How to Use the Power Pressure Cooker XL

The Power Pressure Cooker XL is an entry-level electric pressure cooker. Here’s everything you need to know about using the Power Pressure Cooker XL.

Lately, I’ve been getting lots of questions about how to make recipes in the Power Pressure Cooker XL. So I decided it was time to buy  one and do a How to Use the Power Pressure Cooker XL so I could better answer the questions. It’s been sold for several years on QVC, and Costco has started selling an 8 quart Power Pressure Cooker XL for about $89.

Using the Power Pressure Cooker XL Multi-Cooker

The first question is generally which button should I use?

All the pressure cooker buttons cook the same except the canning button. So it doesn’t matter which button you use, chose the button with the closest cook time to the time in the recipe.

The Power Pressure Cooker XL pressure buttons:

• Fish/Veg/Steam – 2 minute cook time, use the cook time selector to adjust to 4 or 10 minutes. This is the shortest cook time available on the Power Pressure Cooker XL
• Beans/Lentils – 5 minute cook time, use the cook time selector to adjust to 15 or 30 minutes.
• Rice/Risotto – 6 minute cook time, use the cook time selector to adjust to 18 or 25 minutes. The manual suggests using 6 minutes for white rice, 18 minutes for brown rice, and 25 minutes for wild rice.
• Soup/Stew –  10 minute cook time, use the cook time selector to adjust to 30 or 60 minutes.
• Meat/Chicken – 15 minute cook time, use the cook time selector to adjust to 40 or 60 minutes.

To adjust the preset times listed above, use the time adjust button to add time. You cannot reduce the time. If you need less time, use one of the buttons with less time – Fish is the shortest cook time. You have to press the time adjust button immediately after pressing the pressure cook button you want to use.

All of these pressure cooking buttons cook at 7.2 psi, which is considered the high end of low pressure on the Instant Pot. However, Power Pressure Cooker XL users report that they do not have to increase the cook time when cooking Pressure Cooking Today recipes that are cooked on high pressure.

My husband cooks a lot of pressure cooker hard boiled eggs and he agreed the time to cook the eggs was the same in the Power Pressure Cooker XL on the rice setting and in the Instant Pot using high pressure and the manual button – 6 minutes with a 6 minute natural release. The Power Pressure Cooker XL does take longer to come to pressure, which may be what’s compensating for the lower psi.

So when you’re cooking my electric pressure cooker recipes in the Power Pressure Cooker XL, don’t add additional cooking time because of the difference in psi. You can always add additional if necessary after the initial cooking time, but you don’t want to over cook foods.

Additional Power Pressure Cooker XL buttons:

• Canning – the canning button cooks at 12 psi, which is high pressure in the Instant Pot. If you prefer, you can do all your pressure cooking using the canning button if you’re pressure cooking longer than 10 minutes. You can adjust the time to 45 and 120 minutes. The Power Pressure Cooker manual does not recommend pressure canning if you are at an altitude above 2,000 ft. However, a division of the USDA warned consumers against pressure canning in digital (electric) pressure cookers. Hot water bath canning is safe.
• Slow Cook – 2 hour cook time, use the cook time selector to adjust to 6 hours or 12 hours. Slow cook cooks between 174-199° F which would be equivalent to low on a traditional slow cooker.
• Keep Warm/Cancel Button – Use this button to cancel a function or turn off your pressure cooker. When you pressure cooking time is up, it will automatically switch to Keep Warm.
• Delay Timer – allows you to set the pressure cooker to start cooking later in the day.

The second question is how do I saute or brown in the Power Pressure Cooker XL?

The Power Pressure Cooker doesn’t have a saute button instead they recommends using the pressure cooking buttons without the lid on. Since the meat/chicken button has the longest cook time, it’s a good choice for sauteing and browning. (It’s been reported that new models now have a saute button!)

Releasing the Pressure. The symbols on the pressure valve are really easy to understand on the Power Pressure Cooker XL. Line up the image of the steam coming out with the triangle to quickly release the pressure – the open position. Line up the circle and the two triangles to pressure cook – the locked position.

You can get more information about releasing the pressure in my Quick Release or Natural Pressure Release Post.

The Power Pressure Cooker XL lid has an outer lid and an inner liner with a gasket. When cleaning the lid, be sure and remove and clean the liner – use the pull tab to separate the liner and gasket from the lid. Also remove the gasket from the liner and wash it.

When you’re reattaching the liner and the gasket to the lid, be sure the pull tab is visible.

The 8 quart Power Pressure Cooker XL I bought at Costco came with a trivet, steamer tray, ladle and measuring cup.

You can view the Power Pressure Cooker XL manual for more information and order replacement parts on their website.

There are a few things I dislike about the Power Pressure Cooker XL.

– It doesn’t have a saute or browning button, and it doesn’t tell you when the pot is hot and ready to saute. Both the Instant Pot and Fagor signal you when it’s hot. Since I’m generally impatient, this is a feature I really appreciate so I don’t add food too soon. (Newer models do have a Saute button!)

– There isn’t a minus button to subtract time. You need to pick the button with the closest time and add time.

– I prefer a stainless steel pot because you can scrub it, and don’t have to worry about scratching the finish.

Despite the disadvantages, I do think the Power Pressure Cooker XL is a good value for an 8 quart pressure cooker for only $89.

My niece recently bought the Power Pressure Cooker XL at Costco and has fallen in love with it, and with pressure cooking. There’s also a Facebook Group, Pressure Cooking Fun, and many members of the group use and love the Power Pressure Cooker XL. It also gets good reviews on Amazon.

So if you’re looking for an 8 quart electric pressure cooker at a more affordable price, the Power Pressure Cooker may be right for you.

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