Looking to prepare fantastic meals in phenomenally short times? Look no further than the Viking 8 Qt. Pressure Cooker. Cooking under pressure retains the food’s natural vitamins and minerals, instead of letting them escape as in conventional cooking. This good-sized cooker is ideal for stovetop cooking and will work with gas, electric or induction cooktops, cooking your meal three to four times faster and saving up to 70% of your energy costs.
First Impressions
When you first remove it from the box, you’ll be impressed with its solid construction. The three-ply base is quite thick – making for uniform heat distribution. Quart markings are permanently printed on the interior, making it easy to add liquid ingredients. The interior of the cooker is surgical grade stainless steel so you’ll have no concerns about any food odors being retained in the pot.
The lid is what makes the pressure cooker and this lid is loaded with features. The large, easy-twist knob in the center makes it easy to close the side clamps and stops clicking when it’s tightly fastened. With the side clamps, the lid can be put on in any direction – no worrying about lining it up correctly.
The multi-stage pressure control allows for both high and low-pressure cooking. Many kinds of seafood I found out, benefit from cooking at a lower pressure, along with some leafy vegetables. A steaming basket is included for steaming any vegetables.
A small red indicator pops up, exposing a stainless-steel side when pressure is attained. Both quick and slow release options are available.
The silicone ring that creates the seal is easily removable for cleaning and can go in the dishwasher if needed.
Putting it to work
My mom used to use a pressure cooker frequently as I was growing up, but I never tried one until we had the opportunity to try this Viking unit. Just discovered what we’d been missing out on all along.
For our first meal in the Viking, I selected Chicken with Mushrooms in White Wine (page 120); one of more than 200 recipes from The New Pressure Cooker Cookbook.
I started by searing the tops of some chicken pieces in the open pan – about five minutes. Then, after flipping the chicken and adding the additional ingredients, I closed the top of the pot and set the pressure to high. In a few minutes, the little red indicator popped up and I reduced the stove’s temperature to Lo. After cooking only eight minutes under pressure, the meat was done. A few more minutes cooking with the lid open and the additional ingredients made a great sauce for the meat.
Adding some fresh corn as a side, it was a delicious introduction to pressure cooking. With four pressure cooking cookbooks from the library, we’re looking to repeat our success many times over.
For more information about the Viking line of cookware, check their website at www.vikingculinaryproducts.com. You might also enjoy reading our other review of the Viking Hard Stainless 5-Ply Construction collection.
WHERE TO BUY:
Get the Viking Cullinary Product catalog here and look for them at specialty and gourmet retailers, or on Amazon.com.
Disclosure: Clipper Corporation provided us with the Viking 8 Qt. Pressure Cooker so we could do this review, however, opinions as always, are strictly our own.