Prestige Popular 4L SVACHH Pressure Cooker Silver - 10166

The Prestige Popular Svachh is the everyday aluminium pressure cooker most kitchens in Malé already know — the plain, quick, hard-working one you reach for on a weeknight rather than the showpiece.

Aluminium is the reason it is quick. It conducts heat faster than stainless steel, so it comes up to pressure in less time and on less gas. The trade is that aluminium reacts with acidic food, so long-simmered tomato, tamarind and lime will dull the inside over time. That is cosmetic rather than dangerous, and it is the normal life of an aluminium cooker.

One thing to check before buying: this cooker has a plain aluminium base and is not induction compatible. It is for gas.

Handle it the way the manufacturer asks and it will last. Never fill it more than two-thirds full — the space above the food is what generates and holds the steam. Do not force the lid open until the cooker has cooled and the pressure has dropped. Never run it dry on a hot burner, because dry heating is what fuses a safety plug and bulges a base. Wash it by hand.

Two parts are consumable rather than permanent: the sealing gasket and the metallic safety plug. A tired gasket is the usual reason an older cooker stops holding pressure, and replacing one is a five-minute job rather than a reason to replace the cooker.