Customer Reviews

Futura by Hawkins Hard Anodized 3.0 Litre Pressure Cooker from Hawkins

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Have been using this every single day since about 4 years. Extremely energey efficient way of cooking. No issues with product. This is one of the more advanced models in the hawkins line, an extremely trusted and reputable indian brand.

8/25/2009: It's been almost 6 years now, and still no issues.

Having owned one of these pressure cookers I can say from first hand experience they are top of the line. My family has used the same pressure cooker now on almost a daily basis for 5+ years. Yes that is an almost daily basis (usually it gets used 5-6 times or more a week). The cooker is still in GREAT shape. We have replaced the gasket once and that is it. The cooker is extremely well crafted with thick aluminum that reminds me of high end cookware like Calphalon, Analon etc. Honestly, you can't get much better than this. PERIOD! It heats well, cleans EASILY and exudes quality.

I have owned two Futuras for many years- so long ago I cannot remember the purchase date. Used frequently and still have needed not needed replacement parts. So glad they are still in production.

This pressure cooker is a very high quality product and at a very reasonable price. I am amazed at the quality of the product and the convenience of using it. Since it is almost non-stick, cleaning it is also very easy. This product was far better than the $200 fagor futuro pressure cooker set that i had bought which ended up leaking steam. When I compare the two there is just no question on how far superior this pressure cooker is. This pressure cooker also conserves more energy and water than the classical Hawkins cookers as it doesn't go through the cycle of leaking a lot of steam every few minutes (the whistle). Once you hear the hiss of steam, you lower the heat and start the timing. For those who are trying to decide steel vs aluminum, I think its a no-brainer now that I have used a steam pressure cooker. Steel just doesn't cook evenly, even with the aluminum sandwiched at the base. I was so impressed that I ordered a second Hawkins futura pressure cooker to replace my old traditional aluminum pressure cooker.

I was looking for a small pressure cooker that could be used for camping or for making smaller quantities of food at home. This was the smallest I could find and I'm totally pleased with the quality and the price.

I don't think I would backpack with it, but it's ideal for canoe camping or car camping. I'll be using it at home most of the time because it's just the right size for making a quick meal of lentils or rice.

The handle does take up space. That's unfortunate for travelers and those with small kitchens. I would have preferred a design that had small grips on either side of the cooker.

Its too small for most published pressure cooker recipes. Too many authors assume that everyone cooks for a large group. If you do cook for groups, consider something larger. This cooker is ideal for the rest of us.

I had this pressure cooker and was so impressed I bought another. There is just the two of us and the 5.0 is just right. I have abused my wares, left water in them for days and they have never rusted. The product is heavy but the handles are never hot. The parts are easy to get and the folks at Hawkins are super nice. This cooker is a treasure. Now my relatives will be next to get this product.

I am only 60 years old and in good health, but I found it impossible to get the lid on correctly. Of my 3 grown sons, 2 could get the lid on and 1 could not. I gave it to one of the sons who could get the lid on and who likes to cook. I am normally pretty dexterious. I just couldn't do it. I guess I will go to BB& Beyond and select one in person and not purchase until I see if I can "handle" it. The instructions for the lid were though, but it didn't help.

Over 20 years ago I used a pressure cooker on a regular basis. However, since they were not the safest item to be around, I quit using them. Well, it is just me in the house now and I have been looking for a cooker for a while. This is a great sized cooker for 2 - 3 people. Even though it is just me, the cooker is not too big for most jobs. Looks nice, seals great, and the updated pressure relief valve is very nice. It seems to be a lot safer than the old models. I have used it to cook a roast (3 lbs took 28 minutes), a whole chicken (about 16 minutes) and a couple of soups/stews. Cleans up in the dishwasher. I think it is a great cooker.

I don't get those 5-star reviews. They must be written by people who haven't used any other brand. I use pressure cookers multiple times every day, and this is my third pressure cooker to buy. I bought Hawkins Futura 2.0 liter model, because it is much smaller than others I already own. I wanted something smaller (and therefore lighter) for small dishes, sauces and afternoon snacks. (I already own a 8-qt and a 4-qt pressure cooker: Fagor Splendid 4-Quart Pressure Cooker.)

Hawkins Futura is usable and functional. That's about the end of praise about this product. In fact, I have a list of situations where Hawkins pressure cooker causes troubles, where other pressure cookers I've used are perfectly fine. Bottom line: Fagor Splendid is better in every way.

The only reason to choose Hawkins Futura is that Fagor doesn't make a 2-qt model (4-qt is the smallest I could find from their offerings). If you are looking for a larger one, I recommend Fagor Splendid. Specifically, Fagor Splendid is a lot easier to use and a lot easier to clean, although it is made from stainless steel and a bit heavier.

Hawkins Futura ships with a special cleaning brush, and it is for a good reason. Most other pressure cookers can be adequately cleaned with regular dish washing sponge and a brush, but not this one.

The lid of Futura is not bayonet mounted. It is oval shaped, and you insert the lid into the pot like a 3d puzzle while rotating and tilting the lid, which is a bit awkward. While doing so, unless you are cooking such a tiny amount of food, you're very likely to dip a part of the lid into the food. Especially when you do that to the cooked food, guess what happens? You get food fat grease on your lid. However, the lid has narrow grooves and recessed spaces around gasket, pressure valve, safety valve, and the handle. So, you'll end up spending more work cleaning this pressure cooker than my bigger Fagor Splendids. The worst thing happens when you are cooking soup, stock or risotto. The rice grains or spices get on the gasket, and this compromises the pressure seal. In case of rice grains, they even get into the groove under the gasket. This is not acceptable. Even one piece of dried rosemary leaf is enough to compromise the pressure seal. Another terrible story is also when I was making risotto. You know rice expands while cooking. So I made a rather small amount, but that was already too much. When I'm done cooking and trying to open the lid, because it is a 3-dimensional puzzle and the lid needs to be tilted steeply in the pan, there is no room for such operation! So I had very hard time getting the lid out. I strongly recommend you to buy any other pressure cooker that has proper bayonet mount for the lid.

One of the common tricks with pressure cookers is quick release, where you pour cold tap water on the lid and the top part of the pot in the sink. This quickly removes some heat therefore drops the internal pressure of the pot. It is a very useful technique when you want precise control of cooking time, or when the liquid inside tends to bubble a lot (beans, soup, pasta, etc.). Anyhow, don't expect to use this technique on this pressure cooker without letting some of these tap water to go into the food. Because of the structure of the lid, as soon as the pressure drops, some of the water leaks around the gasket, and then more water will go in when you open the lid. The concave space around the weight traps the water, and those will drain in the pot as well. Again, this is a very poor design.

Also, the pressure regulating weight piece has an unnecessary decorative appendage that just increases the detailed spaces that need to be cleaned. That is, I think they just made it look "modern" but without the concept of modern usability standard.

Because of the lid mechanism, the pan isn't completely open. When you have something you want to pour out by tilting the pan, that doesn't work with this pressure cooker. You need a ladle to scrape out the food, sauce or soup. The "lip" at the top of the pan prevents the viscous liquid from coming out by gravity when tilted. Yeah, one more item that needs to be cleaned. I am frankly puzzled why they don't use a bayonet mechanism instead of this awkward and inconvenient lid mounting mechanism.

The gasket is very thin and needs to be fitted into a narrow groove. The gasket has a printing "the other side up" to indicate the correct direction, but this gasket is actually a lot easier to seat in the wrong direction than the correct one. So, this is very frustrating.

The pan also came with an excessive amount of plastic wrapping, quality control stickers, etc., but the pans had scratches all over the surfaces and on the handle. The pan itself is made from thick anodized aluminum and that much is good, but the surface is rather roughly finished. Don't expect Calphalon-quality finish.
Small pressure cooker, in theory at least, has a smaller surface area to be washed and lightweight; easier to handle and clean, and is less likely to break glassware and other fragile items that may be in your sink when washing. However, in the case of Hawkins Futura, the usability and ease of cleaning are like 1940s product design. It appears that things are designed for ease of manufacturing and "futuristic look" but without current usability standard.

I actually couldn't stand this pressure cooker any more. I'd gladly take a bigger and heavier pressure cooker with no quirks rather than this.

If you find a more functional small pressure cooker, please try it, write a review, and please bring it to my attention. If you are looking for sizes larger than 2.0 liter, I recommend Fagor Splendid.

I wanted to get back into pressure cooking after giving up on them years ago. I wanted more of a "pressure sauce pan" than a full sized cooker, since I only cook for my husband and myself.

The little Hawkins 1.5 liter cooked up a batch of beef stew with carrots in about fifteen minutes. It should have gone a bit longer - as the meat was a wee bit tough. The FLAVOR blew me away.

One of the advantages of pressure cooking I never thought about years ago is how energy saving they are. I was able to cook a stew in about fifteen minutes. I used way less energy than cooking a stew in a slow cooker or in a cast iron pot in the oven.

Oh, and a great cookbook of Indian recipes comes with the cooker. I just might get a bigger cooker just to experiment with those tasty recipes from all over India.

If you gave up on pressure cooking years ago, now is the time to get back into it. You'll save time and energy!