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• If for any reason the pressure cooker cannot be opened, contact the Consumer Service Department in Eau Claire, WI at 1-800-877-0441 .
• Any maintenance required for this product, other than normal household care and cleaning, should be performed by the Presto Factory
Service Department (see page 20) .
Helpful Hints
• Your favorite recipes may be adjusted for cooking in the pressure cooker by following the general directions in this manual . Use the
included timetables and recipes as a guide for specific foods and cooking times . There is very little evaporation during pressure cooking,
so the amount of liquid used should be decreased . A minimum of 1 cup of water or cooking liquid should always be used for pressure
cooking . Of course, the easiest way to adapt your favorite conventional recipe is to find a similar recipe for pressure cooking in this
book and use it as a guide .
• Use the cooking rack when it is desirable to cook foods out of the cooking liquid . When foods are pressure cooked out of the liquid,
flavors will not intermingle . Therefore, it is possible to cook several foods at once, as long as they have similar cooking times . If it is
desirable to blend flavors, do not use the cooking rack .
• Many different cooking liquids can be used in a pressure cooker . Wine, beer, broth, fruit juices, and of course water all make excellent
cooking liquids in the pressure cooker .
• If a recipe says to cook 0 minutes, simply press the
VEGETABLES–LOW
button . Unit will beep 10 times as soon as pressure is reached .
Use the quick pressure release method immediately after pressure cooker reaches cooking pressure .
• It is the size and shape of the food pieces, rather than the quantity, that affects pressure cooking time . For example, 1 potato will have
the same cooking time as 6 potatoes of similar size . It is important to note the size of the food specified in the cooking timetables; if
the pieces of food being cooked are of a size different than those noted, it will be necessary to adjust the cooking time .
• When pressure cooking at high altitudes, the cooking time needs to be increased 5% for every 1000 feet above the first 2000 feet .
Following this rule, the times should be increased as follows:
3000 ft . . . . 5%
4000 ft . . . . 10%
5000 ft . . . . 15%
6000 ft . . . . 20%
7000 ft . . . . 25%
8000 ft . . . . 30%
• If you have any questions on recipes, cooking times, or the operation of your pressure cooker, call our Test Kitchen at 1-800-368-2194
or contact us at our website www .GoPresto .com .
Questions and Answers
1. Sometimes when pressure cooking, I notice beads of moisture forming in the area of the pressure release valve. I also sometimes
hear what sounds like escaping steam prior to the point in time that the timer begins to count down. Is there something I am doing
wrong?
No . Both are normal and can be expected as part of pressure cooking .
2. I pressed the wrong button by accident and the cooker is not allowing me to press the right one. What can I do?
Press
CANCEL
. This will enable you to start over and press the correct button .
3. When I tried to adjust the time, it did not change. What am I doing wrong?
You did not adjust the time within the first 6 seconds . Press
CANCEL
and begin again by choosing the desired setting and adjusting
the time as needed .
4. I can see steam escaping from around the cover. Why?
You forgot to put the sealing ring on the sealing plate or you forgot to install the sealing ring plate in the cooker cover .
NOTICE:
If
either of these parts are not in place during cooking, the cooker will leak, pressure will not build, and you may damage the unit .
Leakage may also occur if the sealing ring needs to be replaced . The sealing ring may shrink, become hard, deformed, cracked, or
torn with normal use . When this happens, replace the sealing ring before using the unit again for pressure cooking .
5. I can hear steam venting from the quick pressure release valve and pressure is not building. Why?
You have the quick pressure release valve in the
STEAM OUT
position . The quick pressure release valve must be in the
COOK
position in order for pressure to build and the cooker to seal .
6. Sometimes when I’m pressure cooking foods such as a roast, the time doesn’t change. Why?
The pressure cooker has not reached operating pressure . Countdown will begin as soon as the cooker reaches operating pressure .
7. Occasionally the cover is hard to open. What causes this? What should I do?
If the cover seems difficult to open, there may still be pressure in the cooker . Be sure the air vent/cover lock has dropped before trying
to open the cooker . If the cover rotates but it seems to catch on the rim of the body, you are not lifting the cover straight up off the
cooker body .
