Cook's Illustrated Reviewed Pressure Cookers - Part Two Part One CI liked the Spanish manufactured Fagor Duo 8 Quart because it has an excellent, locking handle with clear markings, and a wide bottom the recipe book. They missed the pressure indiator, and mistakenly thought pressure was determine by a "gentle steady stream of steam". Miss Vickie Says: I have long recommended the Fagor brand, but the design of the handle did not make as big an impact on me. I rated this cooker high because it is widely available in the US, with no shortage of spare parts dealers. I like the solid construction and the ease of disassembling the valve which makes cleaning a snap. The Fagor does indeed have a brightly colored pop up button that clearly indicates when the cooker is pressurized, it is quite visible on the top of the handle. Again, it may be that the article is not clear enough, but I think they were trying to find a separate indicator for each different pressure setting. The pressure settings and pressure inficator are separate functions, and I cam only think they did not understand the difference. Recommended With Reservations C.I. gave a second place, limited recommendation to the Spanish made Magefesa Classic 8 Quart. Finally, we wanted widely available models., again having a particular preference for the locking handle and stating it pressurized somewhat faster. The testers at CL had to rely on a gentle steady flow steam, as an indicator of pressure. They also noted that the quick release was awkward and became hot to the touch, and faulted the instruction manual as being wholly inadequate: unclear and with translation errors , as well as the lack of recipes included. Miss Vickie Says: Unfortunately, I can't give this brand my seal of approval, because of the very things mentioned and the Cook's Illustrated article. Additionally, there are very few distributors that carry the brand, and even less that stock easily available replacement parts. Magefesa no longer sells the Rapid series in the US, replacing it with the Classic which is a developed weight model. This hybrid pressure cooker is a blend of some features found in modern pressure cookers coupled with the old-style pressure regulating vent. This means the cook will need to get used to cooking by sound - awkward to say the least. Unlike modern pressure cookers, this unit comes with an old style pressure regular that operates by releasing a noisy burst of steam from the pressure regulator in the handle of the cooker. I was also put off by the short warranty, at only five years, it' considerably less than other second-generation pressure cookers within its price range. The German made WMF Perfect Plus was given a third place rating by the reviewers at Cook's Illustrated. They did point out the unusually high price, and once again focused on the handle of this pressure cooker, noting that its detachable and easy to clean as well as lock in place. The WMF has a brightly marked, combination pressure valve-pressure indicator that clearly shows the to pressure settings available. The cooks in the test kitchen evidently had a dislike for the loud hooting noise this particular cooker, remarking that they would never want it in their kitchen. Miss Vickie Says: This is a handsome and well-made German pressure cooker. Last year, when the company asked me to review their brand, I had one reservation that prevented me from giving it my endorsement, the unit did not meet the standard 15psi pressure setting. The reviewers at Cook's Illustrated, gave the WMF high marks, but they failed to note the lower pressure which means that users will have to adjust every recipe to accommodate this brand. The article further stated, Unfortunately, at high pressure it makes a continuous hum that many cooks found very, very annoying. The WMF brand, does indeed make a loud noise, when it is OVER-PRESSURED, a clear warning for the user to adjust the heat to a lower setting. This is a beneficial feature, and I'm surprised that the reviewers did not recognize it as such and evidently continued cooking with the unit overheated and over-pressured. Although it appears they did not recognize this very loud noise as a warning and continued cooking with the pressure cooker operating at high pressure. Cook's Illustrated reviewed the Swiss manufacture Kuhn-Rikon Duromatic 7.4 Quart in third place -- liked the well marked pressure indicator - valve combination. With their penchant for handles, they missed a locking mechanism. Continuing along in a state of confusion they erroneously stated the unit had no quick release feature. They also did not understand the purpose, or the correct procedure in using the Cold Water Released Method. Evidently the instructions that left to them flummoxed was this, only the rim should be rinsed ... is very awkward. Miss Vickie Says: This pressure cooker has always has my recommendation. The reviewers faulted the Kuhn-Rikon because there is no indication showing if the handle was locked. Since the locking lid on the KR, just any other modern pressure cooker, only fits one way, I do not find this to be a particular problem. The reviewers confusion about the Cold Water Release Method, affected their review. They did not know how to properly operate the quick release mechanism and incorrectly stated that it lacked such a feature - a grave disservice to the readership as well as the manufacturer. Everyone who has ever owned a pressure cooker knows better than to run a stream of water directly over the venting mechanism which is why it is directed over the side or rim of the pot. You Decide - Which Would You Pick? Ranking Order Construction Lid Lock Pressure Settings Inside Measures Warranty Accessories Fagor Duo 18/10 Stainless Steel, Encapsulated Bottom, Mat Finish Yes Low 8.5 psi, High 15 psi   10 Year Warranty - steam basket, wire trivet, instruction manual and 50 recipe book` Magefesa Classic 18/10 Stainless Steel Encapsulated Bottom, Mirror Finish Yes 15psi only   5 Year Warranty steam basket, wire trivet, poorly translated instruction manual with few recipes WMF Perfect Plus 18/10 Stainless Steel, Encapsulated Bottom, Mirror Finish Yes non-standard Low 8.5 psi, High 13 psi 5 3/16 high 8 5/8 wide 3-year Warranty instruction manual with few recipes Kuhn-Rikon Duromatic 18/10 Stainless Steel Encapsulated Bottom, Mirror Finish No Low 10 psi, High 15 psi   10 Year Warranty SS rack, instruction manual, 75 recipe cookbook   NOT RECOMMENDED BY COOK'S ILLUSTRATED Cook's Illustrated eliminated electronic pressure cookers at the start of testing because they didn't have the fine point more control as stove top cookers. They opted for durable stainless steel in all cases due to problems with aluminum scorching. and reacting with some ingredients to create off flavors. Another important factor was pot size. We wanted a cooker that could handle up to eight servings. Because pressure cookers can be filled only up to two-thirds of their capacity, we focused on 8-quart pots. U.S.manufactured Presto 8 Quart Stainless (#01370): Was not recommended, that stated the best feature of the Presto is a valve that indicates when all the pressure has been released. Otherwise, the review focused on the short handles which became too hot. They also cited scorching and water spitting out in different directions as problems. Chinese made Innova Stainless Steel 8 Quart (#42008) Cook's Illustrated did not recommend the Innova and faulted this brand in a number of areas from the unclear instruction manual to the number of small, removable parts that must be detached with every use . The cooker vented steam straight up and it was hard to determine the exact amount of pressure or know when pressure was gone without risking a burn injury.