REASONS TO BUY
Good overall cooking performance
Easy to clean
REASONS TO AVOID
No lid storage
Presto 02141 Review
An easy to clean, great performing product, especially for the price you pay
Credit: Jason Peters
RELATED: Best Pressure Cookers of 2024
Our Verdict
The Presto manages to offer most of the performance of pressure cookers on the market despite often selling for much lower prices. As long as you're not invested in all of the recipe books and blogs that tailor themselves specifically to the settings and interface of the popular Instant Pot models on the market, we think the Presto is a perfect, generally, lower-cost alternative that is well-suited to share counter space with your other kitchen appliances.
Editor's Note: This pressure cooker gear review now includes more information on our favorite cookers and those we'd recommend. This update happened on February 4, 2022.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product Presto 02141 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Bang for the Buck |  Best Overall Pressure Cooker | Runner Up Pressure Cooker |  Best Versatility | |
| Price | $102 List $80.99 at Amazon | $150 List $129.95 at Amazon | $300 List $299.95 at Amazon | $350 List | $250 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A good all-around pressure cooker that often sells for a bit less than most of the popular models on the market | Continual product improvement and great results in the kitchen are why this model is still our favorite | This is an exceptional product across the board, but it comes at a high cost | It doesn't cook everything perfectly, but we applaud the effort and feel this product is worth buying | An exceptional and effective pressure cooking and air frying multifunction device |
| Rating Categories | Presto 02141 | Instant Pot Duo Plu... | Breville Fast Slow Pro | Ninja Foodi Smart XL | Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL |
| User Friendliness (35%) | |||||
| Cooking Performance (30%) | |||||
| Ease of Cleaning (25%) | |||||
| Cooking Features (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Presto 02141 | Instant Pot Duo Plu... | Breville Fast Slow Pro | Ninja Foodi Smart XL | Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL |
| Pot Material | Nonstick | Stainless Steel | Nonstick | Nonstick | Nonstick |
| Saute | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capacity | 6 quart | 6 quart | 6 quart | 8 quart | 8 quart |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
The Presto offers excellent cooking performance at a great price.
Credit: Jason Peters
User Friendliness
For the most part, the Prest is easy to use. Its interface is clear and easy to follow, the lid secures on easily, and the pressure release valve is relatively easy to release (be safe and use a wooden spoon, so your hand doesn't get near the ensuing burst of steam).
We do have a few minor complaints, however. The first is that there isn't any convenient storage for the lid when it's not in place. Many other models have a slot in one handle that can hold the lid vertically while you saute your veggies or serve your meal. This may seem minor, but it feels pretty luxurious not to have to hold the lid in one hand while you stir or serve with the other. Additionally, the LCD screen on the control panel is relatively small, so those that require reading glasses may have trouble reading it unaided.
We found the interface easy to use, but we wish the display were a bit bigger.
Credit: Jason Peters
Cooking Performance
While we generally didn't find cooking performance very different across machines (pressure cooking is a fairly consistent method), the Presto found its way into the upper echelon in our tests. This is mainly due to its ability to cook very tender meat (the ribs we made fell off the bone), one thing that can often be challenging for pressure cookers. We also found the saute mode quite effective — a vital characteristic for making one-pot meals.
One slight weakness we found with this model was its rice cooking. The rice came out very tender but a bit moist and sticky; those looking for fluffier rice may be slightly disappointed.
The Presto made fantastic ribs.
Credit: Jason Peters
Ease of Cleaning
Largely thanks to a nonstick pot certified by the manufacturer as dishwasher safe, we found the Presto to be one of the easiest models to clean of the many we tested.
That nonstick pot made scrubbing off burned veggies quick and easy, and the fact that we could toss it into the dishwasher was a huge plus. The two-piece lid has a removable gasket, making deeper cleaning fairly easy. Like every model we've ever tested, there is a gap where the lid secures onto the body that tends to catch bits of food and grease and is challenging to clean, but as of now, that's an unavoidable pitfall or pressure cooking.
Cleaning the pot is easy.
Credit: Jason Peters
Cooking Features
The Presto offers more cooking features than most models. If you're a fan of cooking presets in your appliances, the Presto 02141 won't disappoint.
A Full List of The Presto's Cooking Functions
Brown, Saute, Rice, Multigrain, Chop/Rib, Roast, Poultry, Fish, Soup, Stew, Vegetables high/low, Desserts, Beans, Slow Cook high/low, and Keep Warm
Should You Buy the Presto?
Thanks to all-around good performance and a propensity for being on sale, the Presto is often a fantastic lower-cost option for those looking for a new pressure cooker. However, it becomes much less compelling if you can't find it on sale. The Presto is as capable as many of the most popular models and lists for a similar price. However, it can be found on sale very often. We think it is a fantastic overall value if you find it on sale. If you can't find it on sale, you may want to consider going with one of the more popular models instead — they're popular for a reason.
What Other Pressure Cooker Should You Consider?
If price is not a concern, the Instant Pot Duo Plus V4 is the highest-ranking option with impressive results in every testing metric.
—
Max Mutter and Michelle Powell
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