I have an old-fashioned pressure cooker from the 70s that still works great, but this new Fagor has many features that make it much more user-friendly. The stainless steel-clad surface with aluminum core makes it ideal to brown foods before cooking them under pressure. The quick-release feature is very useful, and the cooker is light and ergonomically well-designed. It is also QUIET! I use it to cook beans and whole grains quickly, as well as soups and risottos. The Duo cooker has a low and high pressure selection, but I have not used the low setting yet and don't know if that is necessary.
