Amazon Basics Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, 4 litres, Silver

This is a a brilliant bit of kit .well made and easy to use and clean love it

Wow, reduces cooking soups and stews to a fraction of the time. Seals very well and holds pressure once it has come to temperature so you can turn off the gas or electric for approximately 10 - 15 minutes and it will hold pressure. Saves money in energy Bill's. Great piece of kit.

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.

I have just used this item for the first time. The cooker comes with a good instruction booklet on how to use and maintain the cooker. My cooker is induction, and it worked fine. I like the simplicity of the design, reminding me of the first one I had (second hand) many years ago. The simplicity of design makes it easy to clean and look after. The cooker has two pressure settings and comes with a spare gasket. This is a nice item, and it seems well made. I recommend it without hesitation.

Why did you choose this product over others?: I had spent at least a week, consuming all the information I could glean, online, including via AI apps, about pressure cookers. And my key criteria were : 1. Safety 2. Consistency of product quality, as reported by reviews 3. Durability 4. Ease of Use 5. Does it save time? 6. Stainless Steel, cos I have an Induction Cooker, and cos the idea of Alumunium leaching into my food is not a good one. 7. 6 Liters is about the maximum size suitable for cooking content of up to about 3 liters of food 8. Must be able to cook beans, well 9. I wanted one made in either France, Turkey or India, but this I discovered after I had bought it, was made in China ! 10. Availability of spare parts, such as the gasket. The product was delivered with a spare silicone gasket. I am still investigating options for obtaining spares should I ever need these. 11. Wife acceptance factor - How it looks 12. Easy to clean, no sharp edges from poor design, or poor finishing during manufacture 13. Available from a reputable supplier, in this case Amazon.co.uk, in case I ever needed to return it due to a fact Pressure: The 2 pressure settings are 50 and 90 kpa which convert to 7.25189 PSI and 13.0534 PSI, respectively. I had been looking for one with 100 kpa, which is 14.5 PSI, but in my review, I realised that many of the French products also did not go beyond 90 Kpa/13 PSI, and some pressure cookers achieved only 80 Kpa/11.6 PSI. Take it from me 90KPA which is the setting I use all the time, is more than adequate. Nothing to scoff at here. Cooking ability: There is something vital one must state. Pressure cookers are not best for everything. If you have something like custard, or oatmeal or porridge, or pasta, or an Indian or African meal, where the food becomes a thick mess, that is likely to clog the safety vents, that is not a good candidate for pressure cooking. There may be workarounds and caveats and adaptations, which you need to make for such meals, in a pressure cooker. The ideal candidate for pressure cooking is food that is boiled in water, without turning to a crushed disintegrated mess, for example potatoes, and beans, or meat, or rice. So you use the pressure cooker to tenderize the meat, or cook the potatoes or beans as quickly as possible, then maybe finish off the dish in a traditional cooking pot. I think the best meals for a pressure cooker will ensure that there is enough water left over, which is easily drained, and definitely not a case where the water dries up. A lot of the issues with pressure cookers, which are reported in reviews, come from user errors - cooking the wrong kind of meals., which clog up the safety vents, or NOT following the right procedure, such as NOT Lowering the heat on the burner or hot plate, after the pressure cooker indicates that it is now adequately pressurised. A pressure cooker is a potentially dangerous tool, like a car, or a gun, or a knife, but if used in the right manner, it will be safe, and there will never be any explosions or accidents or damage to the kitchen or the people in the home. I cannot emphasize this enough. The three stages of Pressurisation, Cooking, and Pressure Release, have to be well understood, by the end user, and respected. Time saving: I was able to cook beans in about 30 minutes. 7 to 12 minutes for pressurisation, and about 15 to 18 minutes for cooking under pressure. Decompression time depends on whether you leave it to do its thing, i.e as heat is given off, the pressure decreases, or you use one or more of the settings on the main pressure release valve, to decompress. The time for pressurisation, depends on how much you are cooking. More food takes more time to pressurise. Cooking time was about the same, regardless of quantity of food cooked. Potatoes, time from start to end of cooking, not including the period to depressurize, was about 28 minutes, 10 minutes to pressurise, and about 17 minutes to cook. Compared to traditional boiling, these are time savers. Beans - Black eyed beans usually takes over an hour. Potatoes about 45 minutes. Design: There are no recipes in the manual, so you do need to do a bit of research to figure out the post pressurisation cooking time for your meal. Google search is your friend. Or just trial and error, and over time, via experimentation, you get better at estimating the ideal post pressurisation cooking time. The user manual is very well written. Only major issue is - where do we get spares, should we need these? The answer to this has not been as easy as some other pressure cookers, where the manufacturer explicitly sells spares. Have not yet found links on Amazon.co.uk, for spares to the Amazon Basic pressure cookers. It looks fabulous, everything just looks professional and fits together - Form and Function at its very best. I especially chose this pressure cooker, cos it was one of those where the safety devices were split up into one near the main handle, and another on the opposite side of the lid. I felt that in many other designs where both of the primary safety devices (pressure releases mechanisms, to release excess pressure), were incorporated in the handle, it seemed to me that this was a design compromise to reduce cost of manufacture, and putting 2 device safety mechanisms in the handle was more prone to failure. I am very satisfied with the independently placed, safety devices, not located in the same place. I am extremely happy with the rigid nature of the handles, cos I have heard a fair number of horror stories about handles breaking, or handles where the rivetting to the body came loose after a while. THis product looks like the handle and join to the body will last forever, unless someone is careless, drops it or accidentally puts the handle beneath a flame. The only negative, is this is heavy. I can imagine someone with less strength may find it difficult to lift, even with the excellent handles this has. It is a heavy boy. Be careful. But this weight, just affirms the impression of outstanding quality, and durability. This is no lightweight. It has three safety mechanisms for releasing pressure, 1 on the handle, another on the lid itself, and a third being the gasket, which will expand under pressure to release steam, and the handle locks in place well, with a nice chunky assuring click. Only criticism I would make is, opening the pressure cooker after depressurising, is definitely a two handed affair. One hand to hold the lower main handle, the other to push the red release slider, and turn the upper main handle. But the positive of this is, it would be almost impossible to accidentally open the pot inadvertently using only one hand. So this is NOT for anyone who needs a one handed opening cooker., e.g if you have a weaker hand. Size: 6 Liters - Typically one fills it to no more than about 50% and that includes the water. Thats enough to cook some beans or rice for at least 6 people. It is a chunky boy. It will take up space in storage, but there are 9 Liter and 4 Liter versions, so there is a size to suit almost everyone. I think in many homes, if they can afford this, there are likely to be at least 2 sizes of pressure cookers. I am tempted to get a 2nd smaller pressure cooker no more than 4 liters, to complement this one. A smaller pressure cooker is better suited to smaller meals, cos it takes a while to pressurise a larger pressure cooker, if you are cooking a small meal, compared with cooking a small meal in a smaller pressure cooker, which has a reduced volume of air, to be pressurised, via heat. Durability: This is a heavy product. About the heaviest cooking pot we own. You dare not allow this to drop on your toe from a height, or on a child, by accident. It will cause serious damage. Everything about the product speaks/screams - High Quality. I had expected an Amazon Basics product to be exactly that - basic. Sorry this was the complete opposite. It looks amazing, it is the best looking pot we have ever bought, really just a huge shock. It is extremely well made, nothing to fault in the design and manufacture. Looks as good as any French or German brand in pressure cookers, or the best of the brands from India. It does not give anything away, in its looks, the metal looks like something that will outlive me. I'm in my 60's. I will not be surprised if this is still in use, should I reach the age of 90. I will not be surprised. It looks indestructible. Unless you store it carelessly, or deliberately hit it with some really strong tools, or overheat the metal in a furnace, I cannot imagine anything that in normal use, would alter the body or base, in any way. An outstanding, well designed, manufactured and delivered to me, in a faultless condition. May Amazon NOT revert to a lower quality of manufacture, after this glowing appraisal. That would be sad. I must say, I am extremely satisfied with this product, as it exceeds all my expectations, and I look forward to using it at least once a week. The score of 5 out of 5 is very well deserved. I really could not think about anyway in which this product could be improved. They have thought of everything and overdelivered. I am usually skeptical of Amazon Basic products, but this does not apply to the Amazon Basic pressure cookers. They are excellent products. Have used mine now for 1 week, on 4 occasions - 3 to cook beans, and 1 for potatoes. The cooking experience has been consistent, no leaks of any concern. This is a pressure cooker. Minor negligible spurts of steam or condensation my spurt from the area around the handle, and I did not find this an issue. I think the seals are excellent, and expect this product to last a very long time. At least 10 to 20 years, maybe more. If used as intended. I can imagine that many users overpressurise, do not wash the devices properly, do not store devices properly, and cook dishes that should best not be cooked in a pressure cooker, do not add enough water, overfill the pot, over heat the pot, and then complain about pressure cookers not working properly. This one is incredibly well made, and if used judiciusly, I cannot imagine any failure. One of the best things I have ever bought, and my 1st Amazon branded product, that I can recall. !! Now encouraged to try other Amazon Basic products.

Used this pressure cooker for about 18 months, then it stopped holding proper pressure. Not due to wear on the sealing ring - it came with two, each of which should last more than a year, and I always kept the ring lubricated with vegetable oil to minimise wear. Due to the spring on the pressure regulator losing its strength. Guess what? No spare parts available. My other pressure cooker, a 25 year old Prestige Smart Plus, uses a weight for pressure regulation. Ultimate reliability. So, I'm afraid, the Amazon Basics is in the dump, and I bought another Prestige. Best thing all round. Don't waste your money. If you intend to use a pressure cooker regularly (I use mine at least 3 times a week) then spend a little bit extra and get a decent one. This was a waste of money.

Just got the Amazon Basics Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker (4L) today, so this is purely a first impression before any actual cooking. Out of the box, it feels straightforward and functional rather than flashy. The stainless steel has a clean, utilitarian look, and the build gives an immediate sense of something designed to be used daily rather than displayed. The lid mechanism and handles feel secure, though the real test will only come with heat and pressure. At this stage, it’s less about performance and more about potential it looks like a no-nonsense kitchen tool that will either quietly prove itself over time or reveal its weaknesses after a few uses.

This is a wonderful product. It cooks chicken breasts and all your vegetables in 20 mins. And a 1.2kg piece of beef or pork with or without vegetables in 1 hour, super tender. One pot to wash up. Just put on the hob till the little button pops up then turn it down to minimun gas and wait a short time. Highly recommend.

The quality seems good, but it definitely got lower as I have a 1st cooker from some time ago, the bottom looks and feels the same as my first model, but the walls got slightly thinner, the lock mechanism improved on the 2nd model, and the handle is flatter other than round as my 1st. In general it looks like as in the pictures. Also they didn’t even bother taking the cooker out if the original box from China, a waste of material as it came one box inside the other. I would buy again, but if the price go higher than the €43 paid for the 6l version, I would be looking for something of better quality for a few extra quid

Ottima qualità, pentola a pressione classica, ma di facile utilizzo. Ci preparo il cibo per me e per i gatti per la settimana. Bella pesante. Si lava in un attimo, nonostante le dimensioni importanti, 9 litri. Valvolina facile da usare, incastro del coperchio con un click, guarnizione aggiuntiva fornita nella confezione e, soprattutto, un bel cestello in acciaio traforato per la cottura a vapore oppure per sterilizzare barattoli.

debonne qualité et durbale

Very good

After more than sixty years of using pressure cookers, I had to buy a new one. I chose this model, and am pleased with it. Simple and safe to use Disappointed to find that cooling under a cold water tap is not recommended. Other than this, I am happy with my choice.