"Braising" beef in a pressure cooker is the worst idea right?

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

it will dry out isn't it?

 

[msmofet]

The only way I make pot roast, stew and corned beef is in my electric Instant Pot pressure cooker. Comes out fantastic in a very short time and never comes out dry. Been doing them this way for years now. Why would you think it would come out dry?

 

[Andy M.]

Pressure cookers are made for braising. If you follow a good recipe and do it correctly, you should have a great result.

 

[taxlady]

Pressure cookers are made for braising. If you follow a good recipe and do it correctly, you should have a great result.

Following the instructions for doing it in a pressure cooker, yes. If the instructions in the recipe are for stove top or oven braising, don't follow those. Someone here can probably tell you how to modify them for pressure cooking.

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

The only way I make pot roast, stew and corned beef is in my electric Instant Pot pressure cooker. Comes out fantastic in a very short time and never comes out dry. Been doing them this way for years now. Why would you think it would come out dry?

i've once been told that on the english quora.


i will try to pressure cook slow cooked cuts.

 

[Andy M.]

A pressure cooker does exactly the same thing to a pot roast as regular stovetop or oven cooking. It simply does it faster because the increased air pressure in the pressure cooker increases the boiling point of water, cooking the contents faster.

Of course, you can overcook foods in a PC as you can on the stovetop or in the oven.

 

[summer57]

Yet another pan of the pressure cooker for braising meat... among other things.

 

[jennyema]

Pressure cookers are great for cooking tough cuts of beef.

The meat wont dry out because its pressure cooked. It can dry out if its overcooked. But it can dry out if you overcook it on the stove or in the oven.

 

[dragnlaw]

SEEING, do you have a regular Pressure Cooker or the new Instant Pot type of pressure cooker?

If you have neither, then I would recommend the Instant Pot type.

But you don't need to run out and buy one if you have the old style. Just follow a recipe meant for the old style.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I was using pressure cookers long before the Instapot style came out. My Dad, and Grandpa also used pressure cookers.

The pure pressure cooker is on it's own, a very vesatile cooking vessel. Typically food, and liquid are placed into the PC to about 2/3rds full. This allows room for expansion of certain foods (beans, dried peas, pasta, etc.). You the place the lid on, and the pressure regulator. Heat over medium just until the regulator starts moving, then back the heat down until the regulator keeps barely jiggling.

Some PC's come with regulators that offer 3 pressure settings, usually 11, 15, and 18 lbs. 11 lbs is used for most cooking chores.

Tough cuts of meat, especially with cunnective tissue, and gristle, become tender after 40 minutes of pressure cooking, while braising ina slow oven, or in a Dutch oven on the stve top takes hours to accomplishthe aame task. Dried beans take about 20 minutes. Veggies are cooked in 10 to 15 minutes.

You can also make cobblers, steamed pudings, breads, and cakes in a PC. You simply place the pan holding the food on a wire rack that holds the pan above a small amount of water, and let the super-heated steam, and pressure do its work.

Another great feature of the PC is that herbs, spices,and favorings permeate the foods.

The only issue I have with a PC is that when making stews, themeat must first be cut up ad browned before any liquid is added to the PC. I woud accomplish this by addimg butter, bacon fat, or oil to the PC, add the mest, cook over medium high nheat, stirring until all sides are browned, then adding the liquids, and other ingredients.

Some classics, such as Osso Buco, Coque Au Vin, and cassoulet come out great with a PC. Marinara, ragu, and many sauces are completed in minutes, rather than hours.

A plain PC will do everything an Instapotwill do. The difference is that you have to adjust the heat applied to a PC, whie the Instapot has pre-programmed settings to perform the desired task.

So, as you can see, both the Instapot, and PC are valuable cookers in any home. Oh, and with PC's, you can get them large enough to pressure can foods.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[GotGarlic]

A plain PC will do everything an Instapotwill do. The difference is that you have to adjust the heat applied to a PC, whie the Instapot has pre-programmed settings to perform the desired task.

There are a couple other differences. The Instant Pot stops cooking and switches to Keep Warm when the time is up. And they have a locking feature that makes it impossible to remove the lid before the pressure has come down to a safe level, so you don't have to worry about it blowing the lid off.

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

SEEING, do you have a regular Pressure Cooker or the new Instant Pot type of pressure cooker?

If you have neither, then I would recommend the Instant Pot type.

But you don't need to run out and buy one if you have the old style. Just follow a recipe meant for the old style.

I'm one of the firts in Israel to have a instant pot
thank you all
and why would you cook pasta in a pressure cooker?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

There are a couple other differences. The Instant Pot stops cooking and switches to Keep Warm when the time is up. And they have a locking feature that makes it impossible to remove the lid before the pressure has come down to a safe level, so you don't have to worry about it blowing the lid off.

Too true about blowing the lid off. I don't have a calculator handy; but for explanation, let's say the diameter of the pressure cooker lis is 10 inches. The atea is the pi(r-squared), with r = radius, or hald of the diameter. So that would be 25 X 3.75 = around 95 square inches, Force = pressure times square inches = 95 X 11 where 11 is the pressure in lbs., and 95 is the area in square inches. I hope my math is still working. This means that at 11 lbs pressure per square inch, your getting a total lifting force of almost 1000 lbs. This is why pressure nust be completey released before unlocking the lid. If not, there is enough force to blow that lid skyward with enough force to put a hole in the ceiling, and spray the scalding contents in every direction. PC's are perfectly safe, when used correctly, but can be dangerous if used incorectly.

This same principle is what allows you to lift a car with a hydrlic jack.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Andy M.]

I'm one of the firts in Israel to have a instant pot
thank you all
and why would you cook pasta in a pressure cooker?

Foods cook faster in a PC.

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

but pasta cooks fast even on the stove
won't it get mushy in the pressure cooker?

 

[pepperhead212]

I'm one of the firts in Israel to have a instant pot
thank you all
and why would you cook pasta in a pressure cooker?

Another one dish meal! I have made a few of those pasta dishes Milk Street came up with, in which a sauce is made in the IP, then the pasta is stirred in, along with some extra water, for the pasta to absorb, then it is set for 3-5 min, depending on the recipe. The pressure is released as soon as the time is up, then the pasta is finished however you would normally finish it - with cheese, more basil, etc.

This is only good for liquidy type dishes, but it does work well. And I usually use the 3 or 4 min time, then finish it off stirring, while simmering, if the pasta needs a little more cooking. Remember, the time is after it gets up to pressure - it still cooks several minutes up to that point.

I wouldn't just cook pasta in water in the IP. Why bother, unless you were somewhere with no range, or other way of cooking it?

 

[dragnlaw]

I don't think it was generalry meant to cook pasta in the regular sense, but as part of the whole dish.

You are correct that it would be a lot shorter on the stove top. Heat water, cook pasta, drain. Whereas with a PC and/or an Instant P, you would have to wait for pressure to build and drop. to my way of thinking the waiting for the pressure to drop is the longest part.

GG, I have no idea how the pressure is released in the Insta P's, but on a PC it is extremely difficult to remove the lid while there is a lot of pressure.

Also blowing up is another rare thing, maybe used to happen long ago with perhaps inferior cookers. The release valve is what is going to blow off, not the lid. and yes, it will make a hole in the ceiling, plus squirting out that tiny hole will be what's left of the beef'n potatoes, making a horrid mess.

You mention it switches to Keep Warm when its time is up - to me that would be the icing on the cake!

 

[taxlady]

I don't think it was generalry meant to cook pasta in the regular sense, but as part of the whole dish.

You are correct that it would be a lot shorter on the stove top. Heat water, cook pasta, drain. Whereas with a PC and/or an Instant P, you would have to wait for pressure to build and drop. to my way of thinking the waiting for the pressure to drop is the longest part.

GG, I have no idea how the pressure is released in the Insta P's, but on a PC it is extremely difficult to remove the lid while there is a lot of pressure.

Also blowing up is another rare thing, maybe used to happen long ago with perhaps inferior cookers. The release valve is what is going to blow off, not the lid. and yes, it will make a hole in the ceiling, plus squirting out that tiny hole will be what's left of the beef'n potatoes, making a horrid mess.

You mention it switches to Keep Warm when its time is up - to me that would be the icing on the cake!

This happened to someone I know. Apparently an entire chicken extruded out through that release valve. Bits of bone were embedded in the ceiling with stringy bits dangling. I wasn't sure anyone would believe me.

 

[GotGarlic]

GG, I have no idea how the pressure is released in the Insta P's, but on a PC it is extremely difficult to remove the lid while there is a lot of pressure.



Also blowing up is another rare thing, maybe used to happen long ago with perhaps inferior cookers. The release valve is what is going to blow off, not the lid. and yes, it will make a hole in the ceiling, plus squirting out that tiny hole will be what's left of the beef'n potatoes, making a horrid mess. [emoji38]

Yeah, I've never had or used a traditional pressure cooker, so I was vaguely remembering what I'd read about it [emoji38]

Electronic pressure cookers have sensors that allow them to regulate the pressure by releasing steam while it's working. Once the time is up, it releases steam naturally, or you can turn the valve and release it all at once.

 

[msmofet]

I made pot roast in my Instant Pot tonight. Moist, and fall apart tender.