Pressure Cooker

[Essiebunny]

I am considering buying an electric pressure cooker.
If you have one, how do you like it and would you consider it a good investment?

[kitchenelf]

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes!!!!! More yeses than necessary - that's how much I love my pc!!!!!

Peruse these threads - some are recipes and others are this very question you have.

[Essiebunny]

Kitchenelf,
What kind do you have?

[kitchenelf]

I have a WMF that's either a 6 quart or an 8 - I can't remember. IMHO you don't need to spend that much money on one. I got carried away and it doesn't do anything different than the one I bought originally for much less. I just wanted a new toy...and it was shiny and pretty!

My pressure cooker is my microwave. I've never been one to plan ahead so it has saved me MANY nights! I can have a beautiful hunk of meat in 1 1/2 hours...a whole chicken in roughly 30 minutes...falling apart corned beef...you want me to keep going??????

[pacanis]

Originally Posted by Essiebunny

I am considering buying an electric pressure cooker.
If you have one, how do you like it and would you consider it a good investment?

I don't know... I think they are a fad.....


Seriously, you gotta get yourself one of those. Most definitely. Don't be concerned with the electric ones not reaching the "proper" atmospheric pressure as the stovetop ones, they work great. Timers, auto shut offs, double as a slow cooker (at least the one I have from QVC), idiot proof.
Just last week I took a couple country style ribs over to the neighbors. It seemed the right thing to do because my neighbor came over as I was searing them on the grill because he could smell them cooking. So after I finished them off in the pressure cooker I ran a couple over. Last night as I was chatting with them I had to tell his wife exactly how I cooked them. She couldn't believe I had country ribs that tasted like and were that tender in under an hour.
It's a very useful kitchen tool/appliance. Maybe not one you use every day, but when you do you will be glad you have it.

[pacanis]

Hey! I just followed your link, ke, and my post is there from a couple weeks ago On Google and everything

The ones I did last week; along with the chicken broth, I added some BBQ sauce and some hot sauce, still keeping the ribs up on the rack and out of the mixture of liquids. It gave them a kind of saucy taste, without having any sauce actually on them.

[kitchenelf]

Originally Posted by pacanis

Hey! I just followed your link, ke, and my post is there from a couple weeks ago On Google and everything

Your famous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Reenie]

Originally Posted by kitchenelf

I have a WMF that's either a 6 quart or an 8 - I can't remember. IMHO you don't need to spend that much money on one. I got carried away and it doesn't do anything different than the one I bought originally for much less. I just wanted a new toy...and it was shiny and pretty!

My pressure cooker is my microwave. I've never been one to plan ahead so it has saved me MANY nights! I can have a beautiful hunk of meat in 1 1/2 hours...a whole chicken in roughly 30 minutes...falling apart corned beef...you want me to keep going??????

Hubby, adillo303 and I are also toying with getting a pressure cooker - We weren't aware there were electric pressure cookers - do they compare with the stove top pc's.

[Essiebunny]

I bought a Cuisinart pressure cooker and it really is great.
Tonight, I did a pot roast in 55 minutes. It is very tender and has tons of flavor. I made it for tomorrow. I'll degrease the liquid for my gravy to go with mashed potatoes.

I also used it for chicken and lentil soups. I want to try some new recipes, as well.

[pacanis]

Originally Posted by Essiebunny

I bought a Cuisinart pressure cooker and it really is great.
Tonight, I did a pot roast in 55 minutes. It is very tender and has tons of flavor. I made it for tomorrow. I'll degrease the liquid for my gravy to go with mashed potatoes.

I also used it for chicken and lentil soups. I want to try some new recipes, as well.

Is it electric or not? I know Cuisinart makes products in both lines.

[Essiebunny]

It's electric.

[schoolgirl]

I have the Nesco digital 6 qt and I love it. The only thing I am concerned about is the removable pot. It is non stick and I am really trying to not scratch it. I use wooden or silicone spoons. In fact I cooked some ham hocks today for a few minutes then put them in pinto beans and pressured just a few minutes and they were good. I have even made a cheesecake in it. My brother had one and had used it a lot and that is what made me want to get one. Have not regretted it at all. They are such time savers. I sure hope mine holds out a long time, cause I would want to get another one.

[Essiebunny]

The removable pot on mine is nonstick, also. I will be very careful to use only the proper utensils. It really is very easy to use, but most important, the results are excellent.

[pacanis]

I picked up some plastic coated tongs just for mine. I'm pretty careful about anything non-stick anyway.

[Adillo303]

I've stayed away from this thread as long as I can:

1) I understand that a Pressure Cooker will cook a bunch of meat very quickly. What I am not understanding is taste. DC has some of the best Chef's / Cooks that I have ever had access to taste is king here, and rightly so. My impression is that meat cooked in a Pressure Cooker is, well, steamed meat. As such I am struggling to understand how any taste happens. I am sure that it does. Please help me understand.

2) I read here or on another thread, (Posted by VeggieQueen), that I can do veggies in 30 seconds to a minute or so, most likely depending on how dense they are. What would be the door to door time (Get the pot ready, insert food, bring to temp, release pressure and dump out) for that 30 second cook time.

3) Soups, etc, I can see a real value here. Tongue in cheek, though, it is way cool to torment everyone in the house with the smell of simmering soup / chili / stew all day Sunday. My daughter does to torture her co workers. She works in a small shop and is the only female. She puts a pot of chili on the parts counter to simmer all day. She relents she pulls out the bread, bowls and cheese and feeds every one. That's why I love her.

4) Canning - I know nothing about this subject at all. I want to know things. I have read all the canning threads that I can find at the moment. There is enough difference in opinion out there to make one believe that only Alchemists and those in league with the darker powers and safely can. Putting all that caution aside, I see that a WMF 21 quart cooker will pressure can something like 9 quart jars. I do not know if it will water bath can.

All of this begs the questions, can I realistically expect to cook meat, veggies, soup stew, chili and canning in something like a 21 quart. Is there a downside to doing this. Does the size of the cooker affect time to bring up to temp and cook (Obvious statement in poor taste omitted). Am I nuts (Many believe this to be the case)?

Thank you in advance for your help.

AC

[pacanis]

Here is my non-chef reply, AC....

A Ford Fiesta will get from point A to point B. A Ford Pantera will get there more quickly. A roast with veggies will cook in a slow cooker. It will cook more quickly in a pressure cooker. Who is to say that the roast wasn't "steamed" in the slow cooker? You lift the lid, steam escapes....
When you watch them cook with PCs on TV they say the flavors are "infused" into the food. I imagine that has something to do with the pressure that builds up, though I don't know why you would call that steaming the food. Maybe it is like saying bread is baked, but veggies done in the oven are roasted, unless it's a baked potato of course

I'll cook a chicken and veggies in the PC, nibble on it a bit for dinner, then the next day drop everything in a pot and make it into soup in 30 minutes. Is it more flavorful than cooking the chicken and veggies in the pot all day? Probably not, but it's not any less flavorful either, and I only cooked it for 30 minutes to get the meat falling off the bones and the flavors infused into everything.

So in conclusion... I don't know whys they works, theys just does.

[Essiebunny]

I don't know how it works, either, but I do know that the pot roast I just made looked and tasted like it was in the oven for 4 hours. It was not steamed.
I use my slow cooker, as well, but not for pot roasts, because I don't like the way they fall apart. I like to slice the meat and have never had much luck in the cp.

[schoolgirl]

When I cook frozen purple hull peas in the pc it only takes 4-5 minutes. This beats cooking on top of the stove by a lot. Of course it takes a little time to get up to steam, but still I don't have to watch the pan like I would on the stove or wait 30 min. to cook.Mine has the slow cooker also on it , but I have never used it.

[Michael in FtW]

Well, AC - you're probably going to get me in trouble with the PC Police ...

1) Yes - food cooked in a PC is steamed. You might want to read this site: How Does A Pressure Cooker Work? A PC will cook food faster. And, it can be flavorful - just like a pot roast cooked on the stovetop where the braising liquid can add to the flavor - the liquid used in the PC can add flavor. And, if you sear the roast well before cooking - you get a little more flavor from the Maillard (browning) reactions regardless of PC or pot on the stovetop.

2) You can do the same thing in a microwave - probably in less time, with the same results. Doesn't really take a lot longer in a sauce-pan with a steamer basket ... depending on the amount you are trying to cook at one time.

3) IMHO - flavor takes time to develop ... ever notice how a really good pot of chili today taste really great tomorrow? Same with a pot of stew, or tomato sauce?

4) Canner vs Cooker: Pressure Cookers are designed to heat up and cool down quickly - Pressure Canners are designed to heat up slower and cool down slower to prevent the liquid in the jars from venting out from under the lids because the pot cooled quicker than the liquid in the jars - plus they are larger to accommodate several jars. In short - you can pressure cook in a pressure canner but you can't pressure can in a pressure cooker. And, yes - the larger the pot - the longer it takes to come up to pressure/temp. If you want a multi tasker - get a pressure canner (may also be called a pressure canner/cooker).

I had my mom's PC - and it just didn't give me the same falvor results that slow cooking did. I lost it in a divorce about 25 years ago - I never replaced it.

Of course - this brings up another question: if fast food is bad for you - how do you justify the use of a PC?

(I'm now going to run off and find some cover ....)

[lindatooo]

(I'm now going to run off and find some cover ....)

Good idea!

I love my PC and the flavor is great!

Tender Corned Beef in less than 1 hour.

Flavorful chicken stock in less than an hour.

If you want fond then brown the meat in the PC first and the fond is included. Flavors are enhanced when the spices are added at the proper time.

Beans can be cooked from dried to tasty in a reasonable amount of time - who remembers to soak beans even if they have the time?

I've posted a wonderful recipe for chicken thigh tacos that brings out the best in both the chicken and the sauce in a short amount of time - and in one pan!

Lorna Sass has wonderful cookbooks and the recipes are healthy and tasty!

When you find chicken or bones or any great stock base at a reasonable price you can make the stock in an hour or so instead of cooking it all day and there are plenty of smells to make everyone drool!