Hawkins Contura 3.5 Liters Hard Anodized Pressure Cooker

Very fast cooking and very easy to clean. Being an Indian, I was already aware of the quality of Hawkins in general, although unsure about their Contura line of products. Cookers are pretty much essential items in every Indian household and if someone is used to Indian style of cooking, this is the cooker they can go for (except a bigger size in the same cooker, maybe). I have been able to cook some of my favorite dishes (especially sambar) only since I got this, and I am so far very pleased with my purchase.

This pressure cooker is ingenious and simple. Isn't that what ingenious should be?The lid is oval, so when you turn it one way, it fits inside the rim. Turn it slightly and the oval means it can't come out, negating the need for external lips to hold a lid or thumbscrews. On the negative side, the lip that restricts the lid means more effort to remove the contents. This is in all fairness only a half-star ding. Otherwise, we like it. Except the cats. They think the release of steam must be the meanest cat ever - they run.I use it to quick cook garbanzos for hummus, and beans for bean dip. Just did some carrots tonight for a mix that went with Thai sauce. Saved about 15 minutes and some energy.

I love this and it is so easy to use. Perfect for 1 or 2. I now can get tender tasty meat every time in about 40-45 minutes. I have used just broth for meat that I then use different sauces on and I have used marinated pieces as well. Great for Korean barbeque recipes. Just a side note...I don't brown my meat in it as it's hard to see what's going on so I use a fry pan and just dump the meat in once browned. Add big chunks of onion and whole garlic to any recipe and they are about dissolved after 40 minutes. Also, I open the pot as soon as my meat is done and haven't had any problems. I wouldn't try that with soup or beans, though. Manufactures directions advise against opening before it cools down, but I thought I'd share my experience.

I can't believe I've lived this long without a pressure cooker! This baby is the bomb! And unlike the "Electric" models that have become popular, this one is compact and stores easily. Use the stove for your heat source, and save a lot of money & cabinet space. This smaller 3.5L size fits a 4-pound corned beef or pot roast. Plenty for my family of 4. The lid takes a little getting used to, but it's not hard, just different. Seals securely and cleans easily. (I don't like nonstick except for frying eggs or pancakes!). Definitely too small/short for any canning, which I don't do anyway.

Beautiful, well designed, easy to use. I leave it sitting on the stove so I can admire its sleek appearance. I've always been apprehensive about using a pressure cooker. When thinking about purchasing one, I would visualize a large steel pot with imposing pressure dials and heavy clamps around the lid to keep it from exploding off the pot, sending the user off to an extended stay in a burn unit. This pressure cooker has no dials and no heavy clamps. It's ingeniously designed with a lid that seats inside the pot and is locked by its own steam pressure. The dial has been replaced by a vent with a weight which pops up to float on the steam until excess pressure has been released. The weight will hiss and sometimes spin every few seconds. It's fun to watch. There is no built-in timer. Cooking time must be monitored starting when the vent starts to steam and the weight is snapped into place. I don't find this to be a problem since cooking time for most food usually less than 10 minutes. The 3 liter size cooker is no larger than a sauce pan, and is perfect for 2 people. In addition to meals, I use it for making meat or vegetable broths; quickly cooking dried beans, rice or potatoes; and even frozen food directly from the freezer, although I don' t recommend this until you have experimented with appropriate cooking times. My crock pot has been retired to a spot on the back of the cupboard shelf. I will definitely be purchasing another one of these small pressure cookers in the near future.

Detailed info about these was sparse online. The unit does come with an insert, not mentioned anywhere. Though recommended for gas stoves, it seems fine on my glass-top electric. Looks fine, too! 99-cent-a-pound beef ribs succulent in less than one hour. I will be ordering the 5-liter Contura ... only wish I could find a bigger one to match. The Hawkins website lists a 6.5-liter model, but I can't find one for sale anywhere online. This 3-liter is a bit smaller than expected, but I am glad I purchased it.

I don't know why this cooker have negative reviews. When I was a kid, my always used hawkins so this time I thought to buy one for my kitchen and I am glad I did. It's how I remember it. Cooks faster than other cookers and if you follow the instructions from the book that came with it, you won't be having a problem cleaning it. Opening and closing the top is very easy for me because I am used to it. Good size and perfect shape. Love it!

I don't want to cook any other way now that I've experienced the time savings involved with pressure cooking. In addition to that, I even think the food tastes better, as I've cooked vegetables with only water (cabbage, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, jalapenos, rice, tomatoes, asparagus, and potatoes) - most notable was the sweeter tasting carrots. The included booklet has recipes, instructions for use, and cooking times for various items. Works great, just let it heat up to operating temperature ( 6-10 minutes), then it's only 2-3 minutes longer for most foods.

Hawkins this cooker is very nice. I cook tuvar dal directly placed in cooker with water and on medium flame 3 whistle never spoil my kitchen. It cooks fast is other benefits. After so many cooker tryed for tuver dal this one is now using as my problem of cleaning kitchen is solved and daily using it as in gujrati family arhar dal is day to day required food item. The shape is beautiful ,it is easy to wash. I have other Hawkins aluminium big cooker which is long back purchased is also working in full capacity. The brand is excellent.

Hi, i hav been disappointed in my Hawkins Contura 4L purchase from Amazon. Its got replaced once but still the issues found. Issues discussed below1) scratch marks around the outer bottom area of cooker alongwith long scratches. It seems that the Cooker is not properly finished or doesn't look like a fresh piece.2) In the replacement piece also the rugged scratch marks were found. Moreover the hexagonal valve on lid has nailed edges and has a circular scratch on lid seems that it is tighten up by using a tool. Similarly the innerside of whistle on lid has rugged edges. Small scratches could be avoided but these things speaks about product quality which doesn't allow me to go for this.Now i have asked for refund on this.

After the first wash a coat of hard anodised layer came off now raised a request to return the product.

Excellent product, non stick n cooks really fast. Still if buying something with similar capacity n brand u can also opt for the other model which is broader by base n height is a little less that becomes more easy to monitor n stir.

Very thin cover usually hawkins cooker covers are somewhat heavy in weight. Doesn't look original product.One handle was missing not installed on cooker or added in packaging.Packaging was damaged