Prestige Deluxe Alpha Outer Lid Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, 2 Litres, Silver, 2.11 Quarts

Easy to make food in small quantities. Easy to operate. Good price. Good quality.

Smaller pressure cookers like this 2L take less time & energy to come up to pressure. I really like the Pressure Indicator as it lets me know what’s going on inside the pressure cooker without a pressure gauge.

Using a NuWave PIC induction cooktop I have developed recipes where I can easily measure out my ingredients, set the cooktop program and it cooks consistently and (almost…) unattended (it’s best to not leave a cooking appliance unattended in case something goes wrong.) It works great for cooking rolled oats, regular or thick. Of course I use it for many other recipes, such as rice, soups, etc.

This design is intended to release pressure in bursts, sometimes referred to as whistles. There are recipes developed that call for cooking according to the number of whistles – once the cooker has ‘whistled’ the requisite number of times, it’s done cooking. It’s a simple method that doesn’t have to take into account how long it takes to get up to pressure, no matter what size cooker or amount of food is being cooked.

I’ve only recently had to replace the metallic safety plug. That needed replacing only because I was using the pressure cooker outside the manufacturer’s recommendations. The replacement was affordable and readily available. At some point I might have to look for a replacement gasket but after thousands of uses the original is still holding up.

This isn’t your typical cooking pot and requires some attention. Understand how cooktop pressure cookers work. Keep the safety features in good working order and keep the pressure regulator clean of debris. Take care of this cooking appliance and it’ll last a long time. Recommended.

I hope you find this helpful.

Note01: Item purchased with my own funds for my own use. The review consists of my own experiences with the product and has not been checked or approved by anyone else before submitting.

Note 02: 2-liters is the internal size, it’s closer to 1.25 to 1.5-liters as the lid area and the fact that you shouldn’t over-fill the unit takes off 1-liter. If you require 2-lters of actual liquids or food get a size or two larger.

Great addition to the kitchen; I use it along with my existing 20-year old 6 liter Fagor Rapida and 4 liter Prestige Alpha I purchased June 2023. Shipping was super-fast and the unit arrived in excellent condition.

2 liters is very, very small but large enough for single portions or small amounts. For example, today I made 6 potatoes in it along with 2 cups of water (1.5 left at the end which I used for soup). If it’s your only pressure cooker a 3 liter or 4 liter might be better for 1-2 people or a 6 to 8 liter for larger families.

You can make enough for a single or double serving of beans, macaroni, small amounts of soups, even some meats. For example pressure cooking sausage (steam) and then grill them separately. It’s also handy as I can put in something like (say) carrots which require less cooking time while using the larger unit for something requiring more cooking time.

Where possible I use the smaller 2-liter size (Prestige Alpha) to save even more on energy and plan to get a 3-liter size as well. I try to choose the SMALLEST size I SAFELY can use when cooking as each size up requires more energy to bring to pressure, more energy is lost (radiated) and more is required to keep it at pressure. Sometimes due to cooking time differences I might use two. I tend to quickly press the pressure bottom quickly (being CAREFUL not to burn myself and using a glove) to get an idea of pressure and then ‘back off’ 1/2 to 15 PSI. Once you get the hang of it you can go a whole cycle and not have it vent even once (wastes liquid, steam and energy) yet be pretty close to the 15 PSI pressure limit.

Quality is very high. Stainless steel was thick enough (food doesn’t burn) with no cosmetic flaws. Handle is sturdy. The unit is the smallest I saw with a ‘pop-up’ pressure indicator which I use for timing meals. Closes tightly with no gasket leaks. Pop-up indicator is of good quality. Safety pressure release valve has a plastic core to prevent overheating; I suggest buying a spare. The 2-liter version does NOT have second smaller handle to aid in lifting the unit when it’s heavy.

The pressure regulator is very good. It gives off less steam then my Fagor 6 liter unit. It’s also not like the ‘jiggly-top’ low cost pressure cookers I’ve used in the past like Presto. This one (so far) keeps the pressure in with no leakage until it reaches a certain point then it gives off a burst. If you can keep it below this there’s no or little steam leakage. With the ‘jiggly’ regulators I find they require more water due to excessive steam venting resulting in lost liquid, steam and energy.

Tip 01: I use “Bar Keepers Friend” Stainless polish once in a while to keep it shiny, Comet cleanser in-between.

Tip 02: A black anodised version if you protect the handles/plastic parts can be used in a solar cooker setup if you’re careful (read up on-line).

Tip 03: The leftover liquid from many vegetables and even meats often makes a tasty soup. Fr this reason I sometimes add more water then required.

CAUTION 01: If you cook on a gas hob as I do you’ll need to wrap the handle with foil and make something to direct the heat away from the handle. If you look under the unit at the flame you want to make sure it doesn’t go to handle which is heat resistant plastic. This won’t be an issue with induction cook-tops of regular electric stove-tops. The unit require little heat to keep it at pressure.

CAUTION 02 – There is NO handle pressure lock so make sure the pressure indicator is DOWN, then take off the pressure regulator using gloves or oven mitts before opening to ensure there is no internal pressure. Follow the directions in the manual.

An excellent product by Prestige. Nice look, easy to use, more safety features, heavy base, nice handles. Overall too good; One star deducted for providing the warranty card without Stamp/ Seal and Sign i.e for seller.

Perfect

The cutest and smallest cooker i have ever seen , best recommended for two . Its very easy to handle n clean due to its size . Very sturdy and meets his purpose

Don’t buy from prestige….they give 10 years warrenty…but if anything happen rare service centers are there….for home visit of technitian they charge 177 rs…worst service…