Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Top 4L / 6L / 8L Pressure Cooker w/ Side Handles

Been going for 30 years – We have had a Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Hotel pressure cooker for 30 years and used it 3 or 4 times a week. While ours is an older model that's the point: I would buy a new one if I had to! But I don't. Kuhn Rikon guarantee spare parts for 15 years. Being 30 years old ours isn't covered by this guarantee but I have been able to track down enough spares… Read more

to keep it going for another 10 or 20 years.

A few tricks we learnt: to get the lid off quickly after cooking run it under cold water and then if necessary pull up on the pressure valve cap to release the last little bit of pressure. Make sure the lid seal is in place correctly before putting the lid on. To put the lid on, tilt it say 20 degrees, engage the lower edge of the lid with the base, lower the other edge then rotate to get the seal. When washing the cooker take the seal out and wash it separately. Store the seal inside the base and put it in the lid before using it next time. This allows the rubber seal and the inside edge of the lid to dry completely. Grease the seal with cooking oil if you have difficulty putting the lid on the base.

PS Ignore the 'Date Purchased' information - the drop down menu didn't go back to 1985

Love it – I have the Kuhn Rikon Hotel 5 litre pressure skillet, and have experienced no problems whatsoever. A previous review has reported meat catching on fire, which indicates insufficient liquid (plus NO pressure cooker, or cooking pot, for that matter, should be left unattended), and another found it took 3 hours to lose pressure, which would be solved… Read more

by running cold water over the lid once the cooker comes off the stove. If you suspect a pressure cooker seal is leaking, the sealing ring should be oiled with cooking oil. This keeps it in good condition and stops it drying out, which causes poor sealing and leakage.

The 5 litre Hotel skillet is much wider in diameter and flatter than the average pressure cooker, and looks a lot like a UFO. It's perfect for cooking items like lamb shanks, of which 6-8 can fit across the bottom of the cooker in one layer. Its a great family size.

Surprised – I am surprised by the other three reviews. I have been using a 8L Duromatic for going on 5 years on an induction cook top, approximately 3 times a week and much more in winter. I have not had any problems at all. I think it is a very fine piece of equipment.

Quickly developed faults – I thought my Duromatic 6L cooked well (though it took some experimenting before I could get it to come to full pressure efficiently) but the mechanism that controls the lid locking (and only releases it when the pot is no longer under pressure) quickly broke. That meant 2-3 hours of waiting for the pot to unlock! The faults developed after six… Read more

months of use (probably using it three times a week). There is no service centre in Australia for Duromatic. The cooker seems to be great quality steel (I'll keep it as a normal cooking pot) but is getting a poor review overall from me because broke so quickly.

Broke quickly – I have this pressure cooker for almost 3 years and the bottom part of the valve is broken. I am very careful in opening and closing the lid but I found it broken in the pot. I bought it online and they provided the supplier number. I was told that it is not covered by warranty. Warranty covers the pot !!! I spent more than $300 and didn't get… Read more

much out of it.

It cooks ok. The lid can be a bit tricky to close. My benchmark is my previous pressure cooker, Beem. I had it for many years and cooked faster.

It is not a good value for money. It is expensive but not durable. I will not recommend it to anyone.

Just saying…….. if you can afford it - buy a Fissler. Kuhn Rikon impossible to open and mine caught – I have been using a 6 litre Kuhn Rikon Duromatic stove top pressure cooker for about six months now. I had Fissler for almost 20 years which I loved and was as good as new, however my removalists lost it along with my gorgeous LeCruesets (but that's another story). The Fissler looks good, it is made from heavy grade stainless steel and has a… Read more

lovely heavy base. It cooks week too. The problem comes when you want to open it. Even if you release all the steam, run it under cold water. Leave to cool for an hour, it can't be opened until it's almost completely cold. Sort of negates the reason for having a time saving device like a pressure cooker.

I used it today and it appears not to have sealed properly when I put the lid on. After 10 minutes I could smell the meat inside burning. I took it off the heat and ran out to do the school run. WHen I came back, the house was willed with smoke and the meat was actually burning (flames) inside the pressure cooker.

Do yourself a favour, find the extra $$$$ and buy a Fissler- you'll have it forever, or until your next move. looks good, nice heavy stainless, two handles make it easy to pick up Impossible to open unless almost completely cold, food caught fire inside