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Irish618 t1_j1ge5uy wrote

Man, I'm all for BIFL, but I'm not sure I'd extend that to a pressure cooker....

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hbHPBbjvFK9w5D t1_j1gysdo wrote

Normally I'd agree with you, but National Pressure Cookers are the best! Old ones still go for a pretty penny on Ebay. I own two.

The pro on this cooker is there is no seal - the design of the lid locks tight to the pot all on it's own. The con is that the pressure gauge wears out and has to be recalibrated - as do all cookers. The trick is to use a pressure weight, which you can also buy on Ebay - those will last till the earth falls into the sun.

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doctorzaius6969 t1_j1h7gwi wrote

how high can the pressure become with such a system?

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Andyb1000 t1_j1hcoiq wrote

Mythbusters would find out for you. I miss that show.

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doctorzaius6969 t1_j1hcsv0 wrote

I don't mean the limit but how high the pressure is with how you're supposed to use it. My suspicion is that this pressure cooker keeps the pressure much lower than modern ones which would be definitely a disadvantage, given pressure is what you want to have in a pressure cooker

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hbHPBbjvFK9w5D t1_j1hg9nn wrote

I've only used it at 30 pounds pressure - more than enough to can what I want.

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doctorzaius6969 t1_j1hgrck wrote

30 pounds pressure? Are you sure? That's 206 kPa, that's so high, it would be illegal in my country for safety reasons.

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hbHPBbjvFK9w5D t1_j1hk0ea wrote

Those are the instructions in my recipes. Besides, they all have a safety valve. Sure, you'll spray whatever you're cooking on the ceiling, but I've never had it happen to me.

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premiom t1_j1j0sc1 wrote

I own one of these. They do have seals. I outfitted mine with a spout for a pressure weight and a modern pressure gauge. I also replaced the seal and pressure safety valve.

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hbHPBbjvFK9w5D t1_j1joqf2 wrote

A presto- style cooker would have a seal, but the ones I own specifically requires no seal. Have worked just fine for decades.

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ashenhaired t1_j1hchjz wrote

When something goes wrong with a pressure cooker it's a catastrophe

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Billypisschips t1_j1ioz5l wrote

Maybe on really old ones. The worst that's ever happened to mine is the safety valve hitting the ceiling.

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cleeder t1_j1jbdjy wrote

> Maybe on really old ones.

Like, say, a 1930s pressure cooker by chance….

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Billypisschips t1_j1jfo0b wrote

No, safety valves were a thing by the 1930s. There is one on the cooker in the picture, and a vent hole, and a lid held by the strength of its seal, designed to fail at a certain pressure. Three failsafes to overcome before catastrophe, and that was in the 1930s.

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