Reviewing the Reviewers at Cook's Illustrated

Part Two    

Cook's Illustrated published a new report on pressure cookers in their January issue. I was gravely concerned, and in my opinion the article was filled with misinformation that I felt resulted in completely inaccurate conclusions. Rather than helping cooks to make an informed purchasing decision, I think the article contains too many discrepancies that could be misleading to novices or anyone interested in pressure cooking. I posted my misgivings in the C.I. forum, but they chose to remove it rather than address my points.

The Testing Was Inadequate

The article lists six well-known brands of stovetop pressure cookers which were "Tested" By Cook's Illustrated who rated cookers by price, performance and convenience. The four tests C.I. used to rate the pressure cookers were:

  1. The time it took each cooker to reach full pressure and release pressure, and then measured the liquid lost.
  2. We sprinkled flour evenly on the bottom and used direct heat to see it the pans had cold or hot spots or scorched easily.
  3. We prepared risotto, which requires quick pressure release, and baked beans, which require natural release.
  4. We also judged the pots on ease of cleaning, but most of them cleaned easily.

The Testing Parameters Were Weak
  1. All these pressure cookers pressurize evenly and quickly the cause of the three ply base, the actual time difference is minuscule and unimportant unless one uses a stop watch. several factors can affect the length of time it takes for a cooker to pressurize, including the fill level, the consistency and the temperature of the food.
  2. The so-called Browning Test, while important on pans that do not have a three ply insulated base, is not a consideration in modern pressure cookers designed to evenly distribute heat. Operator error - overheating, overcooking and over pressuring - caused by maintaining the heat source too high, is the primary reason that food burn.
  3. there was no explanation given as to why only two of the three routine methods of releasing pressure in a pressure cooker were used, and the cold water released method omitted.
  4. the report doesn't detail the type of cleaning performed -- handwashing or the dishwasher -- in our busy lives, we'd all prefer the ease of cleanup and most of the base units of modern pressure cooker brands are safe for dishwashing. The lids and gaskets must still be washed by hand.

What The Recommendations Should Have Included - But Didn't

Standard Pressure Settings

Pressure cooker recipes are designed around a long-established standard of 15 psi, when a pressure cooker does not meet the minimum standard cooks will be forever adjusting and modifying Recipe times, often with unpredictable and unsatisfactory results.

Length Of Warranty

The longer the length of warranty, implies that a product is exceptionally well-made in the company stands behind it and indicates a high commitment to customer service.

Replacement Parts Availability

A regardless of the make or model, eventually all pressure cooker' will require replacement parts, and this is primarily the sealing gasket. The brands that are widely available indicate increased sales and widespread customer satisfaction with the product which translates into readily available replacement parts from more than one supplier.

Accessory Items Included

Pressure cooker's use accessory items to expand the types of foods and kinds of recipes that can be prepared. obviously, brands that include an assortment of accessory items need more bang for the buck. some brands, the Fagor in particular, offer a wide assortment of aftermarket accessory items.

Reviewing The Review - Part One

C. I. says: "Instead of boiling at 212 degrees, the water in a pressure cooker, usually under about 15 pounds of pressure, doesn't boil until it reaches 250 degrees."

    Miss Vickie Says: Inconceivably, the reviewers did not place any priority on precise pressure settings, a very important consideration in pressure cookery. Pressure cookers have used a standard pressure setting of 15psi since 1917. Since the vast majority of pressure cooker recipes are written to comply with this standard setting, it is so commonplace that most recipes do not even mention the pressure setting at all.

    However, if a pressure cooker does not meet the 15psi standard, the user is forced to adapt every recipe, a time-consuming chore that defeats one of the primary benefits of pressure cooking, namely - Speed. The longer cooking times also destroy more nutrients, and often produce unsatisfactory results in the finished dish, not to mention wasting more of the cook's valuable time.

    Did the reviewers at C.I. even recognize that all of the units they tested DID NOT use the same pressure setting? The WMF brand, for example, uses less than the standard 15psi. This is a serious omission in my view, and it makes me question the entire testing process.

C. I. says: "Cooking times can be cut by one-third or even by half. "

    Miss Vickie Says: Clearly a misstatement that only adds to the confusion for anyone who might be considering the advantages of pressure cooking. Any standard pressure cooker with a setting of 15psi will reduce the cooking time by 70%, that's two-thirds, not one third, a tremendous difference from the erroneous information proved in the review.

C. I. says: "Because we didn't need to worry about safety, we rated the cookers we tested by price, performance, and convenience."

    Miss Vickie Says: Not all pressure cookers are created equal, and the number of safety features vary by manufacturer and design. In my considered opinion, it is completely indefensible to dismiss the importance of the safety system in a pressure cooker. Before purchasing any pressure cooker, the informed buyer should carefully evaluate the unit, selecting one with the maximum number of safety features. The best models will have 5 to 6 levels of added security to prevent any of the unexpected "accidents" that plagued vintage versions.

C. I. says:" Because pressure cookers can be filled only up to two-thirds of their capacity--"

    Miss Vickie Says: The two-thirds full rule is only partly correct and could be misleading to new pressure cooker users. There is no mention of the half-full rule, an important safeguard in the Ten Golden Rules Of Pressure Cooking, that applies to foods that foam, froth, or expand, and when cooking mostly liquids such as stock.

C. I. says: "While we liked the [Kuhn-Rikon] valve that clearly indicates both high and low pressure, we were uncomfortable with the fact that the handle has no locking mechanism."

    Miss Vickie Says: " Perhaps Cook's Illustrated meant to say that there is no "separate" locking mechanism. Like most pressure cookers on the market today, this brand uses an interlocking lid system so it's quite easy to see when the top and bottom handles of the Kuhn-Rikon are properly aligned, indicating the lid is correctly locked in place.

C. I. says: "Second, while several of the cookers suggest running a pot under water as an alternative method for quick release, in the [Kuhn-Rikon] Duromatic this is the only option. Further, the maker says that only the rim should be rinsed, and manipulating the hot, heavy pot in the sink is very awkward."

    Miss Vickie Says: There are two separate, problematic statements here; the quick release mechanism, and how to correctly use the cold water release method, and both are incorrect.

    It is patently an error to state the Kuhn-Rikon does not have a quick release option. This brand has one of the best owner's manuals of any popular pressure cooker brand, and the "Touch Release Method", as well as the "Cold Water Release Method", are clearly described on page ten in my manual. This particular Kuhn-Rikon model uses a combination, all-in-one pressure indicator and quick pressure release valve. This requires the user to push, and hold the valve down as the cooker depressurizes. While somewhat less convenient than the newest Kuhn-Rikon model, it is still very easy to rapidly exhaust this cooker.

    I suspect that the reviewers may have lacked adequate experience in using pressure cookers if they were confused about something as basic as how to correctly use the cold water release method. All release methods have some safety caveats, and when using the cold water release method it is extremely important that the water is ONLY allowed to run over the edge of the pot and down the sides, but NOT directly over the valve. Doing so can create a very powerful vacuum inside the cooker that will cause irreparable damage - and I have a large stainless steel pressure cooker with a concave lid to show for one moment of careless inattention in not properly tilting the pot.

C. I. says: "The [Kuhn-Rikon] Duromatic showed no advantage over its much less expensive competitors; in fact, it has several shortcomings. There is no indication of when the handle is locked in place…"

    Miss Vickie Says: " Perhaps Cook's Illustrated meant to say that there is no "separate locking mechanism", it isn't clear. However, it is quite easy to see when the top and bottom handles of the Kuhn-Rikon are aligned, and therefore be assured the lid is correctly locked in place. Since the lid only goes on one-way, it would be impossible to make a mistake.

C. I. says: … the procedure for quick pressure release [in the Kuhn-Rikon Duromatic] is hard to follow, requiring that you place only the rim of the pot under running water."

    Miss Vickie Says: Another misstatement, and I suspect that the reviewers may not have had ant experience in using pressure cookers. However, even a novice can read the extremely well written owner's manual to see how the quick release mechanism works. The Kuhn-Rikon uses a combination, all-in-one pressure indicator and quick pressure release valve. This requires the user to push, and hold the valve down as the cooker depressurizes, somewhat less convenient than other brands, but easy enough to do. The reviewers also expressed some confusion about using the cold water release method. This is a very common, and the fastest, method of releasing pressure and is used often when cooking tender crisp vegetables.

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