Hawkins 5 Litre Triply Contura Pressure Cooker – 3 mm Tri-Ply Stainless Steel, Gas & Induction (SSTCO50)

BULLET POINTS

🔥 3 mm Extra-Thick Tri-Ply Construction – A heat-diffusing metal core runs through the base and up the sides, not just under the bottom. Heat spreads evenly across the whole cooking surface, so dal, milk and masala substantially reduce sticking and scorching — and you need less oil.

🥘 Contura Curved Body – The rounded handi-style profile lets a ladle follow the curve of the base cleanly. Bhuna your masala, stir a thick gravy, scrape the sides — no sharp corner where food hides and burns.

🛡️ 18/8 AISI 304 Food-Grade Interior – The inside surface is 18% chromium, 8% nickel stainless steel: stronger, more hygienic, and resistant to the acids in tamarind, tomato, curd and lemon that pit cheaper steel.

🧲 AISI 430 Magnetic Exterior – Gas and Induction – The outer layer is magnetic stainless steel, so the same cooker works on your LPG burner and on an induction hob without an adaptor plate.

🔒 Pressure-Locked Inner Lid – The lid seats inside the rim and locks while pressure is present, so it cannot be twisted open before it is safe. Sturdy plastic handles stay cool to the touch.

👨👩👧👦 5 Litres, Ideal for 5 to 7 Persons – Sized for a full family meal in one round: rajma for six, a biryani for a Sunday lunch, or a big batch of sambar for the week.

✨ Stays Looking New – No-hassle cleaning, no stains, no pits. The glossy silver finish holds up to daily use instead of clouding over in a few months.

📏 Compact Footprint – 423 × 250 × 201 mm including handles, so it fits a standard Indian kitchen shelf and a four-burner hob without crowding the next pan.

📦 What's in the Box – Cooker body (5 L), inner lid with sealing gasket, vent weight, and Hawkins printed literature. Covered by a 5-year Hawkins guarantee against defects in material and workmanship from the date of first purchase. Country of origin:India

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The dal that catches at the bottom

You know the moment. Third whistle, you open the cooker, and there it is — a dark ring stuck to the base and a faint burnt smell running through the whole dal. It happens because most cookers only have a thick sandwich disc under the bottom. The walls are thin. Heat pools in one place, and whatever touches it catches. The Hawkins Contura Tri-Ply is built to fix exactly that: the heat-conducting core runs all the way up the sides, so the vessel heats as one piece instead of one hot spot.

At a Glance

• Capacity: 5 litres — ideal for 5 to 7 persons
• Construction: 3 mm extra-thick tri-ply stainless steel, base and sides
• Interior: 18/8 AISI 304 food-grade stainless steel
• Exterior: AISI 430 magnetic stainless steel
• Lid: Inner lid, pressure-locked
• Cooktops: Gas and induction
• Product dimensions: 423 × 250 × 201 mm (L × W × H, handles included)
• Guarantee: 5 years against defects in material and workmanship
• Model code: SSTCO50 · Brand: Hawkins · Manufacturer: Hawkins Cookers Limited, Mumbai

What does tri-ply actually mean on this cooker?

Tri-ply means three bonded layers — 18/8 AISI 304 stainless steel on the inside, a heavy-gauge heat-diffusing metal core in the middle, and AISI 430 magnetic stainless steel on the outside — and on this cooker that sandwich is 3 mm thick and continues up the walls, not only across the base.

That last part is the difference people actually feel. A standard "induction base" cooker has a thick disc welded to the bottom and thin single-ply walls above it. Heat climbs unevenly, the base runs hotter than the sides, and thick foods catch where the metal is hottest. With a full tri-ply body, the temperature across the cooking surface stays much closer together. Practically, that means your onions brown evenly when you bhuna, your kheer does not develop a scorched layer at the base, and you can drop the flame lower because the vessel holds heat instead of losing it.

It also means less oil. A lot of the extra oil in Indian home cooking is defensive — you add a spoon more because you know the masala will catch otherwise. Even heating removes some of that need.

Why the Contura shape matters

Contura is Hawkins' curved, handi-style body profile — the walls round outward instead of running straight up, which lets a ladle reach the join between base and side without a corner.

Anyone who has scraped burnt masala out of the right-angle corner of a straight-sided cooker knows why this matters. In a Contura body there is no such corner. You can stir the full width of the base in one sweep, which is genuinely useful for anything you fry before you pressure cook: mutton curry, chana masala, biryani masala, tomato-heavy gravies. It also makes serving out and washing up faster.

Will it work on my induction hob?

Yes. The outer layer is AISI 430 magnetic stainless steel, which is what an induction hob needs to couple with, so the cooker works on induction and on domestic gas without any adaptor plate.

One practical tip from customers: start on a moderate power setting rather than the maximum. Induction hobs put heat in very fast, and on high settings a full cooker can push a little liquid out through the vent as pressure builds. Bring it up to pressure at a middle setting, then drop it down once the first whistle goes. You will get the same cooking time with a cleaner hob.

Is 5 litres the right size for you?

Hawkins rates this 5 litre model as ideal for 5 to 7 persons — a family of four to six with normal servings, or four people who like leftovers.

If you are cooking for two or three, a smaller Contura Tri-Ply will be easier to handle day to day; a 5 litre cooker is heavy once it is full, and part-filling a large cooker is not efficient on gas. If you regularly cook for eight or more, or you host often, look at Hawkins' wider 7 litre tri-ply instead. The 5 litre sits in the middle: big enough for a Sunday biryani, still manageable for a weekday dal.

How this compares with the other Hawkins 5 litre cookers

Hawkins sells three different 5 litre cookers that get confused constantly, including one whose model code is a single letter away from this one.

Short version: choose Contura Tri-Ply if sticking at the sides is your problem. Choose the plain Contura if you mainly steam and boil and want the same shape for less. Choose Classic Tri-Ply if you prefer straight walls, typically for stacking separators.

FAQ

Will dal and milk stick to the bottom? Much less than in a single-ply or sandwich-base cooker, though no pressure cooker eliminates sticking entirely. The 3 mm tri-ply construction spreads heat evenly through the base and up the sides, so there is no single hot spot for food to catch on. For milk-based dishes like kheer, still stir occasionally and keep the flame moderate.

Does it work on induction? Yes. The exterior is AISI 430 magnetic stainless steel, so it works on induction hobs as well as on domestic LPG and piped gas, with no adaptor plate needed.

How many people does a 5 litre cooker serve? Hawkins rates it as ideal for 5 to 7 persons. In practice that is a comfortable family-of-four to family-of-six meal in a single round.

Is this an inner-lid or outer-lid cooker? Inner lid. The lid drops inside the rim and pressure-locks, so it cannot be opened while pressure remains inside. Inner-lid cookers seal at the rim rather than clamping over it, and are generally regarded as the more secure design.

What is the warranty? Five years, guaranteed by Hawkins against defects in material and workmanship from the date of first purchase by the user. Gaskets, vent weights and safety valves are consumable parts and are not covered as wear items.

Is it dishwasher safe? We recommend hand washing with warm water and a mild dishwashing liquid, and avoiding steel wool. Follow the washing instructions in the booklet packed with your cooker. Wash the gasket and vent weight separately after each use and dry them before storing.

Can I use it for frying before pressure cooking? Yes — the curved base and thick tri-ply body handle a proper bhuna well, and you can brown onions and masala in the same vessel before adding liquid and closing the lid.

Where do I get spare gaskets and safety valves? Use only genuine Hawkins spares matched to this model. Non-genuine parts are a safety risk and can void the guarantee. Message us and we will point you to the right part number.