Customer Reviews

Fagor Splendid 4-Quart Pressure Cooker

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

1. Cooking with a pressure cooker

Think of a pressure cooker as a crock pot on steroids. The increased pressure inside the sealed vessel results in an elevated boiling point, producing a higher cooking temperature for faster cooking. The standard pressure for these cookers is 15 psi, raising the boiling point from 212f to 250f. Current design features considerably improve the safety of these pots over WWII vintage kitchen bombs.

Pressure cookers are perfect for pot roasts, stews, soups, stocks and long-simmering sauces, reducing cooking times by as much as seventy percent. Beans cook faster in a pressure cooker, although their soaking time is unaffected. Rice will cook faster, too, although the convenience of a dedicated rice cooker is beyond dispute.

Some pressure cookers let users select a second, lower pressure setting (8 psi, bp @ 215f), which yields considerably less accelerated cooking. Why slow down a high-speed cooker? Because some foods, like veggies and fish, cook quickly, and when cooked at 15 psi it is difficult to control doneness. (Recipes for these foods call for running cold water over the pot lid to quickly reduce the pressure and lower the temperature to stop the cooking. For more usual dishes, one would merely turn off the heat and let the cooking coast to a stop.) Pot-count or hubris may move some chefs to use their pressure cookers to prepare delicate foods regardless of the risk of under/over-cooking. The low pressure setting is intended to help these people. For most cooks, foods that cook quickly are better prepared using conventional methods. Arguably, a clever chef could use a pressure cooker as their only pot for all purposes, a desirable feature when living out of a knapsack on a desert isle where time is money or fuel is precious.

For most cooks, a pressure cooker will not be an essential kitchen utensil, but it is desirable for its ability to shorten long simmer times. An eight-quart pot is probably the most versatile size for most users, because the pot can only be filled to half or at most two-thirds capacity. If veggies are to be steamed rather than boiled, you will need a steamer insert. Expect a learning curve as you discover how to operate the pot and adjust cooking times. A pressure cooker should be stored unassembled, and the gasket (about $10) may need to be replaced occasionally. All parts should be hand washed. The the pot and lid are ruined if dinged where the gasket seats.

2. The Fagor Pressure Cooker

Fagor in Spain is like General Dynamics in the US - a huge industrial conglomerate. Their "Commercial" (and similar "Splendid") model pressure cooker has a substantial heft to it and seems ready to withstand the rigors of the kitchen. An aluminum heat dispersion disc, completely encapsulated in stainless steel, is bonded to the bottom of the thick-walled stainless steel pot. The stainless steel lid is similarly substantial, and is polished to a mirror finish. The handles seen sturdy enough, although they are plastic and subject to damage. An order form for replacement parts is provided in the box and parts are available over the Internet (www.fagoramerica.com). An instruction booklet is incluye, imperfectly translated from the Spanish. An 80-page recipe book is also included, with full color photographs of fabulous dishes, several of which cannot be prepared in the cooker(!).

The regulator control dial on this unit has three positions: Pressurized (15 psi), open, and remove valve. The lid has a safety interlock that prevents it from being opened while the pot is pressurized, and a small plastic rod pops up to indicate the interlock is active. (One reviewer suggested this rod indicates the pot has reached 15 psi, but this is not so; you know the pot has reached 15 psi when steam starts to escape from the regulator valve.) Another safety feature is a slot in the lid that allows part of the gasket to blow out if the pot has been over-filled.

I was attracted to this model pressure cooker because it seemed to represent an attractive price-performance point. My experience has confirmed that. The value of a second, low pressure setting is arguable for all but the most dedicated pressure cooker users, and fancy features like a pressure gauge seem minimally useful. If I were to buy another pressure cooker, I would likely select this model again, albeit in an 8-qt version to compliment the 4-qt size that seemed the best size for this bachelor cook.

If you intend to use this cooker every Thanksgiving holiday or something it'll suffice, but it is not worthy of regular usage. It a has flaw that will eventually cause it to fail and don't expect satisfaction from the warranty.
The purple plastic piece, that locks the handle on, sits on the rim of the pot and is directly exposed to the high heat and pressure. Over several years of moderate usage--Once every week or two for about 15 minutes under pressure at the lowest possible heat to maintain pressure--this piece melted and deformed. Finally the unit, no longer able hold pressure, ceased to function.
Though the warranty says "This pressure cooker is guaranteed to free from defects in material" I was very frustrated in dealing with this company in seeking redress. I suppose they do not have a real warranty, it seems to be just a sales hook. The person I dealt with was idiotic. This company showed to me that they are not interested in taking care of their customers or standing behind their products.

This is the first Fagor product I've purchased and am exceedingly pleased with the quality. I own a few pieces of Le Creuset cookware and have been spoiled by their super-high quality. This Fagor product definitely matches up. The construction is flawless, the design intelligent and easy to use, and the appearance beautiful.

I was debating whether to trust my instincts and buy the 4-qt. model, or to buy the 6- or 8-qt. model that seem much more popular. I intend to use the cooker primarily for quickly cooking whole grains, such as wild rice, for my girlfriend and I after work when we want to eat healthy, high fiber food but don't have the patience to wait an hour for normal cooking time. I was leaning toward the 4-qt. model because it costs less than the larger models and also cooks faster, because the smaller internal volume can be brought up to cooking pressure more quickly than a larger pot.

I purchased the 4-qt. model and it seems to be the perfect size for two person complete meals, and also large enough to cook a side dish like rice for 4 or 6 people. I couldn't be happier with my purchase!

I bought the cooker set a while ago it works fine but it is not good for Indian lentils. Usually when I boil yellow lentils, after it starts boiling, it's foam gets inside the whistle and it becomes very difficult to clean. Infact once it became very difficult to open the lid. The plastic handle broke. It is hard to find spare parts in any store.I ordred online . I thought it was very expensive with S+H. If you are not cooking lentils, you should be fine. I think , they should keep the spare parts in local stores.

I purchased this item for 47 dollars now that our economy is collapsing. I've always wanted a stainless steel pressure cooker, and this one performs admirably. It does not have a lot of complicated features or mechanisms to get in the way of it's intended purpose. It's just complicated enough to get the job done, and get it done safely.

It does require you to read the manual. I see some reviews on here that say pieces of the mechanism melted over time, or that steam constantly escapes. The manual clearly states to move it onto low heat after the pressure indicator pops up. I have to wonder if people just aren't following the directions. This same problem could happen if you do not replace the gasket every 10 to 12 months, again, this is stated in the manual.

Ok, now that I toss that out there. I just got done making homemade chili using a recipe that comes with the pressure cooker. In 15 minutes time on the stove I had a chili that tasted like it cooked for over an hour. The onions were so soft they melted in my mouth.

I had a small amount of staining in the bottom of the cooker, which I think is normal. I get the same thing in my $80 stainless steel pans. I just washed it with soap and water and a little bar keepers friend. Clean as a whistle in 30 seconds. I prefer this honestly. My mother had a really expensive fully automated pressure cooker that was lined with something like teflon, and after a while it flakes off and makes a terrible mess. With the stainless steel you know you have a REAL quality pan that is going to last a very long time. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

I have an 8 quart cooker already but generally avoided using it much because of the size. I bought this 4-quart pressure cooker and find it much easier to use. Pressure cookers all do the same job and this one does it really well. Main thing I had to get used to is the sound. It doesn't make the rocking hiss sound I am familiar with. It just makes a steady hissing noise so you need to learn the right pitch to know it is cooking at the right temperature(speed?). I will be giving a couple of these for gifts this year.

I'm terribly disappointed with this pressure cooker. It worked great for about two week and now it leaks incessantly near the handle nearly every time I use it. I've checked the seal and cleaned everything thoroughly. It doesn't matter how little water I use or how slowly I bring it up to a boil, it still leaks. I'm going to throw this out and buy a cheap Presto.

Having been raised with (Flex-Seal) pressure cookers since the 1940s and having used newer cookers (Presto and Innova) in recent decades, I bought a Fagor Splendid Fagor Splendid 4-Quart Pressure Cooker for our travel trailer to facilitate rapid cooking of pot roasts, potatoes, etc after we returned from, say, hiking. A second advantage is it compensates well for the lower boiling point of water at high altitude camp sites.

I'm disappointed with the Fagor and will soon replace it. My previous cookers used a weight to signal when the cooker reached cooking pressure (15 psi). The wobbling noise of their weights is easily heard, marking the "exact" time that cooking pressure is reached and making it possible to cook time-sensitive foods accurately such as broccoli. In contrast, the spring regulator mechanism of the Fagor is far, far from a crisp indicator of cooking onset. This makes it impossible to cook broccoli accurately, for example. In short, the Fagor regulator does not make the transition from low to cooking pressure obvious enough. (The yellow pop-up indicator is not an indicator of 15 psi pressure)

As far as I can tell, the Fagor regulator is working perfectly. It moves freely, and there is no food debris trapped in the mechanism. The smaller heat output of of trailer gas burner is not the problem. The same behavior occurs when we use it on our Viking domestic range where the Innova works extremely well. Conversely, the Innova works well on the trailer burner.

Otherwise, the construction quality of the Fagor Splendid is good, similar to the SS Presto for example.

My recommendation is to avoid this brand if you need a full-spectrum, versatile, pressure cooker. Buy a pressure cooker with a wobbling weight like a Presto or one with a precise visual indicator like a Kuhn Ricon.

Over the years we have owned numerous Pressure Cookers. We use this every day and it is easily the best Pressure Cooker we have ever owned.

Love the size and ease of use. Easy to clean aswell.
I have used the Fagor brand before and stick to
that brand name.