Funny story about pressure cookers. My mom used to can tomatoes every fall. (I was only 5 or 6 at the time.) We were in the living room and heard a huge crash. We ran out the kitchen and found tomatoes all over the walls, the ceiling, the floor. It was everywhere! Apparently, the gasket(?) blew. What a mess!

I have a presto and a mirro, prefer the heavier presto. I use it for a lot of other coking as well. I never cook beans any other way.

As with most things you expect to use for many years, get the very best you can afford of any brand. Then use it till it falls apart, and I'll suspect it will last far longer than you think it will.

Just keep an eye on the heat UNDER it, if you use wood then that will be your main concern. I used to live in Albuquerque (a heck of a long time ago) and spent weekends in Taos, where we used wood for heat and cooking. Without the pressure cooker beans were a no-no, so we took cooked ones with us. Heard horror stories about exploding pressure cookers and am still nervous around them. Tried to cook rice in one some time ago, it gummed up the vent, so I gave it away and now don't have one.

I love my Mirro! It was my mom's!!!! 1954! I still use it and its still perfect. I wonder if you can still find this brand.

After my sister exploded her Gulash all over the kitchen, I decided that pressure cookers are not for me.

I have used various pressure cookers for 40+ years. I have never had an explosion, even when I taught my children to use it. Follow directions, pay attention, no problems. Use enough liquid, don't use it for thick things that might clog ( I have cooked rice successfully, though), watch the temperature, follow directions for releasing pressure. it really isn't rocket science.

My incident happened when I was child. I had no idea what a pressure cooker was. I just wanted to surprise my mom by making dinner. I surprised her alright ;-)

Happened to me too, only it was greenbeans and sausage. What a mess to clean up. :shock:

Have both a Mirror and Presto, like them both for different purposes. I lived on the mesas outside of Abq. and pintos did fine in the heavier weighted one. Like 'em cooked with a little onion and green chile, and some more green chile at the table of course!

I can relate to Taos. My sis lived there (she passed Feb 14 this year just before I moved here) and she always used a pressure cooker for her beans, potatoes, and lots of other things. I looked forward to picking her mind about how to cook at this altitude. Guess that's why I am asking here!
Thanks for your response. Merced is nice!