Customer Reviews

Presto 6020 Options 6-Quart Electric Multi-Cooker, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Like the person wrote in March, I think this is a great electric pot EXCEPT I CANNOT USE IT!
I brought 3 quarts of cold water to a rolling, hard boil in less than 15 minutes SET AT 250*F!
I had gumbo-soup to finish up so put almost 2 quarts into the pot and set it on the number ''2'' for 200*F. IT BOILED! That just is not possible at 250 feet above sea level, if the temperature control is working properly.
The auto shut-off on the control works but apparently the current shunt does not function at all when set near or above 200*F. It just goes full blast(full current).

Pros:
a) the stainless steel is quality steel;
b) the manufacturing shows no defects of any kind;
c) it is heavy but not too heavy to manipulate;
d) great size ... not too tall or too fat;
e) it is so pretty and shiny ...I've never had any cooking equipment that looks that good(in 30+ years ...).

BUT the "magnetic" control release really stinks. It can barely stay on with the weight of the cord. A clip is needed, badly. I mean bumping the cord and it falls off?!? Ridiculous!
And since I am unable to simmer anything, the pot is basically useless for the 90% of the intended purposes.
...
I wrote to Presto. If they have a fix for the so-called '' Control Master '' heat control I'll update this or write another.

I'd highly recommend this if it was not for the defective heat control.

...[UPDATE]...
Presto(NPI Customer Service) responded very quickly(next day).
They are sending a new '' Control Master '' heat control unit at no additional charge to me other than the time spent.
As someone else stated in a review of the non-stick version of this multi-cooker, the older model control unit works. I requested the older version but NPI Customer Service states that they cannot send the previous model of control and must send the new magnetic clip version.
If it does not work Amazon is getting this cooker back so for all concerned, let's hope it does.
I'll (try to) update one way or the other.

...[UPDATE]...
Presto was very fast about getting the new temperature control unit to me.
Unfortunately the new "Control Master" heat control unit (item|model # 21536) works exactly like the original control unit: it does not control the temperature.

PRODUCT IS WORTHLESS! ...except for boiling water when set on warm. It is great at that.
... such a shame. :(
Changing rating to 1 star ...& requesting refund.

This pot is awesome. It is the bachelor's end all of pots. It can do everything... even the dishes. Well, not the dishes. I have used it to fry eggs, cook meat sauce, chicken, steak, ground beef, slow cook, boil water, make coffee, fry potatoes and veggies, stir fry, rice and more. If it can be cooked on stove top it will cook in this baby. I have notice a reduction in my gas/electric bill combined totals. I would say over all it costs a bit to buy this, but you save on everything else.

Why buy all kinds of pots and pans when this can do it all.

As a bachelor I have perfected my cuisine. I try to make everything in just one pot. In college I even cooked my top ramen in my coffee maker. Now my coffee maker is obsolete! I can do the ramen and coffee in this pot at the same time even. Coffee Ramen!
Although I have slow cooked in this, I have gone back to my slow cooker. The temp dial is an approximate instead of an accurate. I like to turn it on and forget it.
In this economy I am economizing. If I can only take three electrical kitchen appliances with me in my Ford Focus, they will be my slow cooker, this multi cooker, and my bread machine.
Kids going off to college? Buy them one of these! And, a slow cooker; and a bread machine.

Updated 5-5-09 to fix spelling errors. How did those happen?

The SS pot is awesome. Love the rubber feet on bottom and it cleans up beautifully; like Stainless Steel does. However, my temperture dial and control is defective and I can't use it on any setting except 'barely on warm' or it goes into FULL ROLLING BOIL and the food burns! This is suppose to be a deep fryer AND a slo cooker. Right now it's only an extremely FAST and INTENSE Deep Fryer.

I have written and I expect to have a new gauge/cord soon. Hopefully, I just got a bad cord and a new one will solve the problem I stated above. I had a PRESTO deep fryer with ceramic insert FOREVER and LOVED it, but due to my dropping a plastic lid into the bottom and not knowing - I damaged my pot of 15+ years. So I bought this new one. Here is hoping that replacing the defective cord will solve the temp problem. I would be interested to see other reviews on this to see if anyone else had/has this same problem.

First let me say I have used their non-stick model very often for over a year while my kitchen underwent a remodeling. It is a fantastic product and does everything from slow cooking to deep frying.

Read the directions and get to know the product, working the temp control can be difficult for some people.

Having raved about the product concept, the non-stick finish eventually deteriorates and starts flaking off. This is true of all products using a non-stick finish.

So I did an Amazon search and learned that Presto now makes this all stainless steel model, and quickly ordered a replacement. However I did not expect the high-quality from a brand like Presto, because typically that only comes with much higher priced brands.

I am totally satisfied with my new Stainless Steel multicooker. Note that if you owned the older non-stick model, the cord, and heater control are a direct fit (and function) on the new model so save them.

The pot itself is nice looking stainless steel with
a highly polished exterior. It is powerful at 1500 watts,
and can quickly boil 4 quarts of water and cook a pound
of pasta (After adding pasta, the COVER MUST BE OFF) at a
ferocious boil.
The steamer/frying basket appears to be plated rather than
stainless, and has a plastic handle which sits inside the
pot under the lid while steaming. I didn't like this, and
was able to easily remove the plastic handle exposing the
metal underneath. I would say this is an improvement, though
the metal handle probably gets very hot. The plastic addition
was probably an afterthought.
The pot can be used for simmering, though it is a little tricky
to get the temperature setting right. At somewhere between "warm"
and 200 degrees the pot will cycle on and off every few minutes
briefly returning the contents to a boil. This is not a true simmer,
but I was satisfactorily able to braise a chicken.
The power cord is a little awkward, with a magnetic contact that detaches
the cord with minimal force. I think it was designed this way as a safety
feature. You have to be careful not to accidentally touch the cord
while cooking. Overall, I am satisfied with the product, assuming that it's
durable. I have owned other Presto products with this type of heat
control, and they have always lasted a long time.

Have historically had multi-cookers with a teflon coating inside. The coating always became damaged because slow cooking has a tendency to stick unless watched carefully. I thought that clean up might be a problem without the teflon, but I am delighted with the cooking temperatures and the cleaning.

I had worn out 3 of the nonstick versions of this pot in the last 8 years. When I saw the stainless steel version I had to try it. It's exactly what I expected and I'm very happy with it. The stainless steel is so easy to clean, and I don't have to worry about the nonstick coating coming off. I'm use to the cord arrangement so that's not a big hassle. Would I buy this again? Definitely!


UPDATE 08/08/2011
In my earlier comment I said I'd buy it again, and I did just that last week. We're fulltime RVer's and my 1st one was to use in our RV. However, I'm currently staying at our vacation home while my husband's job has him out of the country. All I had there was an older nonstick version, so I ordered a 2nd one for the house, and it was delivered yesterday. I'm a happy, happy person. I love the way this pot cleans up and it's ease of use.

Have been looking for a stainless steel cooker like this for a long time. After searching for a vintage Presto cooker, finally found this one;it's a bonus that it is made in good quality stainless, rather than aluminum. This is a nice kitchen addition to a crockpot/slowcooker. Great for making soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, etc. in a short amount of time. The Presto Options heats up fast and cleans up easily. I love it!

I like the Presto multi-cooker, but I have to agree with the other reviews. The cooker operates on two temperatures--warm and high. I plan on contacting the manufacturer to see if they can resolve the problem.

We previously had a product that deep fried and slow cooked--this product deep frys well but you could not leave it cooking and go to work on lowest setting. It kept going dry and had to add liquid. It is also hard to clean. It had lines where it sweated liquid that I could not remove even with stainless cleaner. Would not buy again.