Casa Essentials Aluminum Pressure Cooker, 5 Qt. Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Like the other poster, I got this at Macy's for around $33. It's the budget Fagor line. Apparently what this means is a few simple things:
1. it's aluminum, not stainless steel
2. it's 9", not 10"
3. it's old-fashioned
4. it works, but with some caveats
Let's take each of those in reverse:
4. Fagor knows what they're doing.
3. This means that the pressure technology is the old kind, where pressure builds up and starts rocking a little bobbin on the steam vent. This noisy constant buzzing if off-putting to some cooks, but you want to hear it because it means everything's steaming along.
Newer designs have dials and assorted pressure settings, that give you more control and allow you to release the steam instantly and safely. This one is lower-tech. When you turn off the burner, it slowly loses pressure (okay for beans and meats, not so great for veggies and seafood). To instantly release, you have to carry it to your sink and run cold water over it. However, this is easy enough if your sink is close, and it works every time.
It does have an auto-locking mechanism (so it cannot be opened when pressurized), and it has two more safety features: a backup steam vent, and if all else fails the gasket blows. Ideally, these features would never be employed, but it's nice to have them.
2. It's 5 qts., which might be small for some. I'm generally cooking for two, and you can fit a whole 4 lb. chicken in it or three or so lamb shanks (and it cooks beautifully), so it's just fine for me. The proportions are ample and aesthetically pleasing.
1. Many people cook fine with uncoated aluminum all over the world. You have to make your own choice how you feel about that. However, it's not completely non-reactive: acids like citrus and vinegar can lead to pitting of the metal. This isn't the pot for frequent tomato gravy. Unfortunately, I tried those things eventually and found it did end up affecting flavor of other items.
Bottom line, I've made 16-bean soup, beef stew, whole chicken and chicken-cut-up, baked beans, ham hocks and black beans, and am online today to buy a springform pan to try and make a cheesecake in it. I use it weekly since I bought it, and I find it a great time saver. Some tips for flavor: brown first if possible. I haven't had a real problem with sticking (no worse than other pans). Use a trivet under big pieces of meat (I found some on ebay). Do all your spicing with dry herbs at the beginning; they will rehydrate beautifully. Add as little oil or fat as possible; remember it's got nowhere to go once sealed, and meats will baste themselves. However, you should use oil with beans, to prevent foaming.
I do agree that it's a good starter cooker, but I have since upgraded to a stainless steel model. I miss that bouncing bobbin, though!


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