Summary of reasons to like this pot:
1. Regardless of its being a pressure cooker, the pot itself is high quality;
2. It is easy to clean;
3. It is easy to use;
4. It can make cooking go faster; and
5. It forces flavor into meats and beans better.
1. I was surprised by the quality of the actual pot itself. I cook real food almost every day and have a nice pot set. The aluminum sandwich bottom for this pot is better than any I've tried before. When you're browning meats to enhance flavor and taking them off to brown onions and garlic, it is not uncommon to have scorched spots in the bottom of your pan because of where the flame hits it. The heating on this pan is so even, that the browning effect (where so much flavor is!) is even as well.
2. Because the browning is even, it's easier to clean, plus there are not too many parts to remove and clean.
3. Although it works a little differently than some pressure cookers, bringing items up to temperature first and then putting the lid on is easy. Wait for the first or second red line to appear (as directed in the accompanying cook book), and turn down the flame to very low. You'll get the hang of it quickly.
4. Cooking real food takes time. Chopping onions, vegetables, meat, etc. is a chore and there's way around this fact. Browning in the pan adds flavor, but also prep. time. Where a good pressure cooker can help you is to reduce the time needed to simmer and enhance flavors. Because so little steam escapes from this unit, all the flavors are forced together and intensified. Example: I have a bean recipe I got from a friend I've made regularly since 1998. It's simple, flavorful, has few ingredients, and everyone loves it. I make extra so that I can render the fat out of chorizo to make refried beans, which my kids love even more. If you did not soak the beans the night before, you have to boil them hard for 1 hour, pour the water out, rinse the beans, put them back in, add the other ingredients, and wait 1-1/2 to 2 hours. If you want beans tonight, you need to know in advance and start early. BUT, with this pan you can "pre-soak" in 10 minutes time and have the beans ready, from start to finish, in under 1/2 an hour. Stews, soups, broths all go ridiculously quickly and easily. Even when preparing ingredients to add to a casserole, using this pot makes the entire process shorter.
5. I'll admit, I really don't understand why, but somehow using this pot intensifies flavors. The first time I made the bean recipe I referenced above, both of my kids (14 & 16) like them better--and so did I. Same ingredients, same amount of water (I could have used a lot less), better result. That's been the case for just about every trusted recipe I've cooked in this thing. But in less time.
Yep. This item's a little spendy. It's worth it.
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![Buffalo QCP412 12-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker [Classic series]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ipnXYtbwL._AC_.jpg)
