Fagor Duo Combi 5-Piece Pressure Cooker Set

modern features, good service
Fagor is the least expensive brand that I am aware of which also has the 'modern' features desirable in pressure cookers. To learn more about pressure cookers and what is desirable go to missvickie.com (a non-commercial site devoted to pressure cooker enthusiasts.) Some of these features deal with safety, e.g. you don't have to worry about plugging the steam escape with Fagor. Fagor cookers also reach a pressure of 15psi (which is important.) Unless a brand advertises that they do reach 15psi, assume that they don't. I suggest getting an extra gasket when you buy the item as you will need one at one point (they don't last forever). I must also compliment the company on its service. I bought this item, and sent in a rebate form (for a free stock pot). They sent me a nice paella pan by mistake. I was satisfied, however I called them to make sure that there was no mistake. They answered the phone right away (without the common maze of annoyingly slow and complex menu options.) The woman...

Love this cooker
I bought this set of pressure cookers over a year ago. It is the most used appliance I have ever owned. I have used it for chicken, roast, saurkraut and pork. Vegetables turn out great. It all turned out delicious. It does not burn things. The clear glass lid is an excellent addition to this set. Buy this set and you will love it. Pressure Perfect cookbook by Lorna Sass is a wonderful book full of useful information and great recipes.

Great time-saver!
I bought this pressure cooker set about a month ago and I love it. I had never used a pressure cooker before I bought this set, but I find it easy to use and very safe.

The set comes with a nice instruction book (with cooking times for lots of different food) and a small book of recipes. I like that I can cook brown rice in less time than it takes me to make white rice without a pressure cooker (about 20 minutes). I have successfully adapted a recipe for slow-roasted pulled pork to prepare it with sauce from scratch in less than an hour. As long as you're not looking for a crusty exterior, I think that you can make food of comperable quality as the oven or slow-cooker in a much shorter amount of time.

I find the two pots very convenient for making different quantities of food. With the glass lid, they work very well for other tasks such as steaming veggies briefly.

My only complaint about the set is that the insides of the pots are hard to get...

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Fagor 8-Quart Stainless-Steel Pressure Cooker with Steamer Basket

Nice Design
I had a Kuhn Rikon and still have a Presto pressure cooker. I got rid of the Kuhn Rikon. I love the Fagor Duo. The Kuhn Rikon design is a real pain if you have an electric stove. It is probably almost acceptable if you have a gas stove. The Fagor models work equally well on either type stove. Also, along the same lines, the Fagor and the Presto designs are much more forgiving. You better plan on watching a Kuhn Rikon very closely -- especially on an electric stove -- but also on a gas range. It can get to an over pressure situation easily. Granted you will likely just blow out part of your gasket (the safety measure) if you get distracted. Who needs that? You better have an eagle eye and fast reactions to maintain a reasonably constant pressure inside your cooker with an electric stove.

You do lose some steam with a Fagor though typically much less than with a Presto model. (You lose nearly no vapor with a Kuhn Rikon -- that is about their only big selling point in my...

Quick, quiet and easy to use.
About eight years ago I purchased the Fagor Duo 8-quart pressure cooker and have loved using it since my purchase. The pan is made of heavy duty stainless steel which cooks evenly and foods come out tasting like they are supposed to. No off tastes just well prepared food.

Once the pressure cooker reaches pressurization the cooker quietly cooks a tasty meal in minutes. Once in awhile you may hear a slight hiss but that's about it.

And finally, I think Fagor uses a standardized gasket for almost all of their pressure cookers. You can check with Fagor to confirm this.

Another plus is the ability to rapidly depressurize the cooker by turning the the knob to steam release. No more taking the pressure cooker to the sink to run water over the pan to quickly release the pressure.

I've cooked pot roasts, porcupine meatballs, soups, stews, ribs, and even rice pudding in my Fagor pressure cooker. All turned out great!

Just Perfect!
I use to own an electric pressure cooker, and after many scorched meals, decided to try a stove-top model. It was the best move I could have made! 18/10 stainless, surrounding aluminum on the bottom has kept every meal scorch-free. I feel completely safe using this pressure cooker. It locks easily, and the dial indicating if the pot is at pressure and if it is at high or low pressure is fool-proof. There is nothing complicated about using this pressure cooker. I just can't say enough about this pot. I have cooked professionally, and I have cooked for many years. I would not be exaggerating if I told you that this is the best-loved piece of cookware that I own. Fagor has produced an outstanding product.

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Fagor Splendid 2-in-1 5 Piece Pressure Cooker Set

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 beginners
This 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 energy
I'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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