Home appliances
A cooker is a 10-year purchase decided by three things: the metal, whether the base works on your stove, and how easily you can buy a replacement gasket in your town.
A few questions about your situation, not about the product.
Answer all 2 questions to see the spec sheet to shop with.
The body metal. Triply is steel-aluminium-steel sandwich.
Why it matters
Aluminium heats fastest and is cheapest; stainless doesn't react with tomato/tamarind; triply gives even heat without hot spots.
What to check
Plain stainless without a thick sandwich base scorches dal at the centre.
Where the lid seats.
Why it matters
Inner-lid cookers are safer and easier to open; outer-lid cookers have a wider mouth for rice and larger volumes.
What to check
Inner-lid gaskets are cheaper and more widely available.
A magnetic base that works on induction cooktops.
Why it matters
Pure aluminium won't work on induction at all.
What to check
Test with a fridge magnet — it should stick firmly to the base.
Cookers can only be filled two-thirds (or half for dal/rice that foams).
Why it matters
A '3 L' cooker cooks about 1.5 L of dal safely.
What to check
For a family of 4, 5 L is the practical everyday size.
Pressure regulator weight, gasket-release safety and the ISI certification.
Why it matters
This is the one kitchen item where certification is genuinely a safety matter.
What to check
Look for ISI mark IS 2347 and a visible secondary safety valve.
Basic aluminium outer-lid cookers to triply stainless steel with safety valves.
