Claire, I have one of the new type of pressure cookers, a Duromatic by
Kuhn-Rikon. It has a rod in the center of the top with two red markings on
it, one for half-pressure, and one for full pressure. It IS quieter, it
barely hisses, and it has at least 3 ways to release excess pressure if I
do something stupid (haven't put them to the test yet). I never add oil to
anything and have never had the valve stick like my grandmother's pressure
cooker used to do. Mine also has the aluminum plate embedded in the bottom
for even heating, so it never scorches. Also, the new pc's are stainless
steel, while the old pots were usually aluminum. The Cuisenart is the only
other modern pc I have seen, it has a slightly different pressure valve
indicator, but I think that I'd be equally happy with that one. If you
can, read the starting chapter of Lorna Sass' Great Vegetarian Cooking
Under Pressure, she will tell you a lot about the cookers, suggest
mail-order sources, and tell you how to compromise if you want to stick
with your old one. It's also a great cookbook that requires minimal
adaptation for vlf.
Oh, I mail-ordered mine from Zabar's in NYC.
Anne Cox
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