Kuhn Rikon 3342 5-1/4-Quart Stainless-Steel Pressure Cooker

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17478 in Kitchen & Housewares
  
• Size: 5.25 qt.
• Brand: Kuhn Rikon
• Model: 3342
• Dimensions: 9.00" h x
  9.75" w x
  16.13" l,
  6.50 pounds
  

Features

• 5-quart saucepan-style pressure cooker made of 18/10 stainless steel; holds up to eight 1/2-pint or four 1-pint jars for canning
• Solid thermal aluminum sandwich in bottom for even browning and rapid heat absorption
• Five over-pressure safety systems; automatic locking system; spring-loaded precision valve
• Saves time and 70 percent of energy normally consumed while cooking
• Made in Switzerland; hand washing recommended; 10-year warranty

• 5-quart saucepan-style pressure cooker made of 18/10 stainless steel; holds up to eight 1/2-pint or four 1-pint jars for canning
• Solid thermal aluminum sandwich in bottom for even browning and rapid heat absorption
• Five over-pressure safety systems; automatic locking system; spring-loaded precision valve
• Saves time and 70 percent of energy normally consumed while cooking
• Made in Switzerland; hand washing recommended; 10-year warranty

Product Description

Prepare food in one-third the time of conventional methods with these Duromatic pressure cookers from Kuhn Rikon. Surgical stainless steel retains its polish, even in the dishwasher. Features an automatic lid-locking system. Made in Switzerland.

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

113 of 113 people found the following review helpful.
The best pressure cooker I have used so far
By Pankaj SAXENA
I've gone through 4 or 5 pressure cookers in the last 10 years, and I think I've finally found one I like. I work full time (40-60 hours a week), and I like to cook, so the time saved by pressure cooking is important to me. I use the pressure cooker mostly for meat, potatoes, beans and lentils. Typically, meat cooks in about 1/3 the time it would take in a regular pot. Pressure cooked meat is very tender and flavorful, but you need some experience in matching the cooking time to the type of meat. You have to be careful not to overcook.

The construction and finish of this cooker are excellent. It is made of stainless steel, with a thick aluminum plate at the bottom to spread the heat. This is a useful feature. Typically, pressure cooking requires high heat initially to quickly build up steam pressure before you turn the heat down. That is when food can burn and stick to the bottom of the cooker. This cooker spreads heat very well. So long as you use the prescribed amount of water or other cooking liquid, this cooker will not burn food at the bottom.

There is a two-level steam pressure indicator on the lid. The cooker comes with two booklets containing recipes, and a very comprehensive list of recommended cooking times for all sorts of meats, poultry, vegetables, beans, etc. If you follow directions, the cooker does not whistle or otherwise make any objectionable sounds. I can barely hear it from 10 feet away. Of course, if you forget to turn down the heat after the cooker is up to full cooking pressure, it will release a loud burst of steam. This is a safety feature.

The cooker has a shield on top of the lid to direct any escaping steam downwards, so there is no danger of burning your hands.

Kuhn-Rikon recommends using nylon spatulas to maintain the mirror-like finish, but you'll find them sadly inadequate when, for example, browning meat. I use a heavy gauge steel Calphalon spatula and steel tongs. After several months, I can see minor scratch marks inside the cooker, but the outside is still bright and shiny! Anyway, cookware should be designed to take this kind of handling -- it is meant to be useful rather than decorative. Stainless steel is the best material to withstand normal levels of use and abuse, and this cooker handles it well.

Keep in mind that a pressure cooker can't be filled to the top when cooking. It should never be more than half or two-thirds full, so the 5 liter capacity translates to about 2.5-3.0 liters of usable capacity. If you cook large quantities, you might want to get a bigger model.

This is a relatively expensive cooker, but it is well worth the money.

114 of 118 people found the following review helpful.
Mom under pressure
By Meg K
As a mom of two active boys I need my Duromatic pressure cooker almost every day. Especially after swimming they are starving and want real food fast! A standard dish is my 7 mintues risotto.I just throw in whatever I can find in the fridge or follow the great recipe provided in the cookbook "Quick Cuisine" that comes with the cooker. For all of you out there who are afraid of pressure cookers I have this to say: This unit is a high tech and safe as your computer! It's so easy to use even my husband can do it. Some of my favorit dishes: Beef stew, BBQ pot roast, beets, corn on the cob (no boiling 10 gallons of water) potatos for mashed or salad, whole chicken in 20 minutes! Well you just have to try it out. This cooker is the best--my kids will tell you so.

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful.
Mercedes Benz - Not the Most Reliable
By Crispy
Let me carry the analogy of New York Times a little further - this pressure cooker does have nifty features that other's do not, but...(a) it is expensive, (b) not the most reliable cooker, (c) maintenance costs a lot, (d) you really can live without those nifty features.Being Indian, I grew up in a house where pressure cooker was used at least once a day. In Indian grocery stores, pressure cookers are available at a third, or fourth of the price, so this pressure cooker is expensive. But it does look better, and has nifty features.As another reviewer pointed out it is not the most reliable cooker as some plastic parts have poor quality. In my cooker, a plastic part in the steam-deflector disk broke within two weeks. There goes one of the nifty features. After two years of daily use, auxiliary pressure valve is mal-functioning, main pressure valve often gets stuck ( and makes a mess by spurtting out water), handles are cracking, and coming loose easily. One does not expect these problems from an expensive cooker.I just ordered these replaceble parts (which are not covered under warranty) and the bill is over 75$, so maintenance is expensive. Mind you one can buy a whole pressure cooker for less than $50.Now for the nifty features: it touts four safety features, well most modern pressure cooker have three safety features: main pressure valve, auxiliary pressure valve (if main gets stuck), and a rubber ring blow out hole, should auxiliary valve also fail. So steam deflector thingy is extra safety. It is nicely made of quality steel/aluminum and looks good, heats fast and evenly.The best feature is spring loaded pressure valve with two red lines to indicate two different pressure. In old style weight-valves, you never know how much the pressure is (after a couple of months of daily cooking you develop an intuition though) until the weight valve lifts off and lets the steam out. It results in over-cooking, requires more water to be put in. In this pressure cooker, very little or no water is lost, and cooking can be controled a little better and can be finished a little faster. This is the feature because of which I will again buy this pressure cooker, and I am paying for costly maintenance. Having your potatos and dal cooked exactly right, if you know what I mean, is worth the price.