Prestige Clip-on And Svachh Pressure Cooker Review

Prestige is the market leader in the pressure cookers segment with around 45% market share. Two of their newer innovations are the clip-on pressure cookers and the Svachh range of pressure cookers. Through this review, let us look at how well they fare in terms of cooking performance, durability, design and ease of use.

Design

Prestige always strives to bring about newer innovations in its cookware range. The Prestige Svachh was introduced a few years back with the aim of containing spills from the tube vent. The clip-on pressure cooker, on the other hand, has a rotate and lock knob that is quite easy to lock and unlock.

For this review, we tried both options with 3-litre capacities. Both the cookers we tried were made of stainless steel and have a 1.2mm thick body with a sandwich bottom.

A feature found only in Prestige pressure cookers is the pressure indicator. It is a small pin that rises when the vessel is pressurized and drops as the pressure falls. This is helpful as you needn’t pull the whistle to see if the pressure has been released completely.

What we found was that the normal Prestige Svachh had a net capacity of about 2.5 litres, while the clip-on pressure cooker had a 3-litre net capacity itself. Also, Svachh cooker had a mirror finished interiors, while clip-on pressure cooker had matte finish- so not quite prone to scratching.

In terms of design, the main differentiating factor of Svachh pressure cookers is that it has an indent on the lid which gives some space for collecting the spill-over liquid or froth from cooking.

Whether it works or not depends to a great extent on how much you have filled the cooker. If you don’t fill the pressure cooker above 2/3rd of its maximum capacity, then the liquid won’t spill and drip from the lid making a mess on the stovetop. But if you overfill it, especially when cooking dal or rice, the froth will spill over. In such a case, it won’t be contained in the limited groove that the svachh lid offers. That being said, we have found that compared to Stahl, Butterfly and Pigeon, it doesn’t really spill out a lot of liquid.

The Clip-on pressure cooker too has a svachh lid which has an indent to catch spills. Something we noted with Clip-on cooker is that it is comparatively heavier than the regular options. This is because the lid is quite heavy. Even so, it is extremely easy to lock the lid with the knob that clamps it in place. In fact, you can close the lid with a single hand. In addition to the pressure cooker lid, you also have a toughened glass lid. It converts the cooker into a Kadai or a serving dish. Further, the lid knob has a groove in which you can place the ladle.

Cooking Efficiency

As mentioned earlier, Prestige Svachh Deluxe Alpha pressure cooker we tried has a lower net capacity than the clip-on, even though the stated capacity of both options are the same. Probably owing to the smaller size, the Svachh pressure cooker was marginally quicker than the clip-on cooker when it came to boiling 1 litre of water. Even when cooking rice, we found the Svachh cooker to be a bit faster than the clip-on cooker. But the difference is not so significant to impact your purchase decision.

If you take a look at the user reviews on e-commerce platforms, you are sure to be sceptical about clip-on pressure cooker as many of them talk about pressure leaking from the sides and the pressure indicator. We however did not face such an issue. Our inference is that there are defective pieces sold in the lot. So, inspect thoroughly and use extensively in the initial days so that if in case you discover a problem, it is within the return window.

A probable reason for complaints could be that till the cooker is fully pressurized, it leaks pressure from the pressure indicator and sometimes the edges of the lid. So, you need to initially put the cooker on a high flame and reduce the flame once the pressure indicator rises up. But if your stove doesn’t have a sufficiently high flame, you will have huge trouble using the clip-on pressure cooker properly.

Even when cooking Kerala rice, which expands a lot, we did not find it frothing unusually higher and causing a mess. Neither did the pressure leak while cooking. We feel that provided you don’t overfill the cooker, the chances of pressure leak are close to nil.

Often when cooking rice in pressure cooker, we remove the gasket and flip it to the side to strain the starch. While doing so with regular pressure cookers a few grains of rice fall out of the cooker. But in the case of Clip-on pressure cookers, you don’t find so.

In terms of heat retention, both pressure cookers are almost at par. When we check the temperature of the food after an hour of cooking, both were almost the same, thus indicating at par heat retention capacity.

Durability

Prestige offers 10-year warranty on the regular Svachh pressure cookers and a 5-year warranty on the clip-on model. Having used Prestige cookers for a long time, we have noticed that the gasket, handles and valves may sometimes need replacement within a few years of use.

The clip-on pressure cookers were introduced in 2017. Though we checked online, we were unable to find any reliable source that talks about the durability of the product. There is not much mention of its durability in the user reviews too.

Ease of Use and Cleaning

When it comes to fixing the lid to the body, you find that Prestige Svachh is a bit tight initially. But, with use, it becomes comfortable to use. That is an area where clip-on cookers excel as you can close and open the lid using a single hand.

Both the pressure cookers made from stainless steel are dishwasher friendly. The ones made of aluminium and hard anodized aluminium shouldn’t be cleaned in a dishwasher. This is because the chemicals in the dishwasher detergent can damage the surface and cause discolouration.

When it comes to hand washing regular Prestige Svachh pressure cookers, it is just like any other pressure cookers. Not that easy as there are a lot of grooves, but still manageable. But this is an area where the clip-on pressure cooker missed the mark. The froth from the whistle spills over and stays underneath the lid handle. In spite of having a cleaning window, some of these parts are very difficult to reach. Food may sometimes get stuck inside the lid clamp too.

Variants of Prestige Svachh Pressure Cooker

Prestige Svachh pressure cookers are available in sizes ranging from 1 to 10 litres. They are available in aluminium, stainless steel and hard anodized aluminium. Also, you get them in different shapes like handi, pan shaped, regular and so on. Prestige has also recently introduced the Nakshatra range with inner lids that have svachh lids.

Some of the top-selling models are-

Prestige Svachh Deep Pressure Pan

Check the latest price ( Amazon)

Prestige Svacch Hard Anodized Pressure Cooker

Check the latest price (Amazon)

Prestige Svachh Nakshatra Hard Anodized Pressure Cooker

Check the latest price (Amazon)

Prestige Svachh Aluminium Pressure Cooker

Check the latest price ( Amazon)

Variants of Prestige Clip-on Pressure Cooker

Prestige Clip-on Hard Anodized Pressure Cooker

Check the latest price (Amazon)

Prestige Clip-on Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

Check the latest price ( Amazon)

Conclusion

Prestige Svachh and clip on pressure cookers enjoy fairly positive user reviews. Though it is not without flaws, their positives outweigh the minor flaws, making them excellent options to consider. Price-wise, the clip-on pressure cookers are a tad expensive. But considering the superior features, and twin lids that enhance its versatility and aesthetic appeal, it is totally worth it.