Braising in a pressure cooker?

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Skittle68

Sous Chef
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Jan 10, 2011
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Duluth, MN
My bf wants me to cook a roast in a pressure cooker. He claims it will be the most tender roast I have ever had, but I've never used a pressure cooker, and he doesn't know much about it either, because he is just going by what his grandma used to do. He claims it only takes about an hour. I assume the liquid should be about halfway up the roast? And should I put the vegetables on top, or under the roast, or wait til the end to put them in? What temp should it be on? Any tips and recipes would be appreciated :) thanks in advance!
 
I have an electric PC. I just hit "stew" and it seems to work for anything I cook, so I'm no help. I'm pretty sure though it's twenty minutes cooking time after getting up to pressure. I did cook a chuck roast in it before and it was every bit as tender and flavorful as when I cook it for hours in the crock pot. Maybe moreso, as the PC seems to "drive" the flavors into whatever it's cooking. I browned my roast first and set it on top of the veggies. The instructions said how much liquid to add and I can't remember how much that was now.
 
You need very little liquid in a pressure cooker. You need to follow the recipe and cooking directions carefully. Especially if you've never used a pressure cooker before.
 
PrincessFiona60 said:
You need very little liquid in a pressure cooker. You need to follow the recipe and cooking directions carefully. Especially if you've never used a pressure cooker before.

My problem is that I have no recipes :( I looked online and couldn't really find anything about cooking meat in a pressure cooker
 
My problem is that I have no recipes :( I looked online and couldn't really find anything about cooking meat in a pressure cooker

Hon, you really need the book that comes with the pressure cooker. If you've never used one before, you can't just toss the meat in, cover it and cook it. There are many considerations when cooking with a pressure cooker, is the gasket clean and undamaged? Are the safety mechanisms in working order?

Where did you get the pressure cooker you are planning on using? Yes, I'm planning on scaring you, just a little...until you have read about using it and know what to expect, you should not use a pressure cooker.

I've used one for years, but it sounds like you have never used one and neither has your BF, he's only seen someone else use it. Please tell me about the pressure cooker you are planning on using.
 
Just think Andy's mishap thread yesterday with the boiling water and oil times 100 :ohmy:
 
Hon, you really need the book that comes with the pressure cooker. If you've never used one before, you can't just toss the meat in, cover it and cook it. There are many considerations when cooking with a pressure cooker, is the gasket clean and undamaged? Are the safety mechanisms in working order?

Where did you get the pressure cooker you are planning on using? Yes, I'm planning on scaring you, just a little...until you have read about using it and know what to expect, you should not use a pressure cooker.

I've used one for years, but it sounds like you have never used one and neither has your BF, he's only seen someone else use it. Please tell me about the pressure cooker you are planning on using.
If you don't have the manual, a large number are available for free on the internet. Yahoo groups is a good place to start. A pressure cooker is essentially a steam boiler operating under very high pressure, and incorrect usage is dangerous.
 
Just think Andy's mishap thread yesterday with the boiling water and oil times 100 :ohmy:

That's exactly what I'm worrying about. First time use of a pressure cooker should be taught by someone with experience...not guessed. Especially if you don't have the book that came with the pressure cooker.
 
It's my bf's pressure cooker. He has used it for roasts, but is very vague about how to do it, which is why I'm asking on here. The pressure valve on the top works fine, and it locks when it is under any pressure, so it can't be opened until you release the pressure. Is that the gasket you mentioned? If so, it works fine.
 
It's my bf's pressure cooker. He has used it for roasts, but is very vague about how to do it, which is why I'm asking on here. The pressure valve on the top works fine, and it locks when it is under any pressure, so it can't be opened until you release the pressure. Is that the gasket you mentioned? If so, it works fine.

Skittle, Listen to Princess Fiona!!! Just because you can't open it if it has pressure dosen't mean it can't blow up if it has to much pressure.I have two huge pressure canners and three smaller pressure cookers that I use on a regular basic.

Josie
 
Josie1945 said:
Skittle, Listen to Princess Fiona!!! Just because you can't open it if it has pressure dosen't mean it can't blow up if it has to much pressure.I have two huge pressure canners and three smaller pressure cookers that I use on a regular basic.

Josie

I'm not arguing, I'm genuinely asking, isn't that what the valve on the top is for? To release pressure if you accidentally let it get to great? Just because I don't have the book doesn't mean that isn't working properly. But, you guys have convinced me I should look online for the manual for it. I don't have immediate plans to use it, so I will read up on it when I have time. Also, thanks Andy, for the link
 
Oh, and just so you know, a few of you are making it sound like unless you have your own personal pressure cooker expert you can't learn to safely use one. I'm asking for help and advice, precisely because I don't have someone like that, and instead of trying to educate me and tell me what I need to know or where to find the information I need you are making me feel like an idiot just because I'm uneducated on the subject. Trust me, I am smart enough to figure out instructions, and obviously I was smart enough to ask for advice rather than just trying to use it without knowing what temperature I should use and for how long. I've been told now several times how careful I need to be without one single piece of advice on what I can do to use it safely, or what I can do to avoid accidents.
 
The thingy on top that rocks back and forth under pressure is there to maintain a constant pressure. Adjust the burner so that rocks back and forth releasing steam.

As long as you don't overfill, there shouldn't be an issue with the PC.

Look online with the brand and model number of the PC to see if you can download a manual.
 
Andy M. said:
The thingy on top that rocks back and forth under pressure is there to maintain a constant pressure. Adjust the burner so that rocks back and forth releasing steam.

As long as you don't overfill, there shouldn't be an issue with the PC.

Look online with the brand and model number of the PC to see if you can download a manual.

Thanks again Andy, I will definitely do this. Wouldn't want to blow up my kitchen and prove everyone right ;)
 
There are safety features. If the pressure gets too high, the rocker will release it. There is also a some kind of safety release that will pop out to release pressure. If you are going to use it, I strongly recommend you find a manual.
 
Skittle,
Our intention was not to make You feel like a Idiot it was to protect you. We don't know what kind of pressure cooker you have and it does make a difference we do not want to give you the wrong advice .
My mother had one blow up when I was younger we were lucky that we were
in the dining room and not the kitchen it was bad.
If you use the name and the model number you probably can find some information on line. We could not give you the tempature to use because we don't know if it had a gague or not Two of mine have gagues and three don't.
I am so sorry that you were offended I know you are not dumb because you found your way here. Me or no one else here would offend you on purpose.

Josie
 
Josie1945 said:
Skittle,
Our intention was not to make You feel like a Idiot it was to protect you. We don't know what kind of pressure cooker you have and it does make a difference we do not want to give you the wrong advice .
My mother had one blow up when I was younger we were lucky that we were
in the dining room and not the kitchen it was bad.
If you use the name and the model number you probably can find some information on line. We could not give you the tempature to use because we don't know if it had a gague or not Two of mine have gagues and three don't.
I am so sorry that you were offended I know you are not dumb because you found your way here. Me or no one else here would offend you on purpose.

Josie

Thank you very much- I appreciate your concern, and I absolutely will look for the manual before I do anything. I did realize before I asked my question that an explosion was a real risk, and didn't know how to prevent it, which is why I asked :) A model number to find the manual actually didn't even occur to me- since I have no experience on the subject I sort of assumed they were all basically the same lol
 
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