Had a 'high pressure' pressure cooker moment today, literally! I have two cookers that I put into near constant use in my kitchen. One's an older-style 'jiggle top' Presto 4 quart, and the other a 'second generation'-style, T-fal 6 quart. They are terribly useful appliances. Both were gifts at different times from my parents. In fact, the Presto was a wedding gift, if I remember correctly, so I've been using it for nearly 14 years now -- the T-fal maybe half as long. Well, I was cooking up soy pulp this morning (leftover from my last batch of soy milk) in the T-fal, when something apparently clogged up the valve, because the next thing I knew hot, bubbling soy pulp was dramatically fountaining up out of the pressure valve AND the release in the cooker handle, and giving everything in that part of the kitchen a good spray. Blargh! I've had that happen before with the jiggle-top -- but never before with the T-fal (guess there's a first time for everything). I got it the pressure down immediately though, and everthing under control. Emptied and cleaned up the pot, checked the valves and so forth, then went on to other household tasks. Later, I set the cooker back on the stove, just to test it to make sure everything was still in working order. Only it wasn't. It wouldn't go up to pressure. Great -- now I'd done it. I love that thing, and I'd gone and BROKEN it! I was sick. Went ahead and called T-fal, and after being on hold for some time, spoke to the most wonderful phone service person ever. She talked me through examining my cooker (kind of challenging over the phone and all). Turns out, it was somehow missing it's small 'valve pin', as she helped me figure out. Find it, and the problem ought to be solved. But where in the world was it? A few hours had gone by by then -- I'd washed dishes, the kids and DH had mucked about the kitchen and sink. I looked for it everywhere in and around the stove and sink. Nothing. I even checked the compost bag sitting in there (lovely), thinking it could have gotten mixed up in that (which it hadn't). And then I thought, 'Of course! THe soy pulp!". I'd shoved the pulp back in the fridge, all mushy 5 or more cups of it. I grabbed the container and started spooning out small quantities, sifting through the pulp. Finally, in about the 6th spoonful, I felt a small foreign object. THe pin! And sure enough, my cooker was working fine again. I was so relieved. Because I'd actually taken a peek online to see what they were priced at these days, in case it needed replacing. OUCH --very glad that turned out to be unnecessary...!