Hi there,
This year Christmas, I finally got a present for myself which has been long overdued and now I am the proud owner of a pair of.. pressure cookers. Wohoo!Β π
I have long wanted a pressure cooker, and after surveying with many people who have it, I narrowed down to getting the WMF Germany made Pressure cookers. So for the whole of 2011, I have been “monitoring” pricing of pressure cookers, mind you, the thing that deters me from getting earlier on, was just how steep the price is. Also I feel if I were to get one for myself, I want to get something which has good reviews and be recommended by others.
So there I was scrutinising every pressure cooker ads on newspaper, narrowed down to WMF for its quality but the price was really a steep, so waiting and waiting and waiting for promotions, and FINALLY! eyed at this perfect set, which cost nearΒ $700 without discount! Oh boy!Β then the discount kept rollingΒ at OG, Takashimaya, which cost $369 instead!
But patience really is a virtue, I finally waited for the Robinson sale, and got it at the same price, but the difference is I got $200 robinson’s vouchers! Yeah! So from $700 down to $169, sweet deal isn’t it? π
The Perfect Pair came with one 6.5 L pot and also a 3 L pressure cooker, comes with 1 free glass cover and also steamer set too.I was told the 6.5 L was good for soup while the 3L one is great for stews like braised soya sauce pork etc.
Each set comes with an instruction guide and also a listing of the cooking time needed for dishes like stews, vegetables, meats & seafood.
Advantages of Pressure Cooker
- Save electricity if you use induction cooker
- Save gas if you use stove
- Retain juices and soups of the food
- Retain nutrients as cooking time has been drastically shortened
- Fast cooking time, save so much monitoring time
- All in All, save $$$ in the long term
Disadvantages of Pressure Cooker
- “Fear” of exploding the whole pot & ruin your kitchen
- “Fear” of spending tonnes of money on a kitchen gadget
- “Fear” of not knowing how to use a pressure cooker
See, it is really more on the fear, or at least that is what I have for the last couple of years. Now that I have become the official owner for this piece of gadget, I am already so looking forward to it, especially this coming chinese new year.
To ward off your fear, I will just put it a very simple instructions of how to use the pressure cooker, let’s start with soup.
* The pot comes with a handle that lock in the pressure in the cooker & your guide will be the ring on top of this handle, which isΒ how long you want your food to be cooked.
- You can throw in all the ingredients into the pot and pour in the “exact” amount of liquid you want after it is cooked.
- Turn up to high heat on the stove, if the recipe call for 2 rings, wait till this ring to appear and once the 2nd ring is up, turn it to low heat. (As a safety precaution, if the cooker has excess pressure, the pot will make a sound to tell you to turn down the heat so it is really safe)
- Cooking officially starts when you turn to low heat, that is where the pressure will start to do the cooking. Follow the instruction guide e.g. for soups if they said 10 minutes, then leave the low heat for 10 minutes
- Once 10 mins reached, turn off the heat, the residual heat will continue to cook & once the ring falls back to where it original is, then you can open the pot as the pressure has already dispersed.
- Tuck in π
* The amount of liquid will be the same as what you pour in, the shorter cooking time translate to lower cost and lower level of nutrients lost along the way.
Easy peasy, huh?
So now how do you decide which brand to get? Tips to get a pressure cooker
Honestly speaking, I will just spare you with all the specs and techs, I don’t hold a Master Degree in Pressure Cooker π but I really feel the most important thing is to check with people around you who have been using one, and get their advise, there is no better way than knowing others are using it and truly recommend it.
Another tips I want to give you, is follow my footstep, wait for promotions from shopping centers, and better still those that you are armed with shopping vouchers you have redeemed from your credit cards, D&D, parties, etc, there are also many people selling shopping vouchers as well online at a fraction of the price like at forums. So there are indeed many venues to choose from.
So let’s the cooking start!!! π You will start seeing recipes which I use this pressure cooker, but don’t worry if you do not have one, I will still post simple & quick recipes which does not require it, but hey, who knows, after seeing me using it, you might also decide to have one. π
Cheers,
Dawn
Hi Dawn,
I am also eyeing this particular set of pressure cookers.
May I please find out how you got the $200 Robinsons vouchers? Was it a cutout from the newspapers? Sounds like you got a really sweet deal!
Many thanks!
Lim
Hi Rosalyn
I got the $200 Robinsons vouchers quite some time ago, and not from any cutout or promotions. π Actually you can try checking out forums and some motherhood website where there are people always trying to find buyer for their vouchers at a discounted price. And with the GSS 2012, together you can probably save quite a bit on it too. π
Hope this helps, cheers!
Dawn
Dearest Dawn,
Thanks for sharing. I am also considering options of getting a pressure cooker. Thou gas is not as expensive as electricity, i am still keen to save gas & cooking time (very essential for me). I am considering to get a electrical one:-
http://www.myakira.com/global/ProductDetail/default.asp?ProductId=2212&CatId=,8,127 (but cld be quite ex thou) As that wld be nice to set timer, cook. Go to work & come home with nice cooked meal.
But i would prefer to use stove (traditional fire cooking). thou.
I am not a very talented cook, so simple/ foolproof recipes are what i love. I am looking forward to yr post, so blessed π
Hi Pat
yes, I have the same thinking as you, having a pressure cooker does save quite a lot of time, I tried to boil potatoes with it and it only use half the time I normally use. Actually I was checking out the pressure cooker you are seeing, judging by Akira brand, theirs should be quite affordable, because if I am not wrong it is a local brand, which compare to WMF, it should be a good option, if you want to try it out to see if it suits you. Even better, you can just set the timer, to be honest, I didn’t get a pressure cooker for such a long time, because of the horror rumours it has like bursting the whole pot etc, but once I tried it, it isn’t bad at all. π
Thing to look out is the warranty, as it is electric which is not as sturdy as stove cooking ones, and as it use high pressure it is good to get one that provide a good warranty period. π
Oh another thing though electric cooker sometimes does loose out a bit to stove cooking compared to the taste, like e.g. if I cook stewed rice, using a electric rice cooker and using a pot over a stove does taste different, stove cooking give it better aroma. π I suppose it all boils down to personal preference and prioritise what matters most first. Hope you can also create whole lots of cool dishes with this new gadget ya. π Happy Cooking!
Cheers,
Dawn
Hi Dawn,
Thanks you for sharing your experience with us. Just bought WMF 4.5L from Isetan with cost of $199.
Did Robinson issue you a guarantee slip? I did not get one though I asked for it on the spot. On manual page 21, it mentioned such guarantee slip.
Mark
Hi Mark
I didn’t get a guarantee slip, was told that will need to keep the receipt with me though. π
I have not heard from any of my relatives that their WMF fell apart, so I think it is really lasting.
Perhaps anyone can share this if they have any guarantee slip?
Cheers!
Dawn