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Consumer product testing was done on the Kuhn Rikon Duromatic ®
8 Liter Hotel model pressure cooker
22 cm (8-3/4 in) diameter
8 liter (8-1/2 quart) capacity
Shhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone, but I have a confession to make. I have been petrified of using pressure cookers ever since I had one explode all over myself and my kitchen while trying to cook soy beans. My husband and I were scraping hard-as-concrete bean remnants from the walls, ceiling and windows, and picking out impaled beans from the nooks and crannies for days! I was very thankful that no one was hurt and I vowed never to use a pressure cooker again.
In the years since that incident, we have canned quite a bit using a large pressure canner. I did all the prep work, and since I was still hesitant to use anything “under pressure”, my husband took care of the operations.
So, why am I here reviewing a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker? When I was asked to review the Kuhn Rikon, I immediately read all I could on the product and was very impressed with its reputation and claims. What actually convinced me to give it a try, in spite of my fear of pressure cooking, was the information I read in The New York Times about the superior safety and construction of this Swiss-made “Mercedes-Benz of pressure cookers”.
Some of the features that helped me decide to use the product were:
- 5 over-pressure safety systems, UL listed
- integrated automatic lid-locking system
- 18/10 stainless steel will not interact with food and is dishwasher safe
- solid thermal aluminum sandwich for even browning and rapid heat absorption
- stainless steel steaming plate
- new generation spring-loaded precision valve
- user-friendly operation
- interior fill lines
- 10-year warranty on all non-replaceable parts, material and workmanship
The first food I cooked was herbed garlic and chive potatoes, (recipe below) which turned out fabulous and cooked in only 10 minutes. My husband was by my side, (to protect me!) and he walked through the cooking process with me and commented repeatedly how much he liked the Kuhn Rikon over our previous brand of pressure cooker. He said he preferred the Kuhn Rikon because of the heavy-duty construction and workmanship and its superior performance in our use and testing.
The second food I made was a pot roast, which also was a huge hit, and only took an hour of cooking time. This time, I handled all the prep AND the operations by myself and I was thrilled at how easy and safe it was to use.
In comparing my previous stainless pressure cooker with the Kuhn Rikon, both my husband and I noticed using the Kuhn Rikon, there was no steam escaping while cooking. What a plus! The noise, heat and moisture of my previous pressure cooker were gone. Instead, we were thrilled to use such a quiet, sturdy, steam-less pressure cooker, cooking food in about 1/3 of the time it takes to cook conventionally. We also noted that it was easy to clean up and nothing stuck to the polished stainless steel, even on the inside.
I plan to use a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker very often in my own home and I highly recommend this exceptional product to other homemakers. My opinion is this is an excellent investment for families. Since pressure cooking allows cooking in a fraction of the time, it saves precious hours AND electricity or gas, saving money as well.
For more information on Kuhn Rikon, visit their website:
www.kuhnrikon.com
Pressure Roasted Garlic-Chive Potatoes
Makes 6 servings
(Use a 2 quart or larger pressure cooker)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin preferred
- 8 large baking potatoes, peeled and chunked
- 2 Tablespoons dried chives
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 cup water
Place oil in pressure cooker and heat over medium heat. Add chunked potatoes and stir while cooking to lightly brown on all sides. Add herbs and stir so the potatoes are coated.
Add water and bring to a boil. Close the lid and using high heat, bring the pressure to second red ring. Adjust heat to maintain pressure at second red ring. Cook for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow the pressure to escape naturally.
Per Serving 235 Calories; 5g Fat (17.7% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 44g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 16mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Grain(Starch); 0 Vegetable; 1 Fat.
© 1995-2010 Vickilynn Haycraft and Real Food Living. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this review may be copied, stored or transmitted in any medium, for any reason without prior written permission of the author.
About Vickilynn Parnes
