Secure 8.5 Qt

Cooks very well and worth its money value easy to use and clean and its safety food taste great and keeps heat level high

This is the best pressure canner! My neighbor has this one and that was why I went with it. I was intimidated before using it, now I will can ANYTHING! If you were on the fence, get off! Buy this canner and you won't regret it!!!

So, as we start off this New Year, we made eating healthier one of the top priorities (as I'm sure many have). What always seemed to throw a wrench into the plan is the amount of TIME it takes to prepare everything! Well I'm happy to announce that, for once, there is a way to work towards such a goal and actually save time! Its called pressure cooking!For those who know all about pressure cookers and are just looking for the operating pressures, I have good news for you! Unlike the previous version (the one with a red handle), the high pressure is now 14.5 psi and the low pressure is 10 psi per the manual. Previously, the max pressure was only 12 psi (low was 7 psi) and I know of at least one popular website that calls T-Fal out by name for having a lower than 'standard' 15 psi. I'd say 14.5 psi is pretty darn close! Theoretically, you should cook for 3.33% longer due to the 0.5 psi difference. That would be 1 minute for every 30 minutes. In reality, there are many other variables that make this negligible. Items that you cook for 30 minutes or more will usually have a larger time range anyway because of variables such as size and weight of the item (like a roast) and anything shorter than 30 minutes (most items) is a difference of literally seconds. I would be more concerned with the higher than 'standard' low pressure (as discussed further in my 'update' at the bottom).For the rest of you who are new to pressure cooking, I found this model very easy to use. I did not encounter issues that others comment about on other cookers like difficulty of opening and closing or not being able to get up to full pressure. Everything is very well made and seemed to operate very straight forward and smooth. I will say that, being my first pressure cooker, it did take a little getting use to. I did not really know what to expect, but, now that I know a little more about it, I will point out a few things that come to mind to hopefully help demystify it a little:- The manual says that for the first use, you should fill to the max line with water and cook at max pressure for 20 minutes and then do a quick release. I would do this as I think it helps to set up the valve. I say that because when heating up, the valve all of the sudden evacuated steam like a locomotive as if I had done a quick release, but I still had it set on the high setting. I was not expecting that so I immediately took it off the stove and ran cold water over the lid to cool it down. Upon inspection, the valve appeared OK, so I tried again. This time it gradually let some steam off and then maintained a lower stream that I would have expected the first time. I used it 4 times since and its gradual and operates as expected each time, so I think this was to somehow set it up. Either that or the valve was just stuck and some overpressure got it unstuck. Its still a good idea to do this to get familiar with it before actually trying to cook something.- The pressure indication pin is located in the hole on the handle and will not allow the unit to pressurize unless you have the latch locked. When there is pressure, the pin will raise up to be flush with the top of the handle and its red so you can see it easier. Note that this does not mean that you are up to your pressure setting. You must visually/audibly have steam coming out of the top of the valve. All the pin tells you is that the unit is still under pressure and you should not open it.- When you look at cook times, keep in mind that this is not the total time that you will be preparing an item. There is the time to reach full pressure and then the time to let it naturally release (if that's what the recipe calls for). So, for some black beans that I made, while the cook time was only 4-6 minutes, it took about 15 minutes to heat up and another 15 minutes to cool down. Granted, it would still take over 1 1/2 hours cooking them in an open pot, so I've still saved a ton of time and the beans turned out great!For a great list of cooking times for a variety of things, check out the Hip Pressure Cooking web page (google "hip pressure cooking times") which will give you a great place to start for so many different items. Miss Vickie also has a great site with a lot of information.As part of our resolution, we plan to cook a lot of beans. One side benefit that I discovered is that pressure cooking helps to deactivate the lectins in beans. Google lectins to read more about why you don't want to be consuming them, but it turns out that stove top cooking may not deactivate all of them and a slow cooker may not deactivate ANY of them! If you are a bean eater, pressure cooking is the way to go!To clarify what you will be getting, the pot and lid is as pictured except my valve knob is orange (the pic at the time of review shows grey). You will also receive a steaming basket and stand. As I learn more about this wonderful new kitchen gadget, I'll come back to update this review. If anyone has any great knowledge or resources that you want to share about pressure cooking, please leave me a comment. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!UPDATE 1:After using it a bit longer now, I've had a chance to try out the low pressure setting. This is best for vegetables and hard boiling eggs. When looking at cooking times for vegetables on 'low', they typically refer to a pressure of around 7-8 psi. With this low pressure setting being 10 psi, you should cook for a slightly shorter time (~20% less) so that your vegetables don't over cook since vegetables are particularly sensitive to cook times or they can become mushy. For doing eggs, I was concerned that 10 psi would be too high (on high setting of 15 psi, I've read the eggs could crack), but it turns out to work perfectly! I have never in my life pealed a boiled egg so easily! Just make sure there are no cracks already forming on any of the eggs. One of mine did, but I tried it anyway and it pushed the yolk out through the crack and it cooked to the outside of the shell! It was quite artistic, but not something I would eat.... haha! You should be able to fit a dozen eggs in the included basket, fill with water to below the basket (do not submerge), cook for 5 minutes and do a natural release. Back to more pressure cooking adventures!UPDATE 2:After 2 years of use (average once a week), its still going strong. Every now and then, I'll have to readjust the lid to get it to start pressurizing, but the gasket hasn't failed yet. In case you need to eventually replace the gasket, you can find it here: T-fal X90101 Seal Secure 5 Gasket. If you have a few extra bucks to spend, I'd recommend picking one up in case they no longer offer the gasket in the future. If the gasket goes and you cannot find a replacement, the pressure cooker becomes useless..If you have a favorite pressure cooker dish, please share in the comments! [...]

I have canned 2 batches of venison and 2 batches of solvent with this pressure cooker. Very easy to use, very roomy and works as it should. I recommend this item.

Pressure cooker arrived yesterday. It is actually way more impressive (and bigger) in person! (Twss?) used it and it worked amazing for sterilizing grain and liquid culture for Mycology purposes. The numbers are in increments of 5 psi. So 1 is 5, 2 is 10, 3 is 15 psi. My only complaint is that the pressure gauge doesn’t explicitly say the PSI the needle is at. It just has overall pressure zones but i figure that the middle of the zone is the preferred pressure. Great build quality, it comes with two canning grates, the seal is silicone (will last longer), and it is easy to clean as the pressure relief valve disassembles easily.

Have used this a handful or two times now for sterilizing and canning. It seems like good quality and does what it’s supposed to. Good size also. I will say if you purchase make sure to read through the directions prior to using. I skipped over the part that told how to treat the inside of the pot before using, which will help with the discoloration after using. also, it may be in the instructions, but I like to rub vegetable oil over the seal on the lid after every use or every couple uses, which will help the seal last longer as a preventative measure.

I don’t know where to start pointing out all the issues with this 22 quart pressure canner but I’ll do my best:Since 2015 the USDA specifies 11 PSI for dial indicator type pressure gauges and this T-fal 22 quart pressure canner CAN’T do it.All my research from University agricultural extensions and the USDA etc. state that when pressure canning above all it is imperative that the food be processed at a minimum specific pressure for a specific amount of time. These specific pressures are listed for EVERY kind of food (vegetables, meats, soups, jelly etc.). Missing the minimum of either time or pressure and you could end up poisoning anyone consuming your food.This information such as a minimum of 11 PSI vs. the 10 PSI T-fal claims it does on pressure valve setting number 2 is in the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning Agricultural Information Bulletin No. 539, (Revised 2015). T-fal should know being that T-fal themselves refers to this very same USDA information bulletin . . . IN THEIR MANUAL for this 22qt pressure canner cooker on page 26 & page 27. There is a link for the manual on the Amazon listing you are reading right now.T-fal is selling this 22qt pressure canner/cooker on Amazon and they claim it is UL certified. T-fal is selling the same model with one of three different style dial pressure gauges.PSI Gauge Style 1)The pressure gauge shown at the top of this listing shows a pressure gauge dial with three separate green zones labeled 1 - 2 - 3. While there is not any PSI numerical identification on the dial but there are 30 un-numbered segments and I would ‘assume each segment is equal to one psi. Each green zone covers 2 – 3 segments so if the needle is in a green zone the psi in that zone could not be simply stated as 5psi, 10psi or 15psi.PSI Gauge Style 2)This is a real PSI gauge. Under the section in the middle of this listing labeled "From the Manufacturer" there is the description and illustrations. This is where T-fal shows the UL certification seal. In this area T-fal has pictures of this pressure canner but the pressure gauge dial in these pictures is divided into 30 segments with every fifth segment numbered (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.) up to 30psi. Oddly enough in this this same section (and NO WHERE ELSE) T-fal states that the three separate green zones labeled 1 - 2 – 3 correspond to 5psi – 10psi – 15psi - - even though the type dial gauge pictured in this section does NOT have that 1 - 2 - 3 green zone style of PSI gauge dial.PSI Gauge Style 3)The style pressure gauge dial on the 22 qt cooker that I received has a PSI gauge dial that has the stupid three separate green zones labeled 1 - 2 – 3 BUT it only has 27 (not 30) segments. So it is impossible to know what the exact pressure is. But that is a moot point because this gauge can’t get EXACTLY to the 11 PSI required by the USDA.If UL certification means that this T-fal 22 Quart Pressure Cooker/Canner with the style 1 PSI gauge 3 green zone PSI settings show at the top of this listing is safe to can food with; it is NOT. I suspect that the T-fal pressure cooker with the same model number that T-fal submitted for UL certification was the one that had the gauge style 1 pressure gauge dial in that is divided into 30 segments with every fifth segment numbered (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.). With this style 1 pictured pressure gauge you (and Underwriters Labs) would KNOW WHAT THE EXACT PRESSURE IS.Finally T-fal does NOT have ANY information regarding the ‘1 – 2 -3’ green zone PSI in the owner’s manual or on their web page for the product or anywhere else on their web site that states 5, 10 or 15 PSI for the green zones. That info is ONLY in this Amazon listing.One more thing . . . If you can navigate your way to this model pressure canner on the T-fal web site the PDF manual you download is NOT for this model. If you download the PDF manual through the link in this listing it is the manual for the 22qt canner with UL certified PSI gauge (style #2).Unfortunately for all the tomatoes I picked from my garden and canned, to be safe I had to settle on going with the highest PSI in green zone number 3. The needle never made it to top dead center which should be 15 PSI.I figure as long as I was over the 11 PSI required by the USDA any bacteria was killed and I won’t be poisoned over the next 18 or so months. However I will have overly mushy tomatoes and chili soup instead of chili.I am returning this.