Works as perfectly as old aluminum ones, but it's stainless. The biggest reviewer complaint was that the non-stainless screws rusted. The screws that came with ours are stainless so maybe they paid attention to the consumer! What a concept! Am thinking about a couple of accessories like the perforated tray that sits above the rest of the food to keep some separate, though so far we've only used it to cook black beans. And yes, we still soak them overnight before cooking.