Product Description

Cuisinart updates a classic! Our brushed stainless pressure cooker is safe, easy to use, cooks up to 70% faster than conventional methods and cooks healthier, too. Steam trapped in the pot builds up pressure that creates hotter temperatures, and the pot is so tightly sealed that vitamins and minerals can't boil away. Foods stay moist and flavors stay true. Features variable pressure and temperature setting, plus Browning, Simmer and Saute functions for perfect roasts, stews, vegetables, cheesecake or custard. The Cuisinart Pressure Cooker is absolutely safe, with a lid that has to be locked in place before pressure builds, and stays locked until pressure is released. Cook faster, eat healthier, with Cuisinart!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #952 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: Cpc-600
• Brand: Cuisinart
• Model: CPC-600
• Dimensions: 13.20" h x 12.20" w x 12.20" l, 14.25 pounds

Features

• 6-quart electric pressure cooker reduces cooking times by 70 percent
• Push-button controls; easy-to-read digital display; precision thermostat
• Settings for pressure cooking, browning, simmering, sauteing, and warming
• Timer; cool-touch handles; nonstick dishwasher-safe cooking pot and trivet
• Measures 12-1/5 by 12-1/5 by 13-1/5 inches; 3-year limited warranty

Amazon.com Product Description
Cut cooking times up to 70-percent compared to traditional stovetop methods with this 6-quart electric pressure cooker. The pot's tight seal locks in vitamins and minerals for healthy, great-tasting meals like soup, chili, and other one-dish entrees. Its controls include preprogrammed settings for high- or low-pressure cooking, browning, simmering, sautéing, and warming. In addition, the unit's push-button controls and easy-to-read digital display eliminate guesswork, while its precision thermostat regulates temperatures. For safety, the cooker must be fully locked for pressure to build, and it will remain locked until the pressure inside drops to zero. Other highlights include a 99-minute timer with an LED countdown display, cool-touch side handles, and a nonstick dishwasher-safe cooking pot and trivet. Housed in fingerprint-proof brushed stainless steel, the 1000-watt pressure cooker measures 12-1/5 by 12-1/5 by 13-1/5 inches and carries a three-year limited warranty.

From the Manufacturer

You’re about to experience a better, faster, and healthier way of cooking. The Cuisinart CPC-600 electric pressure cooker seals in steam to cook hotter and faster, and it seals in nutrients as well. You can cook in less water and experience textures and tastes that are simply sensational. It features easy touch button settings, a countdown timer, and a cooking pot big enough for a pot roast with all the fixings.

Don’t Forget: Safety First

There are seven safety values installed in the pressure cooker to assure its reliability. Open and Close Lid Safety Device: The appliance will not start pressurizing until the lid is closed and locked properly. The lid cannot be opened if the appliance is filled with pressure. Pressure Control Device: The correct pressure level is automatically maintained during the cooking cycle. Pressure Limit Value: The pressure limit valve will release air automatically when the pressure inside exceeds the preset temperature. Anti-Block Cover: Prevents any food material from blocking the pressure limit valve. Pressure Relief Device: When the pressure cooker reaches the maximum allowable pressure and temperature, the cooking pot will move down until the lid separates from the sealing ring, releasing the air pressure. Thermostat: The power will automatically shut off when the cooking pot temperature reaches the preset value or the pressure cooker is heating without any food inside. Thermal Fuse: The circuit will be opened when the pressure cooker reaches the maximum temperature.

An Array of Helpful Settings

Low Pressure High Pressure Browning: This preset allows cooking over high heat, without the lid, before pressure cooking. Browning food in a small amount of fat in this way seals the outer surfaces of meats and vegetables, producing a visually appealing, flavorful exterior with a moist, tender interior. Saute: The preset temperature, done prior to pressure cooking with lid removed, allows you to quickly soften vegetables in small amount of fat or liquid without browning, and to cook items such as rice for pilafs and risottos. Simmer: This preset temperature allows you to cook liquids at lower temperature. It is primarily used to finish cooking some items, for example, when you want to add ingredients to a risotto, sauce, or stew or to continue the cooking process to achieve texture. Keep Warm: Holds and keeps cooked food warm for up to 12 hours. Easy Operating Instructions With the unit on the LED displayed, press the MENU button to select the desired cooking function. The function light will flash. Select Low or High Pressure setting. Press Time to select the number of minutes needed for pressure cooking. Press Start/Cancel to start cooking. The pressure cooker will begin to heat. The red float will rise as pressure builds. When the selected pressure is reached, the light in lower right-hand corner of the LED will stop flashing and remain lit. At this point, pressure cooking begins and the timer will start to count down. When the LED reaches 0.0, the pressure cooker automatically shifts to Keep Warm. The Keep Warm light will turn on and the unit will beep to indicate cooking is complete. Users can reset the function or cancel the timing setup anytime by pressing the Start/Cancel button. When the pressure cycle is finished, the unit will automatically switch to the Keep Warm position. At this point you may choose to release pressure in 1 of 3 ways: Natural Pressure Release, Quick Pressure Release, or a combination of both. The choice will be dictated by the particular food being cooked and indications in the recipe.

Tips and Hints

• Many family favorites can be easily adapted for preparation in your Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker: Soups, stews, side dishes, and more.
• The amount of liquid needed is much less than for traditional cooking methods.
• More nutrients are preserved during pressure cooking than with traditional cooking methods, as less liquid is used and thus fewer nutrients are lost to evaporation.
• In general, cooking time will be at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the traditional cooking time. Reduce your cooking liquid by at least half and you may wish to add vegetables at the end of cooking to avoid overcooking. To adapt you own recipes, find a similar one in the included recipe book and use it as a guide or use any of the many recipes provided. The recipe book includes everything from appetizers to desserts and with even more options in between:
  • Artichoke appetizer
  • Hummus
  • Wheat Berry and Vegetable salad
  • Cuban Black Bean Soup
  • Green Beans with Shiitake Mushrooms
  • Corn Pudding
  • Risotto Primavera
  • Chicken with Herb Dumplings
  • Turkey Chile
  • Lemon Cheesecake
  • Ginger Steamed Pears with Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Cream

Cuisinart products are designed to make life delicious all day long. Specialty items, like this pressure cooker, offer today’s consumers a variety of menu options, and fun and easy new ways to entertain family and friends.

Cuisinart first came into home kitchens over 30 years ago when it introduced the now legendary food processor. People discovered that routines could be broken and creative cooking quickly became part of the new lifestyle. Preparing fresh ingredients with products that offered easy and interesting new techniques meant healthier meals and more free time.

Today Cuisinart develops products to make every meal memorable. From breakfast toast and coffee to elegant five-course dinners, the preparation and cooking have become a pleasurable part of the total experience. Today’s relaxed lifestyles and the convenience of Cuisinart products make it easier than ever to Savor the Good Life, right at home with family and friends.

Customer Reviews

The Power of Amazon Reviews.....
First, I was a pressure cooker nut from before. I used my mother's 1930/40's Presto's until I couldn't get seals for them. When I saw this digital pressure cooker I bought it instantly. I loved it so much that I gave one to my daughter, my sis and my sis-in-law, (we're all foodies). I was cooking stuff I hadn't made in years. We ate like kings! All of a sudden, caput. I get online and search and right there on Amazon, Bobby Mac "Micronaut101" describes my very own problem! So no more trying to make the bloody thing work! I call the Cuisinart 800 number prepared to go the distance according to the reviews I've read and I describe my problem, how much I love the machine, how I've seen the problem reported on Amazon and therefore it's a known quality issue and I want a new machine. OK, she says, what's your address? No "did you send in a warranty" or anything else. Bingo, 7 - 10 days I'll have a new pressure cooker. How cool is that? Oh, and "We're sorry for the inconvenience. Have a great day." Yehaa! Let's hear it for Amazon and reviews!

[[editing review as of 6/4/09: pressure sensor wouldn't set pressure and pressure cooking wouldn't start. Cooker would get to boiling but pressure wouldn't lock the cooker and begin cooking. Little red button wouldn't come up to close opening. I would wiggle the button with a skewer or knife point to get it to pop up to close pressure hole. Hope this helps.]]

And I'm writing this so that others who may get one of those recalcitrant pressure cookers that slipped through the quality assurance check can know that they will get a new pressure cooker with the press of the number buttons. Cuisinart has decided to stand behind this one product, at least.

BTW, all of us are previous users of pressure cookers so we really appreciated the ability to sear the meat in the cooker. My family has used the Cuisinart cookbook for the pasta e Fagioli, Cuban Black Bean Soup, Chicken with Herb Dumplings and the "outstanding" Creamy Rice Pudding" And, in fact, the Rice pudding cooked so quickly that my sis didn't think it was done when the timer went off and over cooked it! Her second batch was superb. We also like Lorna Sass's "Cooking Under Pressure" and "Pressure Perfect"

Lousy manual and problems in operation
Admittedly, there's a learning curve with pressure cookers, and I have not used one before. But this one comes with at least one part (hello, "condensation collector") whose packaging--a scrap of bubble wrap--is completely unlabeled (I nearly threw it away with the rest of the packing material) and is also misrepresented in the microscopic, inadequate product illustrations. As for the operating instructions, they are unclear, badly organized, and insufficient in too many other ways to enumerate here, and I say this as a technical writer with more than thirty years' professional experience. I'm not sure the "float" in the handle works--what is it supposed to look like when it "rises completely"?--and everything I've cooked so far has come out caramelized (though I have to admit that this unplanned effect didn't hurt the flavor, but that's my taste). In short, I don't know whether this contraption is malfunctioning or I'm not using it correctly--maybe some combination of both. Other reviews posted here suggest that the number provided for customer service will not lead to anything but more frustration. It's a handsome and potentially useful appliance, and I'd like to get it working properly.

P.S. I'm amending this review. I finally figured out how to work this thing, and now I'm giving it 5 stars. There was one very simple but crucial piece of information that was missing from the instruction manual, which is indeed lousy. Here's what you need to know: when you place the pressure release valve on the lid, be sure that the little projecting arm on the valve is precisely parallel to the lid's handle. If you do that, the cooker will get up to pressure, and the digital display clock will count down, just as it's supposed to do. That's it. Enjoy!

Great Product!
This is a wonderful product! I had never used a pressure cooker before because I had heard stories of them "blowing up" but this electric cooker is completely safe. It's appearance is high tech but it is super easy to use. You just set the temperature and time controls and let it do the work! The nonstick surface makes cleanup a breeze. Another reviewer gave this product two stars because the instruction and recipe booklet wasn't what he expected. You can find cooking time/liquid amount charts on a number of web sites as well as in pressure cooking recipe books.

My motto is, "Don't judge a book by it's cover or a pressure cooker by it's recipe booklet" :)) You will love it!