30 years ago I was gifted a Hawkins aluminum wiggle-top pressure cooker. After using it for about 10 years, until it warped, and until I became worried about cooking in aluminum, I upgraded to a Kuhn Rikon Duromatic 7L cooker. The Duromatic has served us well for some 20 years, though I have always had issues with scorching at the edges, and it's a bit narrow for the amount of food that it can fit. I was given an Instant Pot for my birthday. After using the Kuhn Rikon, the Instant Pot was painfully slow to come up to pressure (30 minutes vs maybe 5 or 6 for the Kuhn Rikon), and scorched foods even more than the Kuhn Rikon. It also decided that food was being burnt and turned off, so I ended up "finishing" the food in the Kuhn Rikon. I don't understand all the fuss about Instant Pots, but on the bright side it means that there are a lot more pressure cooker recipes available (though I still rely on Lorna Sass for most methods).
I returned the Instant Pot to the store, and renewed my interest in stovetop pressure cookers. After reading the reviews of the Fissler by America's Test Kitchen, I decided to give it a try. Why did I wait so long?! I did a pressure test first thing (about 2L of water brought to high pressure for 5 minutes), and it worked like a dream. Quite a bit of machine oil came off with that first trial, so I definitely recommend doing this as well as washing it before first use. It's much wider than the Kuhn Rikon (about 10 inches versus about 8), and so it's easier to saute before starting to pressure cook. The bottom is super-heavy and goes all the way to the edge. Sauteeing is dream, as the heat is constant - more like a nice dutch oven than a regular pan. It seemed to take slightly longer to reach high pressure than the Kunh Rikon (6 or 7 minutes for 2 cups of rice and 6 cups of liquid vs. maybe 5 for the Kuhn Rikon), which makes sense because it's a lot heavier. Once it reached pressure, I turned the heat very low, and the pressure remained high - much less fiddling with the heat on my gas stove to keep the pressure even than with the Kuhn Rikon. The first dish I made was a paella-flavored risotto - no scorching and it was completely perfect in exactly the time noted in Lorna Sass's recipes for risotto. My husband then made a Korean stew with tofu and beef short ribs - the meat was falling off the bone after 20 minutes at pressure and a natural release. Amazing! I like the pressure release button - no more having to waste water cooling the cooker for a quick release, and no more mess. The little "hat" that covers the well surrounding the pressure valve on the Kuhn Rikon fell off years ago, and so water collects in that well when cooling it with water, and then that water spills when taking the lid off. There is no well on the top of the Fissler, so this would not be an issue, though I don't know why one would use water when the button works so well. I wear steamproof oven mitts and put a dish towel over the pot to contain the steam when using the pressure-release button. The pressure indicator is easy to see. It's easy to clean, though it is really heavy so definitely use 2 hands to move it around. I expect that it will serve well for another 20 years. It appears that replacement parts are available, so I will replace the gasket and other rubber/plastic bits regularly. I waited too long to do this with the Kuhn Rikon, and when I finally did, it made a large difference in performance of the pot. The Fissler is a functional thing of beauty! I highly recommend this pressure cooker.
Similar item to consider
Discover similar items
& Up
Capacity: Up to 1 qt
Capacity: 2 to 3 qt
Material: Stainless Steel
Material: Ceramic
Black
Grey
Product Grade: Commercial Grade
No results available. Please adjust the filters and try again.
$219
$200
$349
$419
$34List:$49.99
$430
$209
$94
$41
$64
$243
$300
You might also like
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Videos
Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1
Videos for this product
3:48
Click to play video
Fissler Vitaquick Pressure Cooker
Paint, Plants, Pets
Compare with similar items
This Item  Fissler vitaquick Pressure Cooker Stainless Steel Induction, 8.5 Quart, silver |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $419.95 | $259.95 | -11% $169.95 List: $189.99 | -12% $105.97 List: $119.99 | -16% $67.54 List: $79.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Aug 6 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Aug 3 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Aug 3 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Aug 3 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Aug 3 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Easy to clean | ||||||
| Lock Feature | ||||||
| Safety Features | ||||||
| Versatility | ||||||
| Durability | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Fissler America | Fissler America | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| capacity | 8.5 quarts | 6.3 quarts | 1.9 quarts | 8 quarts | 8 quarts | 6 quarts |
| operation mode | Manual | Manual | Manual | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| control method | touch | touch | touch | touch | touch | touch |
| material | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Stainless Steel, stainless-steel |
| dishwasher safe | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| weight | 4 pounds | — | 2000 grams | 15.83 pounds | 8.85 pounds | 6.6 pounds |
Reviews with images
Excellent product beware of Euromatic Valve defect
I was very excited to receive this pressure cooker. It is truly a well built item that will last very long.As soon as I did the water test. I realized that the handle area was leaking steam and would not stop leaking.After doing this test 3 times and getting consistent results. I realized that the problem was caused by the Euromatic valve located inside the handle. part # 011-631-00-750I looked up images on the Fissler website for this valve. The valve should have a round white plastic looking tip.The valve on my pressure cooker did not have this component. It just had a square metallic end.course of action:1) Research. I went to the Williams Sonoma store in my neighborhood and looked at their Fissler pressure cookers only to discover that their valves were just like mine! (defective :-)). Yep.2) I emailed Fissler Usa. Got no reply. I then called them. I spoke to a lady that told me that I would have to mail them the tiny valve. They would then proceed to test it in the laboratory. If in fact it was defective they would send me a new one.I told her that I had spent close to $300 and the valve is $14 retail. Just send me the valve. . . She said no.So, finally I bit the bullet and bought the valve from the fissler website. My Pressure Cooker works like a charm. I plan on using it daily. Made pulled pork using a pork shoulder and it was a great success. The cleaning was a breeze. This thing is a tank!Conclusion: Buyer beware. There must be a huge batch of these problematic valves in the US. Fissler USA needs to realize that and fix it. The actual product is fantastic though.
