Fissler Vitaquick 4.8 Quart Stainless Steel Stove Top Steam Pressure Cooker Pot for Electric, Induction, Glass, and Gas Stove for Canning and Cooking, silver

30 years ago I was gifted a Hawkins aluminum wiggle-top pressure cooker. After using it for about 10 years, until it warped, and until I became worried about cooking in aluminum, I upgraded to a Kuhn Rikon Duromatic 7L cooker. The Duromatic has served us well for some 20 years, though I have always had issues with scorching at the edges, and it's a bit narrow for the amount of food that it can fit. I was given an Instant Pot for my birthday. After using the Kuhn Rikon, the Instant Pot was painfully slow to come up to pressure (30 minutes vs maybe 5 or 6 for the Kuhn Rikon), and scorched foods even more than the Kuhn Rikon. It also decided that food was being burnt and turned off, so I ended up "finishing" the food in the Kuhn Rikon. I don't understand all the fuss about Instant Pots, but on the bright side it means that there are a lot more pressure cooker recipes available (though I still rely on Lorna Sass for most methods).I returned the Instant Pot to the store, and renewed my interest in stovetop pressure cookers. After reading the reviews of the Fissler by America's Test Kitchen, I decided to give it a try. Why did I wait so long?! I did a pressure test first thing (about 2L of water brought to high pressure for 5 minutes), and it worked like a dream. Quite a bit of machine oil came off with that first trial, so I definitely recommend doing this as well as washing it before first use. It's much wider than the Kuhn Rikon (about 10 inches versus about 8), and so it's easier to saute before starting to pressure cook. The bottom is super-heavy and goes all the way to the edge. Sauteeing is dream, as the heat is constant - more like a nice dutch oven than a regular pan. It seemed to take slightly longer to reach high pressure than the Kunh Rikon (6 or 7 minutes for 2 cups of rice and 6 cups of liquid vs. maybe 5 for the Kuhn Rikon), which makes sense because it's a lot heavier. Once it reached pressure, I turned the heat very low, and the pressure remained high - much less fiddling with the heat on my gas stove to keep the pressure even than with the Kuhn Rikon. The first dish I made was a paella-flavored risotto - no scorching and it was completely perfect in exactly the time noted in Lorna Sass's recipes for risotto. My husband then made a Korean stew with tofu and beef short ribs - the meat was falling off the bone after 20 minutes at pressure and a natural release. Amazing! I like the pressure release button - no more having to waste water cooling the cooker for a quick release, and no more mess. The little "hat" that covers the well surrounding the pressure valve on the Kuhn Rikon fell off years ago, and so water collects in that well when cooling it with water, and then that water spills when taking the lid off. There is no well on the top of the Fissler, so this would not be an issue, though I don't know why one would use water when the button works so well. I wear steamproof oven mitts and put a dish towel over the pot to contain the steam when using the pressure-release button. The pressure indicator is easy to see. It's easy to clean, though it is really heavy so definitely use 2 hands to move it around. I expect that it will serve well for another 20 years. It appears that replacement parts are available, so I will replace the gasket and other rubber/plastic bits regularly. I waited too long to do this with the Kuhn Rikon, and when I finally did, it made a large difference in performance of the pot. The Fissler is a functional thing of beauty! I highly recommend this pressure cooker.

cooks a chicken quickly

I love mine. Extremely high quality. No problems with the valves, and it's just a great pot, even if it weren't a pressure cooker. High-quality stainless with a thick laminate bottom that distributes the heat really well. Braising is a breeze.Fissler makes two models (this one and the VitaVit) and four sizes. I have this VitaQuick, but in retrospect I should have gotten a VitaVit. The difference is the way you determine pressure. On this model, you turn on heat until a little button pops up. If it pops up a small amount, it's on "low" pressure and you turn down the temperature on the stove to keep it there (to almost nothing---it maintains pressure with a very low "simmer.") If the button pops up about 1/6" more, it's at high pressure. In practice, it's finicky, and difficult to get this right, but I pretty much always want it on high so I put up with it. The VitaVit, on the other hand, has a dial that you set the pressure with, and the pot just comes to that pressure. It's easier to deal with all around. Also, the VitaVit valve is easier to remove for cleaning.Regarding the sizes, most of the recipe books expect an 8L pot, and I cook a lot of stock, where an 8L pot is ideal. You may be able to make a smaller amount of stock in the 6q, but my guess is that you'll be cramming the chicken in there and putting too much liquid in the pot as well. The 6q is considerably smaller in diameter, but is the same height as the 8L. On the down side, the 8L is a monster and wrestling it around in the sink to clean it is annoying.I also have a 4L Vitavit, which is the perfect size for cooking a pound of beans or rice or a couple artichokes. I actually use that one more than this 8q model. To me, the 6qt is the odd duck. It's too small for stock (at least in the quantity I usually make) and too large for beans. It's the same diameter as the 4L, but is a couple inches taller. I don't have a clue what you'd do with the smallest 2L "pan" model. Seems pretty worthless.Regarding lids, It turns out that a couple lids I have for other pots fit these just fine. You can buy official Fissler lids, but they're pretty pricey.