Ask Shar: Frequently Asked Questions

Shar's Kitchen has one location in Gilbert, AZ.

For directions, maps and general contact information see our Contact Information area.

No, we don't. We now have one store in Gilbert. If you are ever in the area, please come by and visit.

You can order most anything we carry on-line. We ship anywhere in the continental US.

For more information about our locations, please see our Contact Information.

DUROMATIC gaskets are engineered to last a very long time. A gasket, when properly cared for, should last between 1 and 6 years under normal use. What are the variables? The number of times per week you use the cooker, what you cook, and how you clean your gasket all are considerations. If you cook everyday with a lot of chilies, or beans (which contain enzymes) and are careless about placing your gasket next to your knives in the sink, you could will replacing it more often! Hand washing is recommended. Unless you are experiencing trouble with the cooker coming under pressure, the gasket is sound.

Actually, you can use our pressure cooker to defrost and cook in one! When cooking frozen chicken breasts, for example, just add a few minutes to get the cooker up to pressure. We've heard from one woman who actually thinks her roasts taste better when she puts them in without thawing!

Shar's conducts classes several times a week.

See our on-line class schedule for times and to register.

Yes, all attachments are interchangeable between the older Bosch models and the universal.

We are glad to answer any questions you may have. We can be contacted by email or by calling 1-800-714-3391. For more information on pressure cookers you can visit Kuhn Rikon's web site.

Immediately after use, remove the gasket and wash the lid by hand thoroughly inside and out. The exposed inside edge of the lid should be given special attention. The gasket should be cleaned, dried and returned to the lid. If the pressure cooker lid is hard to turn when closing, the gasket has become dried out and should be lightly rubbed with cooking oil. The bottom of the pan is dishwasher safe.

If difficult stains and/or baked-in spots occur, try simply soaking the pan or adding water to the pan and bringing it to a boil. If white stains occur, this is a natural result of calcium deposits due to hard water, or starch deposits from foods like rice or beans. Such deposits are best removed with a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice. For a "showcase shine," try a food-safe metal cleaner such as Kuhn Rikon's Professional Cookware Cleaner. Abrasive cleaners should be avoided.

You can search our FAQs like you would Google, by entering a search word or phrase (use quotes around your phrases).

You can also browse Shar's FAQs by using the "Show FAQs by Topic" and "Show FAQs by Product Area" drop downs. Just find the topic or product area in the drop down list and click the "Show FAQs" button.

Glad you asked! Yes! there are such things and we carry an assortment (see left-handed peelers). We also carry a wide range of bi-dextrous peelers that work equally well for lefties and righties.