Cook faster, eat healthier, with Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker!
For those of you who like their products electric, rather than using their stove top, Cuisinart have come up with an Cuisinart electric pressure cooker that will sit well on your worktop and reduce your cooking time by anything up to 70%.
The food cooked in a pressure cooker is healthier, all the minerals and vitamins stay, trapped in the cooker, no escaping away as steam! The Cuisinart CPC-600 1000-Watt 6-Quart Electric Pressure Cooker is a family sized pressure cooker, anything smaller than 6 quart and you are looking at a cooker suitable for couples only.
Style File
The main body of Cuisinart electric pressure cooker is brushed stainless steel, and the lid and handles are matte black, part of keeping them cooler to the touch. Use products for stainless steel cleaning to maintain shine and avoid scratching. The controls are push button with an LED digital display of the results, and a very neat countdown display. You have the choice of a number of pre set programs which display as you push the buttons and there is a flashing light that indicates the cooker is in countdown mode! It is a nice looking cooker, and within the body is a removable pot which makes for easier cleaning.
Features
• Push button controls, digital display, 99 minute LED countdown timer display
• Digital thermostat controls temperature
• Cool-touch side handles
• Removable nonstick cooking pot easily cleaned by hand but also dishwasher safe
• Pre-programmed settings for high or low pressure cooking, plus browning, sauteing, simmering and warming
• Safety lock, cooker will remain locked until pressure has dropped to zero
• Cooker will not cook until the lid is properly secured
• Three year limited warranty
• Measures 12.2 x 12.2 x 13.2 inches and weighs 14.2 pounds, so can be heavy when full, but fits onto most kitchen worktops
• Not included in the specifications, but important information, the cooker operates at low pressure – 6 PSI and high pressure – 10 PSI
• Recipe book included but limited recipes
Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker Usability
The pre-programmed controls are obviously a helpful feature for those new to pressure cooking, though expert pressure cooker users are more likely to use either the high or low pressure settings plus the timer. The countdown timer flashes as it counts down, so if not flashing, time is up!
The instruction manual has had a lot of criticism from users and an important piece of information is that, when you place the pressure release valve on the lid, be sure that the little projecting arm on the valve is precisely parallel to the lid’s handle. If you do that, the cooker will get up to pressure, and the digital display clock will count down, just as it’s supposed to do.
It takes the Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker approximately ten to fifteen minutes to get up to pressure and then from three to ten minutes to cook most meals! For those working professionals who tend to get fast food on their way home from work, there is no excuse not to cook a proper meal with this cooker.
Several customers have referred to old horror stories about pressure cookers blowing up, and stove top explosions, and certainly they all say how safe this electric pressure cooker has turned out to be, and how reassured they are by its safety features. The non stick pot cleans up easily and as pressure cooking is a one pot cook method, no other cleaning to do.
The additional features of browning, is commented upon as an additional feature unavailable in old style pressure cooking, and a real bonus with this model. The recipe book that comes with this cooker has come in for some criticism, but it is a basic booklet to get you going. There are plenty of highly recommended pressure-cooking cook books on the market, available at Amazon and good bookstores.
What customers say
The recurring criticism is about the red valve button that needs to pop up to seal the cooker, when the correct pressure is reached, and so that the cooker can start cooking. It is a safety measure and sometimes it seems to get stuck. The advice is that if, after ten minutes, your cooker has not started cooking, tap the lid and this usually does the trick. Also, see the advice about how to place the pressure release valve above, properly aligned it works better.
If you have a significant problem with this, Cuisinart electric pressure cooker is swift to replace a faulty cooker, but this only seems to be an issue for a couple of customers. The main positive of this particular model of pressure cooker is the preference for an electric cooker rather than a stove top model.
Because it is electric, the Cuisinart electric pressure cooker is heavier than aluminum stove tops, and at 6 quarts will just about suit a family. Pressure cooking works on only filling the pot two thirds full, the space is to allow the steam to build up, so if you have a large family, a six quart pot is not going to be large enough.
The manual is unclear about cleaning the lid, and it needs to be cleaned. Customer advice is, to “Take lid off, pull the little knob thing underneath, the lower plate comes right off, and you can clean the upper and lower lid with a clean cloth. The silicon seal comes right off also, and can be cleaned as well.”
Overall verdict
This is a good pressure cooker for those who do not feel comfortable using a stove top model. It is suitable for a small family; large families would need a 10 quart pot. The manual could be improved and the recipe book is a bit basic, but there are plenty of good books on pressure cooking.
It is very easy to clean the cooker, saves time and money (energy costs) and the additional browning feature gets a thumbs-up as a great idea. Customers seem to be very keen to overcome the missing information from the manual, a good indicator that the product itself is well liked and all say once these minor irritations are sorted out, they are very happy with the cooker.
There is, however, criticism of Cuisinart’s customer service, and it should be noted that it makes sense to buy this cooker from a reputable supplier who will allow you to return it to them rather than the manufacturer, if needed. The Cuisinart CPC-600 1000-Watt 6-Quart Electric Pressure Cooker retails at around $185 but you can get it from Amazon for only $82.00 including free super saver delivery.
For more information about Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker, check Cuisinart customer reviews here.
