Fagor Reviews

I have been looking all over for a reasonably priced but well made larger paella pan. I couldn't find any in the usual department stores and consumer oriented bath and kitchen stores. I then went to several high end culinary shops and suffered sticker shock at seeing good paella pans mostly in the $100 to $200 range with some priced higher. I searched the internet with only somewhat better pricing. When I saw the Fagor 15 inch paella pan at amazon.com at around $23 I thought I'd give it a try, figuring I'd get a cheap product made out of light metal for that kind of money. Boy, was I surprised when the item came. It is made out of heavy, thick aluminum with a high quality non-stick interior surface. The handles are thick stamped metal rolled to a nice diameter and riveted securely to each side of the pan. Instead of a cheapy pan that would be disposable after a year or two, this pan is built to last.

One thing to note is that the pan is not too deep being about 2 inches from top to bottom. However, this should not be a problem for serving a family with the generous 15 inch diameter. Also, the pan does not come with a cover, a negative for persons who may wish the pan to do double duty as a skillet.

The paella pan comes with a brochure of several paella recipes which provide some neat ideas for variations on the paella theme. I was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected quality I received for the price.

I lost 100 pounds while living in Madrid last year. They use this brand and size, even the 4 quart, alot. I'll explain one recipe quickly as so many Americans are leery of using it. It is so quick and easy to use. My husband is a very happy man with these meals too. It is like a wonderful multi layer flavored stew in just 20 minutes. Briefly: put in 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs & a little olive oil, and brown. Then just leave heat on high or med. and start tossing in your cut up veggies!!! Whatever you like! For chicken, I'll usually clean and chop 2 carrots, 1 small onion, 1/4 to 1/3 cabbage, 2 celery stalks, little less than a teaspoon of garlic from those jars that have the garlic already mushed up, salt (not to much cuz can add more at end), dash of pepper, 1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes (just to be even quicker), 1/2 to 1 cup of chick stock depending on how "soupy" I want it - which of course can be cooked down (but you MUST have the liquid THIS IS THE KEY); then stir to mix well. THEN put the lid on correctly (easy to do), put dail to "closed lid" sign, put back up on high and wait for little yellow indicator to "pop up" - THEN turn heat to low and set your timer for 20 minutes. (I have an electric stove). It will hiss some but that is normal - remember, healthy, nutritious meal all while using minimal electricity and with these HOT California days it is the best. It is an absolute delight. It is quicker to cook than go out for a meal not to mention how money is to be saved. You could use lower grades of beef too because the pressure is so fabulous. When the timer goes off, turn off stove, and let set to meld flavors even more and when yellow indicator goes down then you can open lid (I like this method cuz it is so tasty). For even better presentation of your dish, when timer goes off just turn dail to the "steam releasing" picture, wait for yellow indicator to go back down and then open. You will see the difference when you try it both methods. This is not the pressure cooker that we in the USA have heard about around WWII; this is the most famous, widely used modern pressure cooker of Spain. Slender healthy women AND definately men too use it on a daily basis in Spain!!!! This pressure cooker has become a staple in my home. Less electricty which is great for my pocket book and the environment, and healthy nutritious meals that retain all the vitamins...well,it's a good thing. (Although, I don't think I have ever seen Martha use a pressure cooker!) Gotta go! Dinner is ready!!!!! Tonight is beef precut into cute little cubes! Yum! :)

My mom uses a pressure cooker. It's an old, beat-up thing made out of who-knows-what in an ugly brown color and the jiggly thing on top. It must be older than me. But the stew that comes out of it is amazing. So I think I want my own pressure cooker and added this one to our wedding registry. One of our guests (no doubt a pressure cooker fan) bought it for us. In fact, it was the very first gift snatched off our Amazon.com registry! Then it went into the closet. That was last year and I am embarrassed to admit it. We just bought a new house, and inspired by all the extra cabinet space I dug out the Fagor. Risotto in 6 minutes? No way! I have to try it. They aren't kidding. You can make a butternut squash risotto in 6 minutes. That's right...a hard-as-a-rock winter squash that comes out as if you'd been roasting it for an hour. It was the best risotto we ever had. The prep time took twice as long as the cook time and consists mainly of cutting up your veggies and/or meats into chunks. My husband couldn't believe the carrots in it were as soft as if they had been slow-cooked all day. I am now a fan and am on the quest for a good pressure-cooker cookbook. The Fagor is easy to use. I read the instruction manual first because the thought of a pressurized pot sitting on my stove scared me a little bit... You can brown meats and veggies in the pot with some oil before adding in everything else + liquid and snapping on the lid to bring it up to pressure. Never fill up the pot! It should only be 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full, depending on what you are cooking and how much it will expand. That might mean I have to get a bigger pot if I want to cook for more than 4 people. There is a little yellow indicator that pops up to tell you when the pot is properly pressurized. Problem is, once I saw the yellow indicator, I couldn't remember where its original "down" position was. The best indicators are your ears. Just wait for the loud "SHHHH" noise and then turn down the heat (or move the pot over to a burner set on "low" if you have an electric stove). I admit the "SHHHH" scared me a little. OK, a lot...enough to make me move out of the kitchen and peer at the pot from a distance. The amount of steam that comes out is barely visible, so the sound is the best indicator. After 6 minutes of "SHHHH" I took the pot off the stove, set it in the sink, and gently ran cold water over the lid with the sprayer hose. In probably 30 seconds there was a loud, brief "HISSS" and then the yellow indicator retreated, indicating that the pot was de-pressurized. OK, I admit the "HISSS" really made me jump. Just to be sure, I turned the valve to the "release steam" position and nothing came out (Note: I don't think I would ever use the "release steam" position while anything was cooking. It would make me too nervous. I will always leave the valve on the "high pressure" position and only use the "release steam" position after the cold-water depressurization to double-check). I felt a lot better now that all the "SHHHH" and "HISSSS" was done and took the pot out of the sink and opened the lid. I peered doubtfully inside the pot. No way. This risotto looks perfect and I didn't even stir it! I tossed in some raw shrimp and frozen peas to cook in the remaining heat (which worked very well as the remaining heat is quite high), then added my cheese and dinner was ready. In my opinion all the veggies tasted and looked a lot brighter than they would have if cooked in a slow-cooker. This might mean retiring our slow-cooker. Clean-up was easy. Just wash out with warm water and mild detergent. Take out the gasket and the valve (you have to turn it to the release position first) to rinse thoroughly, then let everything dry separately before re-assembling. Apparently you should oil the gasket lightly to prolong its life but I was too lazy. I will probably oil it every few times I use it. I have got to try indian curries in this thing.

OK - I am a single guy again, and have been known to mess up a boil-n-bag, but I can use this thing! I have had it for a couple of months now. This and a $10 pressure cooker cookbook and I have made several things so far, no stomach pumps and no explosions. The reduced cooking time and one pot meal is just what I needed.

Gopher it!

This is a beautiful, efficient product that comes at great price. I see the same product without the steamer being sold here at Amazon for $39 including free shipping. This cost me $38 including shipping and included the Steamer part which my wife loves.

I am very pleased with this set. The quality is beautiful and it is a wonderful addition to my other cookware.

It's stackable which means you can boil, steam and melt at the same time, one one burner. It's a real energy saver.

This is truly the finishing pieces to a standard set of Stainless steel cookware.

I bought this pan as a Christmas gift for my husband. It would have been easier if I had just put a match to my money and burned it. He has given up using this pan. He even read the directions thinking he was doing something wrong. Every egg he placed in it stuck to the side of the teflon rings. What a shame. The only use would be to throw the rings away and just use it as a regular pan. Don't waste your money.

I was very pleased with the impressive quality, design and function of this egg poacher. The eggs came out PERFECT. They popped right out of the cups. No messy clean up. Also, the generous handles to pick up the cups were not overlooked; they were so easy to pick up with an oven mitt. No fumbling with a fork to get the cups out like with some other egg poachers. The beautiful brushed stainless steel pan and glass lid were also extremely well made. I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally find the perfect poacher!

A very high quality piece of specialized kitchen equipment. Does a perfect job of poaching. The glass lid lets you moniter the cooking process and it's vented. Has a nice weight and the teflon cups keep the eggs whole.
It's as easy as making a soft-boiled egg.
If I had to do it again I probably would have bought the 6 egg model because now the whole family want's poached eggs.

The item is OK. It is designed by geeks for geeks. If you have never used a pressure cooker before, you will be intimidated by all the cryptic knobs and instructions. The manual is almost useless and repeats the same message over and over again.

I am used to pressure cookers and I found this very tough and confusing to use. When I am cooking lentils, Am I supposed to wait for the steam to build up and release or will it release constantly?

Pressure cooking is easy, convenient and healthy. If you are not used to pressure cooking, you better start with another cooker that is relatively easy to use unlike this Fagor.

This is an excellent Fagor product. I'm not sure what the other reviewer really meant when saying the lid jammed, but the lid is supposed to be turned to the left to close, not to the right. The handle on the lid and the handle on the pot is supposed to meet and then you know it's closed because you hear an audible click as it locks in place. I suppose if you try to force the lid to the right it will jam, but why would you want to do that?

Anyway, there are 2 pressure settings, one for low, and one for high. The high is used when you don't have a lot of time. The instructions are clear in the booklet, and most meals will cook in less than an hour. It does take getting used to especially if you've never used a pressure cooker before, like me. But I love how quickly the meat gets soft, especially since I usually don't start thinking about dinner until late in the afternoon.

This is a very nice, heavy-weight 18/10 Stainless Steel cooker, not the thin aluminum types like "Presto". You're getting a well-made, quality pressure cooker with Fagor.

We've used this product for several months now and we're very happy with it....it works perfect. The product is very easy to use and is of high build quality.

Being new at canning I purchased this home canning kit, as I have the pressure cooker at home already. I quickly learned that pressure cookers are NOT considered safe for the high pressure canning method. So purchase this canning kit only for canning small batches of food using the hot water bath method of canning.

I love the funnel! Very sturdy and durable. The canning rack fits into one of my smaller stock pots which is nice for smaller batches. This is a nice set. They include a book with some recipes and color pictures. Beware if you've never canned before, The pictures under the "steps for pressure canning" were taken by someone who had no clue. Step 2. shows jar of food with someone removing bubbles, step 3. wipe rims of jars... shows empty jar turned upside down with someone wiping it, step 5 shows how the magnetic lid lifter works... except they are using it after the ring is on!. Anyway this is a great set anyway.

it's not only the best canning tools, it's also compact enough to utilize the small spaces I have in my apartment.

Have used this pressure cooker now for 3 recipes, one using the steamer basket. I love it. It's easy to use, cleans up very easily, and looks great. I use it on my induction cooktop, and it works great. Ring is sturdy, easy to remove and clean. Lid is easy to put on. The manual shows another pressure cooker by Fagor that has a more ergonomic handle, called FUTURE, but the handle on this DUO is fine. Also might want to check out their COMMERCIAL line. Great recipes come with. I have recently bought some very expensive top-of-the-line pots, one imported from Europe, and I have to say this is the best pot I have. Should have purchased this set first.

Fagor is the least expensive brand that I am aware of which also has the 'modern' features desirable in pressure cookers. To learn more about pressure cookers and what is desirable go to missvickie.com (a non-commercial site devoted to pressure cooker enthusiasts.) Some of these features deal with safety, e.g. you don't have to worry about plugging the steam escape with Fagor. Fagor cookers also reach a pressure of 15psi (which is important.) Unless a brand advertises that they do reach 15psi, assume that they don't. I suggest getting an extra gasket when you buy the item as you will need one at one point (they don't last forever). I must also compliment the company on its service. I bought this item, and sent in a rebate form (for a free stock pot). They sent me a nice paella pan by mistake. I was satisfied, however I called them to make sure that there was no mistake. They answered the phone right away (without the common maze of annoyingly slow and complex menu options.) The woman I talked to was very personable. This woman checked on what happened, called me back, and told me that they would also send the stock pot to me, and for me to go ahead and keep the paella pan. I will update this if needed as time goes on, as I have more experience using this item.

I purchased this set as a Christmas gift for my daughter and then asked for one for myself too! All I knew about pressure cookers was from decades ago, but this is not our mothers' cooker. It is very attractive, well-constructed, and safe to use. Having 2 pot sizes is wonderful. When I cook for my husband and me, I am finding the smaller one to be just right. I've cooked meats, veggies, dried beans, and brown rice all to perfection. It's great to take meat or poultry straight from the freezer and have it on the table in 30 minutes or less all tasty and fork-tender. I also purchased "Pressure Perfect" by Lorna Sass. It has more practical techniques and recipes than the little cookbook that came with the set. Can't wait to try a cheesecake! And thanks, Amazon.com, for the free shipping!!

Amazon is the ONLY place I was able to find this gasket. It fit perfectly -- no problems w/the order or vendor!!!!. Thanks so much.

When the rubber gasket for my pressure cooker began to deteriorate, I searched websites looking for a replacement. Most were more money and charged a high amount for shipping. I ordered the gasket through amazon.com, combined it with a book order and paid NO shipping. I love shopping amazon.com.