Electric Pressure Cookers

devonwrecked, Sep 2, 12:56am
After watching Masterchef, where they used electric pressure cookers quite a bit, I'm wondering what they're like? I've always been terrified of them after seeing some spectacular accidents with the old fashioned ones - pea soup and tomato soup sprayed on the ceiling etc. Are the new electric ones worth the money?
geldof, Sep 2, 1:33am
Yes.
I absolutely love mine.
I've got the combination one. Slow cooker is useless, but the saute function is brilliant.
I used to be terrified of the old fashioned ones.
samanya, Sep 2, 6:54am
Ditto.
I'd grab it at that price.
I got a Breville through Fly buys & after a while became unreliable because it wouldn't 'pressure up' (I think I got a lemon) so I bit the bullet & bought a Phillips & so far so good.
I like having a pressure cooker for cooking tougher cuts of meat if I haven't got it into the slow cooker in time, but don't like veges cooked in them.
I think the food on the ceiling thing happened with the old jobs, if the lid was taken off before the pressure was properly released.
I've used my mother's ancient stove top number & never had a problem, I only changed to electric because the old one doesn't work on my induction hobs.
schnauzer11, Sep 2, 7:12am
I use an old-fashioned one. The only reason for spraying-disasters is not de-pressurising the thing. Place under a cold tap for a minute, easy. Anyone who has a disaster is just stupid.
nauru, Sep 2, 7:24am
The most likely reason for that is over filling. Never happened to me but I do know of several people that has happened to. Got mine as a wedding present. so it's almost 50 years old.
lynja, Sep 2, 7:58pm
I love mine. Only had it a short time but it really is very easy and safe to use. Mine is a combination Breville, Fast/Slow. I have only used the slow cook function once as you really don't need to use it as you can make a stew (for instance) in such quick time using the pressure cooking function.
snapperheadrkp, Sep 2, 8:31pm
Breville here. Have used it every 4 or so days for about 2 years to cook our vege peelings and other scraps for our Chooks. Cook on pressure for 5 minutes let it unpressurise naturally, then add about 60gms of broken up dry Spagetti, boil for 5 minutes (without pressure) then add about 1 cup of rice,replace lid, turn off and leave to cool. Refrigerate. Also use for Corned beef and Stews. Have a modern conventional pressure cooker in the cupboard but have not used since the Breville arrived - Must get around to selling it
wendalls, Sep 4, 10:40am
loved my Breville. RIP.
Today I burnt its plastic bum to a smouldering, toxic, throat choking mess by leaving it on my ceramic cooktop and turning on the wrong element. A risk I told my daughter about recently. I said "never put anything on it in case!" Thank god for smoke alarms!
harrislucinda, Sep 4, 10:46am
brought one few mths back slow cooker as well love it now thought should have got that fryer that cooks with a rotisserie
devonwrecked, Sep 4, 7:39pm
Thanks everyone for your replies. Wendalls, I am so happy my cooker has a child lock function, as otherwise my cats turn it on! Poor Breville, may it RIP indeed. :(
badams1, Sep 4, 8:46pm
Well stupid i own up . chicken hit the ceiling peas and carrots covered the ceiling . Chicken wasnt wasted . family labrador got to it before i calmed down . What a mess .
wendalls, Sep 5, 1:20am
Lol. Poor badams. Not quite as stupid as me I'm thinking!. looking at the price of a replacement cooker and trying to add up how much it would have cost per meal I actually cooked with it! I guess I used it twice a week over this winter and probably quite a bit over previous one. Was very close to an electrical fire as it was plugged in and the electrics were sitting there exposed just on top of the smouldering plastic.
I was distracted by getting dinner done before rushing off to my sons hockey. I coach his team and they drew to become joint A grade winners. Thank gawd that's the last of the winter sport wrapped up!
buzzy110, Sep 5, 2:40am
Alas we are only human. I've "nearly" left non-cookware containers on top of the stove top in the campervan while it was cooking on another element, due to there being very little in the way of bench space. Luckily for me I realised my mistake before I did more than melt a little hole in the container.

Can you use a loyalty card to replace your electric pressure cooker? That is how I get all my appliances these days.
mars6, Sep 5, 11:27pm
absolutely love my Phillips one. Use it almost every day and think its money well spent. If I need to quick release pressure I just pop a teatowel over the vent to avoid steamcleaning my ceiling
schnauzer11, Sep 6, 2:17am
Love the visuals, badams!
schnauzer11, Dec 29, 8:42am
You're possibly right, nauru but so many users of the old-fashioned Hawkins, like I use, simply didn't de-pressurise. It takes barely a minute and very little brain. Many a ceiling was saved by a little thought.