Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pressurecooker

Quick Dals?

leahwrenn — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:20:37 -0800

Recommendations for good pressure cooker indian recipes? I'm especially interested in good, working recipes for making dals (and other cheap foods). I've got a pressure cooker, which I've used to make very good lamb saag. I own Madhur Jaffrey's _Quick and Easy Indian Cooking_ already.

They explode in 50's sitcoms... what else do they do?

Methylviolet — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:59:28 -0800

Pressue Cooker 101: Which one do I want? And what do I do with it? What do *you* do with yours? I want to buy a pressure cooker primarily to make Indian food: dals, pulses, etc. But that's as far as I've got. I've never used one before, and the options are many. Stoptop or electric? What features are important? Do you use yours? A lot? What is great about it? What don't you like?

I'm looking for any schooling you can give me on the pressure cooker experience. Of course, if you have killer pressure cooker recipes, please share.

Under pressure!

mudpuppie — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:44:17 -0800

Are there any pressure canners available that are smaller than 16 quarts? If not, are there any pressure *cookers* on the market that can double as a pressure canner? We brought home a 16-quart pressure canner because it was the only one that the big box store stocked. Only after getting it home did I realize that it was too big for me to store easily, and that it would come close to taking up two burners on my stove. (One of the reasons we bought the pressure canner is that the water bath canner I scored for free on the street is a 33-quart monster; it's too big to lift when full, requires too much heat, and is generally MUCH larger than what I need.)

Another drawback of the 16-quart pressure canner is that we'd like to use it as a pressure cooker as well, but it's just too damn big for a pot of beans for two. (Even if it cooks the beans in 5-7 minutes).

So, 1) are there smaller pressure canners available that I'm not finding online?

2) Is it a really bad idea to use an 8- or 10-quart pressure cooker (even 12 looks too big) as a canner? I know that the two main factors are that it must maintain up to 15 lbs of pressure to can some foods, and that jars must be raised off the bottom of the pot. Do normal pressure cookers maintain that level of pressure, and would they be deep enough to accommodate a rack + pint jar + 1" water?

3) Other options I'm overlooking?

What's the best way to cook beef heart?

jason's_planet — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:34:23 -0800

What's the best way to cook beef heart? I just bought a pound's worth of beef heart, in three slices, about a half inch thick. In the past, I've cooked beef heart in the pressure cooker but the result was always chewy and not terribly appetizing.

So what's the best way to prepare beef heart? Is it the traditional Peruvian style? Are anticuchos the way to go? Can I use the pressure cooker without turning the meat into grey rubber?

How would you prepare a half pound of sliced beef heart? What's your recipe? Fancy and complicated recipes are OK (for later), but the simpler, the better. This is meant to be an unemployed bachelor's lunch.

Many thanks in advance!

I'm desperate for kidney bean curry

showbiz_liz — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:02:57 -0800

I have a recipe for kidney beans which calls for a pressure cooker. How can I modify it to be made without one? The recipe is from an Indian cookbook, and in the introduction the author says that many recipes call for a pressure cooker 'in order to make traditionally slow-cooked dishes in less time,' so I assume this can be done without one. I'm just not sure exactly how.

The relevant part of the recipe:

"Soak the kidney beans overnight in water to cover by 2 inches. Then drain and place them in a pressure cooker, along with the cardamom pods, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and 4 cups water. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker, place over high heat, and cook until the gauge indicates high pressure, then cook about 1 minute more. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook another 3 minutes. Then remove from the heat and allow pot to depressurize on its own, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully open the lid and check to see if the beans are very soft, with some of them broken; if not, cover, bring up to pressure again, and cook under pressure another minute. Or cover and boil until soft, about 1/2 hour."

Pressure canning help?

peeedro — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:16:42 -0800

Pressure canning recipes and technique? I have more beans and cucumbers than I know what to do with, and I'll have an avalanche of tomatoes shortly. Can anyone point to recipes and techniques to preserve these veggies with a pressure canner.

I have the canner, jars and lids but not much of a clue beyond that. I'm looking for advice on the web or in print.

As a bonus, I will make kool-aid pickles for whoever can help me turn cucumbers into pickles.