Customer Reviews

Wolfgang Puck WPPCR005 5-Quart Electronic Pressure Cooker

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I purchased this from another store after a substantial amount of research. I needed an electric "multi-cooker" for a period of time during a move that I would not have a standard stove. I have a slow-cooker and microwave available along with this.

I couldn't be more pleased! I was a bit skeptical due to the negative reviews about the cooking choices but thought that I was experienced and smart enough to make the conversions. I've had no problems and, in fact, find them quite convenient. There is an option for adding minutes to the set selection if you desire. You can also easily reset the chosen selection at any time during the cooking cycle. The cookbook that comes with it has some standard recipes that can quite easily be modified to your preferences and needs. I cannot find anything to complain about after having used this frequently for a few months.

The unit is very attractive and well made. The lid locks in place and is easily removed when it automatically unlocks after the pressure is released. The removable non-stick pan is wonderful! I find it to be a very usable size and cleans up in a snap. One of the features I find handy is the way it can be used as an open cooker, to brown meats or scramble eggs. It heats quickly and evenly on the bottom for this purpose or to heat up to pressure when you elect to use that function.

I'm sold on my Wolfgang Puck electric pressure cooker and will continue to use it even after moving into our permanent home. It beats the stove top type by a mile and is a pleasure to look at and use.

I will update on the longevity if there are problems but, so far, it gets my 5 stars.

March 2011- I just want to add a caution, to be careful with the removable pan as the coating will show scratches and dings if you aren't. I was not, and used metal spoons for stirring which have taken a toll. It is not unusable or anything, still cleans up as easily, but it does not look as nice as it did. The old saying about "hindsight" holds true here. I should have been more careful and it would still look as good as new. So, consider yourselves warned. I still use my cooker and am just as pleased with it. I just wish I'd been a bit more careful with the pan so it would still look as good as the rest of the unit.

Bought one. Worked great for about a year. Then started flashing an error message "F2". No troubleshooting in the manual, no support available. Just broke and no help to be found.

I junked mine because of the totally bizarre user interface. You can't use any cookbook recipes with it because instead of the traditional pressure settings (high/low), Puck has "meat, vegetable..." and so on settings which render cookbook recipes very hard to translate into Puck-ese. I bought the Nesco electric pressure cooker and the Puck unit sits in our storage room next to the bizarre Puck slow cooker (I can't use it either because it, too, has bizarro design issues). Both the pressure cooker and slow cooker are "temporarily out of stock" on Amazon which I suspect means "back to the drawing board."

This pressure cooker is not worth the investment. After two weeks of use, a error code, "E4" was flashing on the display. The instruction manual gives no indication what this was for. Contacting Wolfgang Puck customer service, when I mentioned the error code, I was immediately told that it meant that the unit was defective and to pay $12.95 and they would send me a repair kit. Forget that!!! So I returned it for a refund and got it. Doing further research, HSN sells this cooker, and in checking the ratings, several posters had the same E4 error code. When you have several complaints of the same type, it is a red flag. Also, Wolfgang Puck does not make this machine, I found the exact same pressure cooker being sold by Morphy Richards, in Europe. Looks like Puck just buys these cookers and puts his name on it. Although a lot of people have this cooker and are pleased, I am not.

I've had this for over a year and a half, and just used it tonight. I use it regularly, realistically averaging about once a week for either the pressure cooker setting or its stew/crock pot ability. Usually, I'm against anything that you can buy on QVC, and absolutely avoid anything marketed with the name of a t.v. chef, but my apartments have always had electric stoves. And a stove-top pressure cooker simply will not work correctly on an electric stove. Other than hours in a slow cooker, there is no easy way to get soft, tender, "fall off the bone" meat. I purchased a refurbished 7 quart model of Wolfgang Puck's pressure cooker on a whim, and I love it.

I disagree with the negative reviews. The settings -- soup, warm, meat, vegetables, rice, etc. -- all equate to different heat settings. I'm sure if you played with it, you would be able to figure out which adjustments to use for which recipe. However, the manual describes what the stove-top equivalent would be. The manual also comes with recipes, but I have never used them. This really is "idiot" proof. I put a frozen chunk of roast in the pressure cooker tonight, piled in vegetables, and set it to the "meat" setting and guessed at my time setting: 1 hours, 40 minutes. The truth is, I have no idea how long or how short of a time period is best, but I've never had meat that tasted overcooked, nor have I ever had a problem like the one listed regarding the F2 error. The worst issue I had was when I removed the rubber seal from around the lid of the pressure cooker, and then couldn't remember how to put it back on correctly. I put it on backwards, and broth leaked out of the pressure cooker.

I also forgot to leave the included cooking pan in it, once, and dumped liquid and meat directly into the exposed outer heating unit without the bowl. I had to unscrew a panel in the bottom, and scrape and clean melted fat, water, meat, and vegetable pieces out of the pressure cooker. I thought it was ruined. It wasn't. I have been using it since, with no problems whatsoever - if that doesn't speak to it's quality, I don't know what does.

I think this is a fantastic product. Mine came with a glass lid to cover the attractive inner cooking pan. When you finish cooking your meal, you simply put the lid on, and slide it into the refrigerator for storage. It also came with a rice measurer for the rice setting, several plastic heat resistant ladles, and a user's guide with included recipes. As I mentioned, it can be used as a crock pot, a rice cooker, and a pressure cooker. All functions work, and it is a great value.

If you are looking to carry on family recipes and are accustomed to using a stove-top pressure cooker, this may not be for you. If you are anal about cooking temperatures, look elsewhere. But if you are new to the world of pressure cookers and would like to try experimenting with a great product, try this pressure cooker out. I've since purchased three more, for other people, who love how well my meals come out in it. It really makes creating a healthy family meal easy, simply throw some meat and vegetables in, and you literally can walk away and continue your day. It releases pressure and then maintains a warming setting until you turn the machine off. I find no issue with the digital selections of "meat," "vegetables," or "rice," I actually find it a lot easier and more understandable than adjusting low settings, high settings, pressure units per pound of meat, and the like. However, the manual DOES explain the amount of heat and the pounds of pressure that the machine exerts, if you have very specific recipes you wish to follow. It also includes a basic cheat sheet which gives approximate times for different cuts of meat, different vegetables, and the break down of the different amounts of heat and pressure used by the machine for each. If the machine you order does not come with one, it is available for download and printing on the Wolfgang Puck website. Read reviews from other websites for a better review than here on Amazon. I was very surprised to read the negative comments here, as everywhere else I'd looked prior to selecting my choice of electric pressure cooker had been positive about this particular Puck item. (I have no knowledge about the performance of any of his other products, however.)

Also, no one has mentioned this: it is far quieter than stove-top models. There is no high-pitched sound of the pressure cooker metal pressure valve releasing, as on stove-top models, just a gentle hiss when it needs to release pressure. I would keep this and use it over a stove-top brand now, even if I had the option to use a stove model.

I have the 7-quart, which is exactly the same as the 5-quart but a little taller. It's a GREAT pressure cooker! I love not having to watch it like a stove-top pressure cooker!

I'm not entirely fond of the named settings, but they translate to: High pressure is 15 psi and low pressure is 10 psi; the vegetable setting is low pressure and the rest are high pressure; the rice setting is special for rice.

You should follow the instructions, though, and oiling the gasket (put a little cooking oil on your hands, then coat the entire gasket with your hands) keeps it in good condition.

BEWARE! Works a few months then dies with E4 Error! Everyone is reporting the same thing!!

We were not exception! Worked 6 months!

Unfortunately Amazon doesn't have negative number for ratings or it would have gotten -10!

My unit did not seal properly after about 9 mo light use. I suspect the issue is the sealing gasket. It's very difficult to find any place that sells a replacement gasket. Eventually, I did find a place (wpcookware.com) but the price after shipping is $20. Given the short period before I had to replace the gasket, that I'm not even sure that the gasket is the problem, and other people's issues with the unit's reliability, I think your money is more wisely spent on a manufacturer with a better reliability record and cheaper, more easily obtained replacement parts.

This pressure cooker is just ideal. It is idiot-proof with the elecronic settings. Nice to know you can set it and forget it and it shuts off with no scorching or scalding. Have so far made s beef stews, pot roast, chicken and lentil soups, beeef/noodle vietnamese soup, and meat balls... All were perfect. Couldn't live withou it.

I have the 7 quart pressure cooker. I bought it a little over a year ago and started having problems right before the warranty ran out after very light use. I contacted customer service and they sent me another lid but after a month or so I started having problems again with it just not coming up to pressure. I have to fuss with it to finally get it to seal so it comes up to pressure. I have actually ordered a Fagor pressure cooker based on reviews from here because I love pressure cooking when it works but this pressure cooker was a total waste of money. I expected a lot more for $140.00 - shame on you Mr. Puck for selling such inferior products!!!