Over the weekend, our old friend Alex came to visit Ottawa and stayed at St. Clement. Alex is a chef so whenever he drops by he would carry with him something for us. This time he brought with him a pressure cooker that he has kindly gifted to us – thank you Alex!! We learned that Alex has recently started a pressure cooker review blog called Cook With Pressure and travels occasionally to hold workshops on pressure cooking.
During his visit we were able to get Alex to cook us something using the new pressure cooker. He brought us a Fagor pressure cooker. This company is one of the older established brands. You’ve probably seen one of their pressure cookers on shows like MasterChef. According to their company website they have 7 product lines: Rapid Express, Splendid, Duo, Elite, Cayenne, Futuro, and Chef. We received the Futuro pressure cooker.
We obviously haven’t used it much yet but we’d like to share with you what we think of it so far.
Alex picked this one for us because it’s the perfect size for St. Clement. It comes in 4-quart, 6-quart, and 10-quart sizes. We got the 6-quart – not too big and not too small. The great thing for us is it comes with two short handles so we can store it easily. The other Fagor cookers have at least one long handle.
Here are the specifications from Fagor:
- 18/10 Stainless Steel Construction
- Spring valve mechanism in dial format
- Stainless steel steamer basket/grater included
- Short side handles for enhanced space saving capabilities
- Easy-cleaning auto pressure release valve reduces food particle build up
- No-hassle self locking handle
- Visual Pressure Indicator
- Triple Safety System features dual pressure control valve plus two independent over pressure release valves
- Impact Bonded Diffuser Base for even heat distribution and fuel efficiency
- Safe on all domestic cooking surfaces: gas, electric, ceramic, induction
- 10 Year Warranty
- Instruction manual
- Includes full color “Tastefully Under Pressure” cookbook
The Futuro is made out of stainless steel and aluminum so we can see it lasting for years. It comes with a 10-year warranty anyway so you’ll having a working cooker for at least 10 years.
One thing we’re concerned about, and likely you have this concern too, is how safe these things are. We’ve all heard the horror stories about lids popping up all over the place. But actually all modern pressure cookers like our Futuro have a lock on the lid. They do not open until all the steam and pressure have dissipated. As a matter of fact, when Alex was demonstrating with ours the lid wouldn’t open after cooking so we had to run it under cold water to release it.
Based on Alex’s demonstration we can see it as something we’ll use daily. They cook food quickly and seem easy enough to operate. You don’t even need to add many spices or oil and the food comes out delicious. We look forward to using the cookbook to learn how to cook with a pressure cooker.
If we could add one thing to this cooker, it’s the ability to can food as well. The Futuro doesn’t have this function, but the Duo product line does. If you want a pressure canner you should check out pressure canner reviews over at Cook With Pressure.
For your next stay at St. Clement, look for our new breakfast creations!