I was a pressure cooking newbie, and I recently purchased a (Fagor 6 quart stainless steel) pressure cooker for myself and was bragging about it to my best friend. She was so interested being a pressure cooking newbie herself and kept saying she wanted to get one too. I couldn't wait for her to try it, so I bought her this cheaper 6 qt Presto and had it shipped directly to her. She loves it and uses it all the time. She says she uses it almost every day. She used to cook pinto beans (for example) from dry all day in a stock pot, but now she cooks them so fast in the pressure cooker and says the taste is so much better. She said it was like tasting a pinto bean for the first time, it was so much more flavorful. I don't know what I'd do without mine either!