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Pros

  • Superior quality, silent during cooking, economical cooking

Cons

  • Requires an app for recipes

The Kuhn Rikon stovetop 5-litre pressure cooker, made in Switzerland, is impressive in its quality. It feels robust and well-made but not overly heavy and has a Superthermic sandwich bottom for energy-efficient heat transmission and distribution. In addition, it has side handles which are strong and feel secure when moving the pressure cooker around.

The cooker comes without recipes; these can be found on an app to download. However, there are cooking times on the cooker's lid in four languages, along with the multi-lingual instruction book.

Read our full guide to the best pressure cookers.

First impressions and set-up

It is hard not to be impressed by the outstanding quality of the Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker when unpacking it from its nest of fully recyclable packaging. The cooker has weight thanks to its robust build; however, at a 5 litre capacity, even when full, it is not heavy. The side handles are also strong and feel secure when carrying the cooker around the kitchen.

Setting up takes nothing bar a quick wash and dry before using. The pressure regulator is neatly concealed in the dome of the cooker, so it eliminates any awkward or fiddly buttons.

We found putting the lid on slightly confusing: it took a couple of goes to get the correct alignment which, when we did, was very easy.

Usability and functionality – how easy it is to use?

The instruction book is a little confusing as it's written in four different languages. However, it does cover everything needed to start cooking. There's an easy-to-follow table of cooking times for many foods and advice on how much liquid needs to be added in the instruction book. It does not have any full recipes as these are accessed by a separate app available to download, which for some may be prohibitive. Given the quality of the cooker, the searing of the meat and vegetables was excellent. The pan heats quickly and evenly and the beef seared extremely fast to a deep caramelisation.

We found the cooker very easy to use; simply bring the pan up to heat, close the lid, place on the heat, and wait until the pressure indicator lifts. Once it does, regulating is easy by adjusting the heat. We found that the heat needed was lower than any other cooker on the test, making this economical to use as well.

Cooking results

The stew cooked amazingly fast at only 25 minutes on level two, which was the fastest on the test. The steam is released manually, which is a little scary initially, but is fine if you don't put your hand directly into the steam. The pressure releases very quickly, too. When we took the lid off, we had a pleasant surprise after such a short length of time. The stew was beautifully cooked with incredibly tender meat, and the gravy thickened, resulting in a delicious beef stew.

Safety

The quality of this cooker makes it feel safe. Kuhn Rikon has all safety features in place, and everything is covered well in the instruction book.

Conclusion

The Kuhn Rikon is a great pressure cooker, with its high-quality, robust build, ease of use and speed of cooking with excellent results. It was not the cheapest on the test but the superior quality, speed of cooking and ease of use make this a great investment piece.

Full product specifications:
Stove top model, suitable for all hobs
Size 6-litres
Cooker body dishwasher proof only
Dimensions 5l/22cm
10-year guarantee

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