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My low fat vegetarian diet is greatly enhanced by preparing dry beans. Cuban black beans, smashed pinto beans, garbanzo beans, etc. I tried using someone else's Presto 6 quart aluminum and this one is much better. This has a bigger base and it vents much less steam so that I can put our gas burner on simmer and it maintains pressure. It is much easier to clean than the aluminum one that I tried that is all pitted inside. This does not have a complicated spring and plastic valve like the European style pressure cookers. So there is no low pressure setting, only high pressure or pressure release. But the weight that sits on the vent tube doesn't "jiggle" like the aluminum cooker I tried as this weight has a metal clip and the plastic around the weight doesn't allow the weight to rock from side to side. It mainly can only move up and down. Just a little bit of steam comes out to let you know it is at full pressure. I make my beans with no oil which is against what the manual requires, but I haven't had a problem *(EDIT see MAY update below). I looked through the vent tube afterwards during clean up and it has remained clean. I have run a pipe cleaner through the vent tube like the manual recommends. I use natural release (allow pressure to come down by itself) so maybe that is why I have not had problems. I also don't fill the pot more than the half way mark. I haven't used the release where you turn the weight to the position that releases pressure.The other pressure cooker I used had quite a bit of crud built up in the vent tube. I can see how if these pots build up enough crud to plug the vent tube that it could lead to an overpressure situation where the rubber plug would blow out and make a mess. With this style of pressure cooker I recommend doing like the manual says and looking through the vent tube every time that you use the pot.If you have read about the horror stories about melting pressure cookers, I think it is that people are using too much heat. I use high heat until the interlock pops up which means there is pressure but not the full 15 psi. I use a burner that is not bigger than the thick metal base. As pressure starts building, some steam vents from the interlock but not from the main vent with the weight sitting on top. I turn the flame down to medium. (EDIT: I now use high heat until steam is released from the main vent tube. I then lower my gas flame to high simmer. If you have an electric stove top that doesn't change temperature as quickly as a gas stove you need a different technique). Once I hear some venting coming from the vent tube under the weight, then high simmer is enough to keep this pressurized with a little steam being released from the vent tube under the weight. I can listen and tell how this thing is doing. I don't have to look at a pressure gauge so I can be doing something else in the kitchen. It is not completely silent but it is much quieter than the other "jiggler" model I tried. But I don't leave this thing unattended while it is on a burner. Hope this helps.Update 1/8/14:Deducted one star because Presto cheaped out on the fasteners. I replaced the two machined screws holding the handles to the pot body with stainless steel screws I bought at a hardware store. A little rust was visible on those 2 screws. Most of the rust though was on the star shaped washer. Used a number 3 phillips head screw driver although I believe one could also use a big flat head screwdriver to remove. I also am seeing a little rust on one of the screw heads holding the handle to the lid. Those screws may be harder for me to find in stainless steel. I believe another reviewer also mentioned that they had this problem.Tried Bon Ami to clean the inside of the pot. Didn't work well. Barkeeper's Friend (powder) which I read about in another review did clean the inside and outside of the pot well. I picked it up at a large physical store but it is available as an ad-on item on Amazon though the price is higher.May 6, 2014 Update:I have two of these PC's. One of the PC's I own is difficult to open and close. I am a guy with good hand strength so it is not a big deal for me, but it could be a significant issue for someone with weaker fingers. I wet the gasket with water and that helps to get the lid on. The instruction manual says to avoid oil on the gasket. I also have a Magafesa Pracktika Plus PC. It is a little more money (at current prices) and it doesn't come with a trivet and steamer insert. It is superior to the Presto though in my opinion. It is a bit taller and narrower though.I did call Presto and complain about the rust on the screws holding the handles to the pot and they did send me replacement screws.I grew up with pressure cookers, so the sound of the Presto is reassuring to me. This Presto Professional with its modified weight valve regulator is quieter than the rocking weight (jiggle top) valve on other Presto PC's and has been said, this modified weight regulator does allow for pressure release at the valve. This Presto makes a gurgling spitting sound from under the weight for a short time (that is when I start my cooking timing) before becoming a steady steam sound as opposed the interrupted steam release sound of a jiggle top PC. If you are new to Pressure Cooker's, I would suggest you consider the spring weighted valve cookers. They are much quieter and seem less scary. Once you learn how to place the gasket (search for Laura Pazzaglia's website with her excellent review of the Magafesa Pracktika Plus with pictures), the lid on the Magafesa goes on very easily. The Magafesa does require attention just like the Presto in that the way I know it is at 15 psi is that steam is released from the valve. It is just with the Magafesa, it is just a wisp of steam when the burner is adjusted correctly which in the case of my gas stove is at Low simmer. To maintain pressure on my stove with the Presto I need High Simmer. Not a big difference, but the Magafesa is more energy efficient.On my stove, the burner I use has a tiny burner inside of a larger ring. Simmer only burns the tiny burner. It really doesn't take a lot of heat to keep the cooker at pressure once it gets up to pressure.If you have hearing problems, operate in a noisy environment, or are just more of a visual person, then consider one of the PC's from Kuhn Rikon, WMF, Fagor (Chef Line), Fissler and I am sure others that have a VISUAL pressure indicator. Consider only if you are not that price sensitive because these cookers are a lot more expensive. Those pots let you know what pressure they are at by looking the what line the pressure indicator is at.The thing that pops up on the Presto, most Fagor, and the Magafesa PC's is there to protect you, not to tell you what pressure the pot is at. Once there is minimal pressure in the pot, that indicator/ interlock comes up interacting with the lid to physically prevent the operator (you) from accidentally opening the PC while it has pressure in it and having the lid blow off a pressurized pot with the obvious potential for serious injury.Presto has been in business for a long time and that makes me more confident that spare parts will be available down the road. With the Magafesa, spare parts are only (I believe) available through the manufacturer. I considered getting a Fagor Chef PC, but Fagor's bankruptcy in Spain made me leery of the long term availability of parts.The Presto will likely be less expensive to operate in the longer term as there are only 3 rubber parts to replace (the lid gasket, the gasket on the interlock, and the overpressure plug). The Magafesa has more silicone rubber parts that likely will need to be replaced over time. The white silicone rubber lid gasket of the Presto is much firmer than the grey silicone rubber of the Magafesa lid. I bet that the Presto gasket will last longer, but it also may be why the lid goes on so much easier over the more pliable Magafesa gasket.The white silicone lid gasket of the Presto has scattered little notches on the outside edge. They must be there to cause the gasket to buckle in an overpressure situation where the overpressure plug failed to come out. The Magafesa pot has a cutout in the side of the lid which will allow the gasket to bulge out there to depressurize the pot in case the other two safeties were to fail to depressurize the pot.All that said, I still use both my Presto Professional PC's and find them to be wonderful. But I must say that if you are new to pressure cooking, I would recommend the Magafesa Pracktika especially if the price differential isn't too great. The Presto is great too, and like all PC's, once you learn it you will be great with it.For example, I tried soaking black eyed peas to see what would happen (normally I don't soak them). At about 8 minutes of high pressure, the usual steam sound release from the pressure cooker changed and became much louder. Since I know what my PC normally sounds like, I immediately took it off heat and since I could still hear steam escape as it was off the burner, I allowed it to finish cooking (Natural pressure release). If it had become quiet, I would have done a cold water release to quickly depressurize. I know my PC and I know high simmer on my stove is enough to keep it pressurized. If it were ever to become quiet while cooking at high simmer, I wouldn't turn up the heat hoping to pressurize. I would assume that the vent pipe was completely clogged and do a cold water release. I would not assume that the pressure had dropped. I would assume that the pot could go into over pressure and trigger blowing the overpressure plug (a mess at best as many of the bad reviews attest, burn injury at worst).When I opened the pot, some of the black eyed pea skins had partially blocked the vent tube. Presto warns me to always use some oil to avoid this type of scenario, but I avoid that since I am trying to eat as low in fat as possible. So this was not a fault of the pot. I am operating the pot not according to the instructions, and still there was enough warning for me since I was there with the pot to get it into a safe condition.I use my pots to make beans. I/we eat a lot of beans and rice. I have lost more than 25 pounds, my cholesterol is down and so is my blood pressure all with just diet (low fat, no animal protein, no dairy, whole grains). A shout out to Dr. McDougall and his "Starch Solution" bookUpdate May 8, 2015Was getting leaks at lid gasket. Prior I had a leak that went away as soon as I tightened the screws that hold the handles onto the lid. Advice, remember to check the tightness of the screws that hold the handle onto the lid. You can also tighten and adjust the handles on the pot to give you more space to push down on the lid when closing.If the PC does not behave normally, I will take the pot off heat, then wet and readjust the lid gasket and it has always worked. Decided to replace lid gasket, interlock seal and overpressure plug and has been working great. I scanned the reviews. The main problem areas I read about when they occur are people have trouble closing the pressure cooker or the exploding pressure cooker reviews. The complaints about the pressure cooker being difficult to close are true. I wet the gasket before putting it in the lid. I then press down on the lid before twisting it on without the weight on. Then I put the weight on the lid. (Correction) The manual mentions that you can use cooking oil on the gasket and underside of lugs. So my advice is if you have trouble with this pressure cooker, shop for one with the longer handles so you have more leverage closing the lid.As far as the exploding pressure cookers, my guess is that this is mainly operator error. What people generally mean by "exploding" is the overpressure plug blows out. It is a rubber cork in the top with some metal inside the rubber. I am sure it is a traumatic event that creates a truly terrible mess. It must be an awful experience. I am writing this in the hope that it may assist you in avoiding this outcome.The vent tube on the lid must be checked before using every time. EVERY TIME. I look through the vent tube to make sure it is perfectly clean. I use pipe cleaners that I got from a cigar store to clean crud from the vent tube the few times this has been necessary. The pressure cooker requires monitoring. I use the cooker every week. I know about how long it takes to get up to pressure. If it doesn't pressurize like normal, I take it off the heat, depressurize the pot, open the lid and check everything. If you leave it on high heat with the pot leaking at the lid gasket, interlock, lid handle, or overpressure plug, it will scorch your food. If the pot stops venting normally, then some of the food may have plugged up the vent tube. It the vent gets plugged and the heat is left on, the overpressure plug will blow out spewing hot food contents. This has never happened to me but I am aware it could happen so I am cautious. Once the pot gets up to pressure, it requires very little heat to stay at pressure. On my gas range, I turn it down to simmer on the very smallest burner once the steam starts being released from the vent tube.Second update on May 14, 2016As a matter of habit, I hand tighten the 4 lid screws before every use along with the safety inspection of the vent hole and cleaning with a pipe cleaner at the vent hole when it does not look spotless to me. This has eliminated the loss of pressure there so I have had no further incidents of no pressurization. I know to order new rubber parts for my cooker when I have an incident of no pressurization that is not easily explained which has not happened to me in a while with my newish rubber parts. If you have no pressurization, remember that after safely opening the PC, just remove the sealing gasket and flip it over. That keeps me going until I get new rubber parts. I also check the tightness of the screws that hold the plastic handles onto the pot.
