Mayer Pressure Cooker review ($169.90): Fast and fuss-free cooking

The last time I tried to boil a simple ‘ABC’ chicken soup for my family of 3 with the popular cream-coloured stackable cookware brand, it ended up in a hot mess. The soup was splattering out of the tiny 18 cm pot and I was fumbling with the heat controls and timer setting with my wet hands. After a series of 30-minute timers going off, the soup was still nowhere near ready. While the sweet corn and potatoes were all cooked, the soup tasted bland and my hungry toddler was on the brink of tearing the house down. I thought to myself - will a larger pot be able to solve this problem?

Instead of getting a larger pot, I was convinced that a pressure cooker would solve all modern-day problems. Just 2 weeks into our experience with the Mayer 6L Pressure Cooker, and it is now permanently parked on the kitchen countertop, along with the other daily must-have appliances, such as the air fryer and rice cooker.

Mayer Pressure Cooker 6L specs

• Capacity: 6L
• Dimensions: 315 x 290 x 315 mm
• Weight: 6.7kg
• Accessories: Includes free stainless steel pot

Mayer Pressure Cooker Size

To house the 6L cooker pot, the pressure cooker has to be rather sizeable and similarly sized as an air fryer. Mayer’s range of multicookers includes another smaller pressure cooker with 1.6L capacity, and I was wondering if that would be the right size for a family of 3. However, we eventually decided that we did not want to make the same mistake of getting something that was too compact and not functional for our needs.

It is important to note that the pressure cookers cannot be overfilled, as it can block the pressure valve. The general rule of thumb is to fill the cooker to no more than two-thirds full, especially if you are cooking foods such as beans, rice, pasta, and grains, as some space is required to cater enough space for the foam and expansion during the boiling process and steam to take place. Therefore, it is best to go for a larger capacity when in doubt.

Unlike regular pots, pressure cookers tend to have a higher height in general, as the electrical heating components are typically found at the bottom. With a higher height on the pressure cooker, the cooking experience can get a little tricky, and the possibility of developing an aching arm when placed on regular countertops, especially if there are shelves or kitchen hood installed above.

Mayer Pressure Cooker Cooking Functions

The pressure cooker comes with a total of 14 cooking functions, including fry, stew, meat, fish, rice, bread, pasta, vegetables, slow cook, yogurt, desserts, bake, cake, and steam. At the turn of the menu dial button, it is convenient to switch from frying to pasta, along with the other cooking functions. 

Would it be better if there were grill and air fry functions, in replacement of vegetables and cake? Probably, since vegetables and cake seem to be repetitive to the steam and cake functions.

However, after my experience with using the Mayer pressure cooker, I would still prefer to have the rice cooker and air fryer as separate kitchen appliances for greater cooking efficiency to achieve the ideal “3 dishes 1 soup” for an Asian family meal in the shortest time possible. I like to be able to cook rice and soup simultaneously, as well as to air fry nuggets or fish sticks as an extra dish.

Mayer Pressure Cooker Review

The initial experience using the Mayer pressure cooker was intimidating, as I have heard many scary things about the steam being dangerous to be around. What I really appreciate is the force lock feature when the steam is still within the cooker and needs to be fully released before the lid can open successfully.

Of course, I had to recreate the ‘ABC’ chicken soup as the first dish to cook with the Mayer pressure cooker for a fair comparison. Instead of going for the “slow cook” cooking function which would take an hour, I decided to try the DIY preset with just a 45-minute cook time under the highest heat at 170 degrees celsius for greater time savings.

Used to a regular cook pot, I was tempted to open up the lid to check on it at the halfway mark, to make sure that everything was going fine. However, I realised that it is difficult and not advisable since the pressure in the cooker must be released first, which will then affect the overall result. 

Having extra time on hand, without the need to check the soup constantly, I was able to use the time efficiently by washing up instead. When the 45-minute timer was up, the Mayer pressure cooker switched to a Keep Warm mode automatically. We were all served with rich stock for the ABC chicken soup. I was amazed at how tender the chicken, while the potato and carrot were soft and mushy. The experience was unlike what I was used to with the regular cook pot.

Mayer Pressure Cooker Cooking Experience

Aside from soups and stews, I also enjoyed making pasta with the pressure cooker. Instead of using multiple pots and pans, I managed to cook a simple pasta with all of the ingredients required in the same pot to save time and effort washing up. With the pasta function on the pressure cooker, I was able to get the pasta ready in just 5 minutes, as compared to the usual 20 minutes, without having to clean up any spills from the pot too. After draining out the excess water, I switched to fry mode and was able to complete the pasta dish in a quick 15 minutes.

For cooking functions such as steaming, soups, and stew, they are the healthier and easier ways of cooking for me. I am relieved of the constant check-ins required whenever I cook over the induction hob, as I do not have to worry about spills happening, and also do not need to adjust the heat and timer settings manually.

One helpful little tool is the anti-scald gripper tool that could ease the process of taking the pot out of the cooker while it is still hot. Cleaning up is also a breeze, thanks to the non-stick nature of the pot. The pressure cooker body requires just a simple wipe down, as there is no direct contact with the food. 

Mayer Pressure Cooker Price

There are various multicooker, rice cooker, and pressure cooker options available in the market. For families with children, consider going for the Mayer pressure cooker and skip a regular multicooker, as it will be the most ideal for preparing healthy soups and stews that require a large pot capacity. 

The price point of the Mayer pressure cooker at $169.90 is affordable, similar to that of a general rice cooker. If you have to choose between a pressure cooker and a rice cooker, I would recommend going for a pressure cooker as there is a greater range of cooking functions available, including rice too.

The Mayer 6L Pressure Cooker is available for $169.90 at Mayer and Lazada

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