Pressure Cooker Review: Fagor Futuro – Very Good
The Futuro is instantly recognizable with its art-deco style handles and wide curvy base that is just asking for a roast. Fagor’s Futuro does alot of things right – but some functionality takes you by surprise -literally!
Pressure Cooker Review: Fagor Futuro
Features: (3.5 out of 5 stars)
- Wide Base – While the opening is standard for a 6L/qt pressure cooker 8.8″ (22.5 cm) at its widest point this pressure cooker is 9.25″ (23.5 cm)! A half inch (1cm) does not sound like much, but when other pressure cookers, like the Fissler Vitavit, have an interior that is narrower than the opening a half inch difference starts to look like 2″ (5 cm)!
- Short Handles - I prefer pressure cookers with short handles, but the handles on the Futuro look so much alike, that I’m always trying to put the top on the wrong handle – a very small inconvenience for not having a long handle sticking out over a flame of the next burner or sticking out where my kids can reach them easily.
- Easy-cleaning valve – It really does just spin out and pop into your hand in a single piece that you can run under the water in your sink. But.. (see Clean-up section)
Unfortunately, the Fagor Futuro lacks one feature that is standard in most modern – and even first-generation pressure cookers – a maximum fill line. Although expert cooks can eye-ball it someone who is new to pressure cooking might have a difficult time deciding where exactly 2/3 capacity might be, and then half capacity for pressure cooking foamy or foods that expand, like legumes and grains.
Safety: (4.5 out of 5 stars)
The Futuro would have gotten 5 out of 5 stars in this category, if there had been a maximum capacity fill line – an important guide to ensure that food particles do not interfere with the operation of the pressure and safety valves. Although the manual lists only three, I have found this pressure cooker to have four safety mechanisms.
- Primary Over-Pressure Release – Integrated in the pressure release valve, releases pressure in case that it rises above the selected pressure.
- Secondary Safety Valve- Located under the lid handle, kicks in if the first is not able to reduce excess pressure (in case the first is clogged or the pressure is too high).
- Self-locking handle - The pressure cooker will lock closed when it begins to reach pressure, and will not allow you to open it until all pressure has been released.
- Safety vent – in case the first two safety mechanisms should fail, the gasket will buckle and allow pressure (and some of the contents of the pressure cooker) through the metal cut-out in the lid. Always point this little window in the rim away from you while operating the pressure cooker.
Performance: (3 out of 5 stars)
I have a love-hate relationship with the pressure regulator of the the Fagor Futuro.
I love the selection and release, but hate the indicator and regulator.
Pressure selection is a snap with big numbers and a lever to choose the needed pressure: 1-Low Pressure (8psi) or 2- High Pressure (15psi).
The pressure indicator, a little yellow thing buried in the handle, is too quiet and imprecise. It will pop up when the pan is reaching pressure, not when the selected pressure has been reached. Turning down the heat at the first sight of the yellow signal, as is customary, could mean a loss of pressure. Instead, you are supposed to wait until the valve goes into over-pressure and starts spewing out vapor, before turning the heat down. I’ve taken to touching the raised signal with my finger – if it has “give” or falls back down the pan has not reached pressure. But if it is solid to the touch then the pan has reached pressure. Unlike other pressure cookers tested, the Futuro is so quiet that it will not make a bunch of noise when it has reached over-pressure and it’s time to turn down the heat. Getting this pan up to pressure requires a fair bit of monitoring.
Although this valve appears to emit quite a bit more vapor than its peers during operation. The numbers tell a different story. In my tests the Fagor Futuro has an average 3.5% evaporation, the same as the Kuhn Rikon Duromatic.
However, the heat required to maintain pressure is higher than the Kuhn Rikon Duromatic (knob position 2.75 vs. 1.6 ) - which makes this pressure cooker grossly less energy efficient than its peers.
When pressure cooking is finished, I love this pressure cooker all over again. When it’s time to release pressure, I just need to flick the pressure selector to “release” and a diffused, wide, low-noise cloud shoots straight up into the exhaust fan above my cooktop. Why would such an intuitive function be something I love about this pressure cooker?!? Well, other high-end pressure cookers require you to turn something slowly, or push a button and lever and stand there for two minutes while the pressure cooker de-pressurizes shooting vapor in every possible direction except for where it would make the most sense.
Clean-up: (4 out 5 stars)
- Valve comes out easily
- Gasket easy to remove and hand wash
- Lid should be hand-washed, only
- Base is dishwasher safe but hand washing is recommended.
The valve is really easy to remove for regular, fast cleaning, but there are some nooks and crannies underneath where the system attaches to the pan, that can only be reached by un-screwing the top part of the pressure cooker… and it takes a Ph.D. in Fagor construction to figure out how to put it back correctly. However, depending on the use (and I use this pan alot), you would only be faced with this about once a year (or after a particularly messy experiment).
The total weight of the Futuro Pressure cooker base is about half a pound (200g) less than equivalent -sized Fissler Vitavit and Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Pressure cooker bases, and you can really feel the difference when it’s time to clean it. I found the Fagor Futuro stainless steel a little “stickier” than other pressure cookers I have tested so far. This means that you will need to use a little extra elbow grease after pressure cooking a particularly caramellized meal.
The Futuro comes standard with a trivet and stainless steel steamer basket. Like the base, the steamer basket is the widest I’ve seen in pressure cookers of equivalent size 8.5″ (21.5cm) vs. the 7.5″ (19 cm) of the Fissler Vitavit. It is nice and deep and has two handles that stay out of the way.Fagor made this steamer basket extra special by capitalizing on the holes that need to be there anyway and turning it into a grater- helpful in a pinch but not ergonomic enough to become your primary grater.
Also included is a small recipe book, with color photographs and recipes and a very detailed instruction manual.
- Dessert Accessory Kit
- Canning Accessory Kit
(for 10L/QT and above)
- 3-piece Measuring Set
- Glass Lid
- Pasta Basket (see their website)
- 18/10 Stainless Steel with aluminum sandwich base
- Available Sizes: 4, 6 and 10qt
- Spring Valve with dial pressure selector (8 and 15 PSI)
- Universal Base – Safe to use on gas, electric, ceramic and induction cook tops
- Width: (opening) 8.8″ or 22.5cm, (widest point) 9.25″ or 23.5 cm; Height (internal) 6″ or 15.5cm; Weight: (Base) 4.14lbs or 1.88k , (Base and Top) 6.28lbs or 2.85k
- 10 Year Warranty
- Made in Spain
- Fagor Futuro Instruction Manual
- Manufacturer Website: Fagor America
- Recipes on this website using Fagor Futuro
The Futuro has the best pressure release I have seen, yet. It’s quiet, really automatic (you can walk away while it is releasing pressure instead of pushing a button for two minutes to release pressure), and best of all the vapor goes in the right direction (straight up into my exhaust fan). The shape of the base is the next-best feature. I was able to fit roasts in the Futuro that would have otherwise been cooked diagonally in other pressure cookers. But, unless you have a well-trained ear, it’s a bit of a surprise when it reaches pressure and it needs a bit more heat than its peers to stay there.
The Futuro is fun to use and well.accessorized but compared to other premium cookers it’s not the most efficient in terms of energy consumption.
Hip Score:
Reviewed by Laura Pazzaglia on
January 2012
NOTE: This review was fact-checked by the Marketing and Communications Manager at Fagor America prior to publication.
To Purchase:
From U.S. (similar model with different base).:
From U.K (similar model with different base).:
Have you used this pressure cooker?
Add to this review by leaving your comments, below!
Our relationship with a manufacturer, or lack thereof, does not affect the outcome of the pressure cooker reviews. In the interest of full disclosure, we would like to note that:
The equipment used for testing has been sent to hip pressure cooking by Fagor at no cost. On occasion, Fagor makes links to Hip Pressure Cooking recipes from their facebook page, and Hip Pressure Cooking has contributed some content to the recipe book sold with the Fagor Elite.
I bought the uk Marco version last Christmas, love it and that’s how I found your FB page whilst looking for recipes and ideas, thanks for all your posts, I have now completely re-discovered pressure cooking.
How long does it take to come to pressure, low or high?
Trudy, thanks for stopping by and leaving your feedback on this pressure cooker!
Lisa, the time to pressure depends on how full the pressure cooker is. For my tests I brought 1 kilo of room temperature water (which is 1 Liter or 4 cups) in a cold (not pre-heated) pressure cooker and the Futuro averaged around 10 minutes. If you pre-heat the pressure cooker, bring the contents to boil and use the minimum amount of liquid (usually 1 cup) the time to pressure is greatly reduced!
Ciao,
L
If I remember correctly, when I bought my Kuhn Rikon it was around $100 more than the Fagor on Amazon. Being the skinflint that I am I keep wondering if it was worth that additional $100.
Manufacturers base their retail price on a number of factors, though I have noticed that the country of manufacture and amount of materials have alot to do with it. But these reviews will bring out the non-obvious differences between brands (like efficiency). Kuhn Rikon Duromatic, is next!
Ciao,
L
What a coincidence! I actually had one of these, which I bought as a less expensive alternative to Kuhn Rikon. I have to say, honestly, I was not all that happy with the performance. It may have been me, but like you, I found it somehow a chore to get this baby up to pressure and keep it there. Perhaps I was just not used to the design. In any event, I wound up giving it away and buying the Kuhn Rikon anyway…
Hi Laura, thank you for doing these reviews! I note you are doing Kuhn Rikon next and wonder if you would address some troubleshooting. Since I discovered your page, I have been using mine much more, and noticed an intermittent problem. Not sure if parts need replacing or wrong technique! It’s a 2.5L KR which I have used about 2-3x per week over 18 months. I have already replaced the valve housing (the free moving cap)as the plastic legs broke, possibly from putting it in the dishwasher. It now hisses and pushes out steam/fluid without attaining enough pressure to drive the pin up to even the first red line. I tried steaming a small christmas pud last night on a steamer basket with about an inch of water, it got cooked after 10 mins despite the problem with some water still remaining in the pot. I think its a new seal I need, but do you have any other advice?
Hi again! While I was writing that desperate email to you, my husband lubricated the seal and did a test run with some water only – and it worked! You may have mentioned this tip already in your troubleshooting section somewhere?
One other comment on my Kuhn Rikon is that I have the Top model, which instead of having just that rod with red rings has a plastic “gizmo” on the top; a plastic thing that goes around the part that raises with the red marks on it. The plastic part that goes around is removable but without it you don’t know when the center indicator has risen enough.
What’s nice about it is that you can use it to release the steam; pull up the center indicator part and twist it and it locks into an open position. I always start it in that position so that I don’t have to sit there and watch it for the first 10 minutes or so; when the water is boiling it makes a lot of hissing noise so then I come back and put it in the normal position and then watch it get up to pressure.
Frank, thanks for adding your experience with this pressure cooker!
Miss Tammy, so glad you got your Kuhn working again. I’ll ask that you share your experience with the valve housing in the comments of the next review. I don’t have an official trouble-shooting section (great idea), but often answer questions on the Facebook Page.
Lumpynose, thanks for your feedback and information on Kuhn’s other model. I will ask that you post this in the comments when I publishe that review. And thanks for the grammatical reminder!
Ciao,
L
Our Facebook Page has moved here
I had to laugh while reading this because I’m still using the Oster pressure cooker I got as a wedding present in 1974!!!! MAN – Pressure cookers have come A LONG way! :) BTW – mine doesn’t have a fill line unless you want to count the “use line” that has formed at the 2/3 level due to so much use over the years. Great review!
I received a 10-quart Futuro for Christmas. I’ve only used it twice, but really like it so far. I’m bit confused about your comments on the pressure indicator, as I didn’t see anything in the instructions stating that the pan would need additional time to come up to full pressure even after the indicator popped up. I’m not disagreeing, just saying that I didn’t see it. In fact, it would be consistent with my results so far, where I turned down the heat when the indicator popped up and things seemed slightly underdone. Could you point me to where I could the discussion of this in the instructions?
Thanks!
mjskit, thanks for your feedback!
Anonymous, welcome! I’m sorry, I don’t understand your question. I can answer any question up to my experience or you can always pose specific questions to the manufacturer as well. In this case, Fagor Facebook Page. They respond quickly and accurately!
Ciao,
L
Here is the working link to the Fagor America Facebook Page!
Hi, I have the 6qt. Futuro. Someone must have overheard me express an interest in pressure cooking, I received one for Christmas, 2010. Ever since, I have been popping in on your site, here and there. Your review of the Futuro was a tremendous help to me. As I am new to pressure cooking and the cooker, I was wondering if I was controlling my heat correctly. My cooking times seemed longer than the recipe indicated. I had pressure but was not maintaining the light, steady stream of steam escaping out of the valve. I was trying to use as little energy as possible. I agree with you, I needed more heat to maintain pressure. After reading your review, my last two efforts, although simple, were a success. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and expertise, I am gaining more confidence with each use. Thanks to you, I am getting hip!
Dan, in Ohio, USA
I’m so glad that my information was able to help you get acquainted with your pressure cooker! Leave me comments to let me know which recipes you try and how you like them!
Ciao,
L
Hi Laura,
While searching for reviews on p.c.’s, your beautifully done website came up. It’s a amazing resource! Love the gorgeous photography. Thank you for testing, rating and sharing your experience with these 2 cookers. Your reviews were very helpful and along with my budget and storage considerations, I purchased a 6 qt. Futuro about 4 weeks ago. Previously I had a vintage 1973 aluminum jiggle top, purchased new, that went to the goodwill a few of years ago. And even tho my Futuro isn’t the Mercedes Benz of p.c., I do think it’s a Cadillac! I’m very pleased with my cooker, thanks to your tips and then some practice it’s really easy to use. So far I’ve done two test drives and 6 dishes with good results, and a couple of near misses, yeah, it takes a bit of practice, but i’m really enjoying the newer style cooker. I didn’t realize just how much I’d missed the flavors created with a p.c.. Now, with the wealth of info here, there’s a lot more to try than I ever dreamed of doing with my old cooker. Are the tiered recipes on your site suitable for a 6 qt p.c.?
Sherry, Indiana, USA
Welcome Sherry, and congratulations on your new pressure cooker. Thank you so much for your comments on the website, I’m really trying to do something different here and I’m so glad that its appreciated!
Though, I have to admit I have never heard of “tiered recipes” can you tell me more about what those are? Is it stacking things in the cooker, or adding things at different times? Or…!??
Ciao,
L
Hi Laura, Ooops, I used the wrong terminology. There is a recipe under ‘reader recipes’ by Lorna Sass, that she calls ‘triplex’. In this recipe she has 3 layers. Bottom layer is potatoes, middle layer is meatloaf in the steamer basket set on top of the potatoes, and the top layer is carrots wrapped in tin foil. So it is stacked and cooked together. Are these ‘stacked’ recipes suitable for a 6 qt. cooker? Or are they designed for the larger cookers? Thanks!
Ciao Sherry, I don’t have a specific category for those kinds of recipes, but I think your end-goal is to make one-pot meal. Under the “course” menu you can find one-pot-meal. Most of the recipes on this website are written for 5 qt/L and above, so your 6qt should do them just fine.
The only other recipe that comes to mind, that uses triplex cooking is the Three-Bean salad (each bean takes advantage of the different heat in each level to cook perfectly).
Ciao,
L
Hi
My daughter in law has a Fagor pressure cooker with the two different pots (smaller and larger). We did a 2.3 lb roast in it for about 50 minutes and a little over two cups of water. The roast was delisous but when we opened the cooker the water was nearly all gone. Why did the water disappear so quickly? (sorry about the spelling) Ed Allen
Hi Ed,
The liquid in the cooker should have increased and not decreased during cooking! The roast itself would have released about 3/4 cup of liquid per pound (if not more)
Did the cooker reach pressure (the yellow button popped up)? Did she turn down the heat to medium-low once it did?
My guess is that either the roast cooked on a high flame and in over-pressure with the safety valve releasing lots of vapor in an attempt to lower the excess pressure generated by the high heat… OR …the cooker never reached pressure (due to a misplacement or wear of the gasket) and evaporated as much liquid as a pot with a non-pressure top on it.
Did you notice how much vapor the cooker released during cooking? Was it a wide plume with an umpleasant “khhhhhh” noise, or a thin whisp with a light “ssssst” sound?
Ciao,
L
An important point about all Fagor pressure cookers, which is definitely worth mentioning here, is they work at “true” 15 psi pressure. All other brands of second generation spring-valve pressure cookers cook at less than 15 psi (including the Kuhn Rikon apparently), despite the newer “first generation” weighted cookers which do work at 15 psi and these are still being produced.
Another important point is the pop-up indicator is only an indication that there’s pressure in the cooker and seeing it rise is *not* the point in which to start timing. It is also a lock which prevents the user from opening the lid when there is any amount of pressure inside. The user must wait until steam flows out of the numbered dial (at setting 1 or 2), turn down the heat to low-medium and THEN start timing the recipe.
I’m sorry, what you wrote is incorrect.
Fagor is NOT the ONLY pressure cooker that reaches 15psi – and Kuhn Rikon ALSO reaches 15 PSI (their safety kicks in at 17.4 psi so if the heat was turned down when the bar is in the maximum position – it could EVEN pressure cook at 16 psi)!
I pointed out the nuances of Fagor’s indicator under the “performance” part of the review. In fact, it is prone to giving “false” positives because it begins to rise when it is REACHING pressure instead of when correct pressure is REACHED.
Thanks for stopping by, in the future please do a little more research and identify yourself (so readers can know if you are an expert), before making statements about ALL pressure cookers.
Ciao,
L
Thanks for replying. :)
I’m not an expert, but I have been reading forum posts about the 15 psi ‘problem’. I’m aware that the Kuhn Rikon can work at 15 psi – past the second red ring, but the user has to somehow guess when it’s at 15 psi because this is not marked in any way. At least with the Fagor you know it’s reached 15 psi when steam is escaping constantly from the “2″ on the dial.
I have used several pressure cookers and the coloured indicators rise in them when the pressure is building, but the instructions should make this clear and tell the user to start timing when the steam escapes from the dial and not before. It’s very confusing for new users when they don’t know this from day one and it results in timing errors and undercooked food.
I should really create an account on here; I’m the same person who commented on the garlic page about the possibility of removing garlic and onion odours with a pressure cooker. :)
Many thanks for your contents, tips and advice. :)
I love this blog, recipes, and tips. Thanks for doing this.
However, I think you might have got one very important point wrong on the Futuro (which I own). According to product literature, timing should begin as soon as the yellow peg rises.
From the DVD FAQ:
“…the spring loaded pressure indicator (yellow pin) will rise to indicate that the unit has come up to pressure. Once the unit has come up to pressure…”
I was noticing that some of my items seemed to be coming out overcooked with the Futuro following the advice, above, of starting the timing once steam started to escape the primary dial valve, which can take place several minutes after the yellow pin has risen. (It’s hard to figure out when timing should begin using this method, as I think you pointed out.)
Please let me know if you’re seeing a contradictory piece of information about this somewhere – slightly overcooked is better than raw. :)
Keep up the great work.
Dave
Apparently Fagor re-edited their instruction manuals, my Fagor Splendid’s manual (purchased on 8/11)correctly states when “cooking time” should start..
“ When the pressure indicator has risen and steam starts to come out of the operating valve for the first time, lower the heat to maintain a gentle, steady stream of steam, at this moment the COOKING TIME STARTS and you have to start timing your recipe.”
Taken from page 10 of the Fagor Splendid user’s manual.
Dave, you can read my instructions above on how to tell your Fagor pressure cooker has reached pressure: 3rd paragraph in the “performance” section. All Fagor Models I have used work this way.
I haven’t tried their new “Chef”, yet but reading the specs it seems this model has simplified the way to tell when that Fagor cooker has reached pressure.
Ciao,
L
P.S. Dave, it’s curious that EVERYTHING is coming out over-cooked. Are you turning down the heat when the cooker reaches pressure?
P.P.S. All the pressure cooker reviews on this website are fact-checked by the manufacturers prior to publication so you don’t need to worry about any information in them being technically incorrect or “wrong”.
@Dave
I have always timed recipes with my Fagor pressure cooker from the moment the steam gushes out of the dial – this is when you must lower the heat from maximum on the stove, in order to keep the steam flowing gently from the dial. After lots of trial and error, I found that keeping the heat to just below medium works and I keep it there throughout the cooking time.
My food does not get overcooked – but the important thing to do is set a timer and release the pressure exactly as the recipe says (slowly or quickly). Remember that pressure cookers are meant to cook food very fast and if you’re not using a kitchen timer, some foods can easily overcook, especially vegetables!
Talking of vegetables, if you want to cook delicate vegetables in the pressure cooker with longer-cooking vegetables, simply wrap the delicate vegetables – loosely – with foil to avoid overcooking them. Don’t wrap tightly in foil as this will stop them from cooking.
Hope that helps. :)
Quick question for Laura- I have a 6 qt. Fagor Futuro that I love and use almost every day. After I taught my husband to use it, I recently found him releasing the steam by pressing down the yellow indicator button! He promised not to do it again but says he has done that a few times to hasten things up after letting most of the pressure release naturally (yes, he does know that right way to do things but was being lazy/inventive). I have used the cooker since and not noticed any problems or changes in performance, but I am concerned he may have inadvertently damaged the cooker in a way that would interfere with a safety mechanism or pressure indicator. Do you know what the likelihood is that it’s damaged and how I might fix it?
Thank you!
Anonymous,
Don’t worry your husband has not damaged the pressure cooker irreparably but his “lazy/inventiveness” may create more work for him in the end.
The problem with letting pressure out using the pressure signal, instead of the dedicated dial, is that food and deposits may come out from there as well this will make it difficult for the cooker to reach and maintain pressure and it’s NOT EASY to clean.
In fact, to completely clean the little area between the pressure cooker lid and the pressure signal you need to un-screw the whole handle and take it apart – this has to be done on a clean surface and carefully because several small pieces will simply “fall out” and it can be a challenge to figure out where they belong when it’s time to put everything back together.
A less effective, but also less complicated, way to clean the pressure signal is through the pressure valve hole.
1. Remove the valve, as you would normally for cleaning.
2. Unscrew the hexagonal “stub” under the lid – this will release the little black basket-like piece at the top of the lid that usually holds the valve.
3. Lift out the black basket-like valve housing.
4. Squirt dish detergent inside at an angle aiming for the pressure signal and let it do it’s stuff for a few minutes.
5. Run hot water inside the hole at all angles, also from the top, and bottom jiggling the pressure signal stub under the lid.
6. Wipe the lid dry and use a hair-dryer to dry the area inside the open hole.
7. Replace basket-like valve housing, being careful that the hexagonal stub underneath has the flat side towards the lid (one side is scored for use with a screwdriver and that should point out). Also ensure that this stub is centered with the hole in the stainless steel lid.
8. Scold your husband for taking shortcuts and tell him that if he thinks steps 1-7 are complicated… wait until he has to dismantle the WHOLE HANDLE! ; )
The best way to “hurry along” a cooker is to either turn the dial to “exhaust” (and you can do this slowly and in small spurts for foamy foods) or using the cold-water quick release. Which just means walking the cooker to the sink, putting it in and running cold water over the lid – tilt the cooker to avoid getting any water in/on the valve.
Let me know if I can be of any more help!
Ciao,
L
Thank you so much! This is a huge help both in cleaning it out and in giving him a reason not to take short cuts next time.
I own a Fagor, made in Spain and I have no problems with it at all. One thing I’ve noticed is the screws in the handles don’t rust. My pressure cooker gets used almost everyday and goes straight into the dishwasher afterwards – except the lid and gasket, which are very easy to wash by hand. Having been through the dishwasher MANY times, there’s NO sign of rust and NO major discolouration of the handles and no dullness of the pan. The lid and its screws show no sign of rust or deterioration either, from repeated hand washing.
Why do some kitchen items rust, despite being “dishwasher safe”? It’s good to know that Fagor pressure cookers won’t suffer from repeated dishwasher cycles.
Whether stainless steel rusts or not comes down to grade – there are several grades of stainless steel and your pressure cooker, at 18/10 is one of the highest.
There are three main grades of stainless steel used in the manufacture of stainless steel cookware, and the grade is identified by the quantity of chromium to nickel. For example 18/0 is 18% chromium and 0% nickel – this would be the flatware you buy that is bendable and easily rusts. Then a medium grade is 18/8 and the highest grade of stainless steel is 18/10 . This grade is also called surgical steel because that is what they use for surgical tools, and replacement parts (like a steel hip) that are put in the human body.
I live right next to the Mediterranean Sea with much higher salinity in the air than say, someone living next to an ocean. So if anything is going to rust it WILL rust at my house. I have a stainless steel cook top and back splash that are ALREADY rusting (after just a couple of years) but my pressure cookers are still OK!
Here’s more info..
http://www.finishing.com/292/94.shtml
Ciao,
L
Fascinating info. Cheers. :)