one and was a little nervous about all the details and such but I didn't need to be. This is pretty idiot-proof...just put in the food and water, twist on the top, flip the lock and you're good to go!
Sure, you do need to check the steam output and lower the heat once it really starts going, but I have found that the worst thing that happens if you don't is that you get a little bit of stuff on the top of the pan as the steam rushes out really fast...nothing you can't just clean off.
Also, despite the manual saying to not put in dishwasher, I always do (aside from the gasket) and have had no probs after 4 months.
Ideal sizes, saves more time than energyI'm very happy with my pressure cookers, purchased a few months ago. I agonized over whether to purchase the 4 quart or 6 quart model, as I wanted both to be able to cook small amounts (e.g. 2 cups of rice) for small meals and larger amounts for dinner parties. This combination set is perfect, as it allows me to do both, without buying two lids and gaskets, and for considerably less than the cost of buying the two separately. I've made batches of beans and grains in the 4-quart pot, and a variety of soups in the 6 quart pot. It's also been great for cooking winter squash in just a few minutes.
The pressure cooker is easy to use and easy to clean (& I'm new to pressure cooking), and thus far the gasket has sealed with relative ease. The steaming basket and flimsy trivet aren't ideal, but this is a minor complaint.
I had hoped to save on my energy bill by pressure cooking - since food cooks in a fraction of the time, it should only use a fraction of the electricity /...
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