Pressure cookers for the hard-of-cooking
September 15, 2006 5:43 PM Subscribe
Pressure cookers: useful or just another pot to store?
If you think they're a good idea, brand recommendations appreciated. What do you cook in it most often?
If you think they're a good idea, brand recommendations appreciated. What do you cook in it most often?
Pressure cookers are useful to boil things such as root vegetables or a corned beef faster. They work by greatly increasing the atmosphic pressure inside so that water reaches much higher temperatures before boiling off as steam. Pressure is controlled by an escape valve so things don't explode.
The make a cheerful noise. Don't buy the cheapest one you find.
posted by longsleeves at 6:01 PM on September 15, 2006
The make a cheerful noise. Don't buy the cheapest one you find.
posted by longsleeves at 6:01 PM on September 15, 2006
The new ones are perfectly safe.
Get a pressure cooker cookbook or all you'll ever do is make pot roast.
I use mine to make shredded beef for burritos and such.
posted by briank at 6:12 PM on September 15, 2006
Get a pressure cooker cookbook or all you'll ever do is make pot roast.
I use mine to make shredded beef for burritos and such.
posted by briank at 6:12 PM on September 15, 2006
I use my pressure cooker primarily for one thing: goat meat, which is the best "lamb" you've ever tasted but is as tough as a steel-belted radial. I love goat meat in various curries (and I'm still looking for a recipe for birria like the kind my favorite taqueria makes), and the only way I can get the goat meat soft enough to eat is by pressure cooking. Even simmering for several hours at 1 atmosphere doesn't do it.
If you like lamb and have a good "ethnic" butcher in your area (Mexican, halal, Caribbean, etc), try pressure-cooked goat instead. Much less fat and a more pronounced lamb flavor.
If I didn't cook goat meat, I wouldn't think my pressure cooker was worth the storage space - I prefer to cook in open pots. Actually, pressure cooking doesn't save as much time as you might think, since it takes a while to get up to pressure (which is when you start the timer for your recipe), and you must release the pressure slowly or your dinner will splatter all over the walls. (You can run cold water over the pressure cooker to cool it down quickly, but saving time = wasting water.) Pressure cooking only saves significant time when cooking really tough stuff, like whole dried chickpeas or large beans. And those will eventually get soft in an open pot, so you don't really need a pressure cooker there. Goat meat is the only thing I've encountered that absolutely needs a pressure cooker.
posted by Quietgal at 6:18 PM on September 15, 2006
If you like lamb and have a good "ethnic" butcher in your area (Mexican, halal, Caribbean, etc), try pressure-cooked goat instead. Much less fat and a more pronounced lamb flavor.
If I didn't cook goat meat, I wouldn't think my pressure cooker was worth the storage space - I prefer to cook in open pots. Actually, pressure cooking doesn't save as much time as you might think, since it takes a while to get up to pressure (which is when you start the timer for your recipe), and you must release the pressure slowly or your dinner will splatter all over the walls. (You can run cold water over the pressure cooker to cool it down quickly, but saving time = wasting water.) Pressure cooking only saves significant time when cooking really tough stuff, like whole dried chickpeas or large beans. And those will eventually get soft in an open pot, so you don't really need a pressure cooker there. Goat meat is the only thing I've encountered that absolutely needs a pressure cooker.
posted by Quietgal at 6:18 PM on September 15, 2006
Making good chili from scratch without a pressure cooker, while possible, takes forever and is tedious and boring.
posted by toddshot at 6:29 PM on September 15, 2006
posted by toddshot at 6:29 PM on September 15, 2006
Perfect for mashed potatoes!
Can't say I've used it for much more than that.
posted by furtive at 6:32 PM on September 15, 2006
Can't say I've used it for much more than that.
posted by furtive at 6:32 PM on September 15, 2006
You can use it for canning and sterilization as well.
posted by prostyle at 6:41 PM on September 15, 2006
posted by prostyle at 6:41 PM on September 15, 2006
I use mine for making stock more quickly, and also for quick cooking beans and legumes.
One factor you might want to consider in picking a brand is whether you can order replacement parts on the internet. I have to send actual snailmail to replace the broken part on my Jasi cooker, and it's been broken for a couple of years, because I've never gotten around to it.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:29 PM on September 15, 2006
One factor you might want to consider in picking a brand is whether you can order replacement parts on the internet. I have to send actual snailmail to replace the broken part on my Jasi cooker, and it's been broken for a couple of years, because I've never gotten around to it.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:29 PM on September 15, 2006
If you like beans then you will love a pressure cooker.
posted by caddis at 8:15 PM on September 15, 2006
posted by caddis at 8:15 PM on September 15, 2006
I have a stovetop model that works great. Excellent for stews, roasts and vegetables.
posted by SPrintF at 8:15 PM on September 15, 2006
posted by SPrintF at 8:15 PM on September 15, 2006
Here's my vote for 'just another pot.' See this? Pressure cookers are best for cooking tough meats, like goat. Most of the meat I cook (you may be different) doesn't need especially to be cooked in a pressure cooker. Neither does stew, or even roast, which should be done in an oven, anyway.
Pressure cookers, in short, are hard-core boilers. They're for boiling things that need the shit boiled out of them, and boiling them for a long time. There are very few things, in my estimation, that really need that. If you have a pot, you can fix anything you need.
posted by koeselitz at 8:21 PM on September 15, 2006
Pressure cookers, in short, are hard-core boilers. They're for boiling things that need the shit boiled out of them, and boiling them for a long time. There are very few things, in my estimation, that really need that. If you have a pot, you can fix anything you need.
posted by koeselitz at 8:21 PM on September 15, 2006
Don't think of it as a single use appliance sucking up cabinet space, think of it as a fair sized pot with add-on features if you want to use them. It's a great way to do some fast cooking, and you can use tough (therefore low fat) cuts of meat. It's not like a popcorn popper or, God forbid, a hot dog electrocuter.
I inherited a 22 qt. one from Grandma. I don't know how old it was, but I think the directions were copyrighted around 1940. It was the kind with the weight on top, not the pressure dial. I bought a new rubber gasket, threw in a gallon of water, set the stove on high and the weight for 30 lbs., and ran. I never saw kitchen wallpaper look frightened before. I cautiously poked my nose in the back door some time later to discover the weight bouncing merrily, and I've been using it for 20 years.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 8:25 PM on September 15, 2006
I inherited a 22 qt. one from Grandma. I don't know how old it was, but I think the directions were copyrighted around 1940. It was the kind with the weight on top, not the pressure dial. I bought a new rubber gasket, threw in a gallon of water, set the stove on high and the weight for 30 lbs., and ran. I never saw kitchen wallpaper look frightened before. I cautiously poked my nose in the back door some time later to discover the weight bouncing merrily, and I've been using it for 20 years.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 8:25 PM on September 15, 2006
As others have said, they're mostly nice to have for roasts, potatoes, beans, and other obnoxiously slow-cooking foods.
However, pressure cookers are very widely used in India. My friend from there says that no kitchen is complete without one. If you like Indian food, you can find lots of great recipes for the pressure cooker. Try making curry with moong dal, it is cheap and delicious.
posted by vorfeed at 8:26 PM on September 15, 2006 [1 favorite]
However, pressure cookers are very widely used in India. My friend from there says that no kitchen is complete without one. If you like Indian food, you can find lots of great recipes for the pressure cooker. Try making curry with moong dal, it is cheap and delicious.
posted by vorfeed at 8:26 PM on September 15, 2006 [1 favorite]
I love my mom's electric pressure cooker so much I'm asking for one for Christmas. She makes this out of this world green chile pork stew that, for me, is worth the cost of admission. If anyone wants the recipe, I'll post it.
On top of that, you've got beans and roasts that you can cook in about an hour, instead of having to remember to make them in the morning before you're out the door.
posted by sugarfish at 8:47 PM on September 15, 2006
On top of that, you've got beans and roasts that you can cook in about an hour, instead of having to remember to make them in the morning before you're out the door.
posted by sugarfish at 8:47 PM on September 15, 2006
Please, sugarfish, post the green chile pork stew recipe. I'm drooling already.
May I piggyback, and ask what a pressure cooker can do that a slow cooker can't?
posted by QIbHom at 8:53 PM on September 15, 2006
May I piggyback, and ask what a pressure cooker can do that a slow cooker can't?
posted by QIbHom at 8:53 PM on September 15, 2006
A pressure cooker and a clow cooker are pretty much exact opposites, despite the fact that they're used for many of the same things. A pressure cooker uses pressure combined with heat to cook things to an astonishing degree of doneness quickly. A slow cooker uses lower heat and lots and lots of time to cook things to an astonishing degree of doneness.
A slow cooker will generally develop somewhat richer flavours - pressure cookers tend to flatten out flavours somewhat.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:17 PM on September 15, 2006
A slow cooker will generally develop somewhat richer flavours - pressure cookers tend to flatten out flavours somewhat.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:17 PM on September 15, 2006
Pressure cooker green chile pork stew:
boneless pork chops -- I get one per person. You can use boned ones, too, but I find it's easier not to mess with the bones at all.
five or six fresh green chiles -- I like NM green chiles the best, but I can't find them where I live, so I use anaheim or serrano peppers. You want the big mildish ones, NOT the bitty hot ones.
new potatoes
can of diced tomatoes, optional
garlic salt
pepper
Cut the pork chops into largish chunks and brown them in the bottom of the pressure cooker, seasoned with garlic salt and pepper. While they're browning, cut off the tops and seed green chiles. Cut them into strips (or chunks, whatever) and drop them on top of the pork. Quarter or half new potatoes, enough to cover the stuff in the bottom. Add tomatoes at this point if you want them. Put a bit of water in for the pressure -- 1/2 or 3/4 of a cup, less if you put in the tomatoes. Cook for about fifty minutes.
We serve this with shredded cheese and tortilla chips. It's really great in the winter, but we have it year round.
posted by sugarfish at 9:30 PM on September 15, 2006 [1 favorite]
boneless pork chops -- I get one per person. You can use boned ones, too, but I find it's easier not to mess with the bones at all.
five or six fresh green chiles -- I like NM green chiles the best, but I can't find them where I live, so I use anaheim or serrano peppers. You want the big mildish ones, NOT the bitty hot ones.
new potatoes
can of diced tomatoes, optional
garlic salt
pepper
Cut the pork chops into largish chunks and brown them in the bottom of the pressure cooker, seasoned with garlic salt and pepper. While they're browning, cut off the tops and seed green chiles. Cut them into strips (or chunks, whatever) and drop them on top of the pork. Quarter or half new potatoes, enough to cover the stuff in the bottom. Add tomatoes at this point if you want them. Put a bit of water in for the pressure -- 1/2 or 3/4 of a cup, less if you put in the tomatoes. Cook for about fifty minutes.
We serve this with shredded cheese and tortilla chips. It's really great in the winter, but we have it year round.
posted by sugarfish at 9:30 PM on September 15, 2006 [1 favorite]
For durability, speed, versatility, safety and cost, stove top pressure cookers beat countertop cookers all to Goshen.
I have a stove top Mirro 16 qt pressure cooker, that I use for corn beef and New England Boiled dinners, pot roasts, stews, vegetables, and lot of other reciepes. I'm not sure they make this model any longer, but they still offer handles, gaskets, pressure weights, over-pressure inserts, and the continued and ready availability of affordable parts for Mirro cookers are one reason I recommend them highly.
Contrary to what others have said above, a pressure cooker can be pretty fast, if you let the steam and heat do the cooking, and don't boil a whole kettle of water under pressure. For roasts and corned beef, I put at most 3/4" (1.75 cm) of water in the pot, drop in a quarter inch high "riser" made of thin aluminum sheet with big holes in it that only contacts the pot bottom around its turned down lip edge, that keeps the meat from searing on the bottom by holding 1/4 inch of water under it. Then, I add and season my meat, lock up the cooker's lid, and turn the burner on high under it. Because there is minimal water, and the meat isn't using the pot directly as a heat sink, you get steam from the pressure weight vent in about 2 minutes, and can reduce the burner heat to cooking rate immediately thereafter. I do 4 to 5 pound beef roasts or corned beefs in about 35 to 45 minutes, start to finish, sometimes with a dip in a sink full of cold water in the middle, to open and add potatoes and cabbage for New England boiled dinners. Maybe add a 1/4 cup of water or wine when resealing the cooker lid for the second phase of cooking, to make up for the slight steam loss. Smaller 4 and 6 quart models are even quicker heating up and cooling off, and are more convenient to store and pull out for use, if you don't need to make big hunks of meat. Of course, nothing prevents you from having both large and small pressure cookers, as they aren't that expensive.
You need to know a little bit about the physics of steam to use a pressure cooker well, and you need to learn how your cooker's pressure vent and weight "sounds" when it is cooking. Different rates of vent whistling mark far different cooking conditions within the cooker. Basically, you generally cook with "wet" steam, which is steam with a fair number of it's molecules tied up in droplets condensing to water. It is lower energy per unit volume than "dry" steam, where all of the water molecules are in a gaseous state, generally at far higher temperature and pressure. Wet steam conditions cause the pressure vent weight to "burble" a bit and maybe even dance around merrily, whereas dry steam is all business, high pitched, fast and dangerous in many ways. Dry steam can be used with caution by experienced cooks, for very short periods, but it is hard to control. You generally lose an overpressure plug to dry steam if you let your cooker boil dry, and a popping overpressure plug can cause "flash steam" if there is any remaining liquid in the cooker when it pops. So, turn down the heat, to just what keeps the weight happily burbling and dancing, and you'll be a happy pressure cooker cook for many years.
I'll also disagree with jacquilynne here regarding pressure cookers "flattening" flavors more than slow cookers. If anything, in my experience, the pressure cooker keeps the flavor and texture of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes all cooked in the same cooker quite seperate. Takes a little practice and skill to time it out, and you don't add the potatoes or cabbage until the last few minutes of the cooking cycle, but done right, you get three seperate flavors and textures, from a one pot cooking effort. You can even add an internal wire rack to the cooker when you load vegetables, to keep them out of contact with the meat or liquids at the bottom of the pot.
I've used my Mirro once or twice a month for more than 15 years, and it's still on the original gasket. Keep 'em clean, don't bang 'em into other pots, or store things in 'em, and they'll last forever.
posted by paulsc at 10:06 PM on September 15, 2006 [2 favorites]
I have a stove top Mirro 16 qt pressure cooker, that I use for corn beef and New England Boiled dinners, pot roasts, stews, vegetables, and lot of other reciepes. I'm not sure they make this model any longer, but they still offer handles, gaskets, pressure weights, over-pressure inserts, and the continued and ready availability of affordable parts for Mirro cookers are one reason I recommend them highly.
Contrary to what others have said above, a pressure cooker can be pretty fast, if you let the steam and heat do the cooking, and don't boil a whole kettle of water under pressure. For roasts and corned beef, I put at most 3/4" (1.75 cm) of water in the pot, drop in a quarter inch high "riser" made of thin aluminum sheet with big holes in it that only contacts the pot bottom around its turned down lip edge, that keeps the meat from searing on the bottom by holding 1/4 inch of water under it. Then, I add and season my meat, lock up the cooker's lid, and turn the burner on high under it. Because there is minimal water, and the meat isn't using the pot directly as a heat sink, you get steam from the pressure weight vent in about 2 minutes, and can reduce the burner heat to cooking rate immediately thereafter. I do 4 to 5 pound beef roasts or corned beefs in about 35 to 45 minutes, start to finish, sometimes with a dip in a sink full of cold water in the middle, to open and add potatoes and cabbage for New England boiled dinners. Maybe add a 1/4 cup of water or wine when resealing the cooker lid for the second phase of cooking, to make up for the slight steam loss. Smaller 4 and 6 quart models are even quicker heating up and cooling off, and are more convenient to store and pull out for use, if you don't need to make big hunks of meat. Of course, nothing prevents you from having both large and small pressure cookers, as they aren't that expensive.
You need to know a little bit about the physics of steam to use a pressure cooker well, and you need to learn how your cooker's pressure vent and weight "sounds" when it is cooking. Different rates of vent whistling mark far different cooking conditions within the cooker. Basically, you generally cook with "wet" steam, which is steam with a fair number of it's molecules tied up in droplets condensing to water. It is lower energy per unit volume than "dry" steam, where all of the water molecules are in a gaseous state, generally at far higher temperature and pressure. Wet steam conditions cause the pressure vent weight to "burble" a bit and maybe even dance around merrily, whereas dry steam is all business, high pitched, fast and dangerous in many ways. Dry steam can be used with caution by experienced cooks, for very short periods, but it is hard to control. You generally lose an overpressure plug to dry steam if you let your cooker boil dry, and a popping overpressure plug can cause "flash steam" if there is any remaining liquid in the cooker when it pops. So, turn down the heat, to just what keeps the weight happily burbling and dancing, and you'll be a happy pressure cooker cook for many years.
I'll also disagree with jacquilynne here regarding pressure cookers "flattening" flavors more than slow cookers. If anything, in my experience, the pressure cooker keeps the flavor and texture of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes all cooked in the same cooker quite seperate. Takes a little practice and skill to time it out, and you don't add the potatoes or cabbage until the last few minutes of the cooking cycle, but done right, you get three seperate flavors and textures, from a one pot cooking effort. You can even add an internal wire rack to the cooker when you load vegetables, to keep them out of contact with the meat or liquids at the bottom of the pot.
I've used my Mirro once or twice a month for more than 15 years, and it's still on the original gasket. Keep 'em clean, don't bang 'em into other pots, or store things in 'em, and they'll last forever.
posted by paulsc at 10:06 PM on September 15, 2006 [2 favorites]
Forgot a favorite pressure cooker reciepe you can use with delight next May, if you remember.
Spargel (White Asparagus)
Buy 1/2 pound per person of large, fresh White Asparagus spears, the thickness of your little finger if you are of Bavarian heritage, or of your middle finger if you are a bony Westphalian (3/8" to 1/2" diameter). Wash and carefully peel the stalks of their thin outer skins, perhaps after blanching briefly if the skins are at all tough.
In a pressure cooker, put 1 14 ounce can of chicken stock, a 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of good, dry white Mosel wine, 2 dried bay leaves, small handful chopped fresh basil, couple teaspoons of dried marjoram leaves. In the bottom of the pot, put a metal steamer basket, and on the steamer basket, load as much White Asparagus as will fit easily. Assemble and seal the pressure cooker lid. Place pressure cooker on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until cooking pressure develops.
Lower burner heat to cooking range, and cook for 3 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness of stems. Chill the cooker quickly after cooking, and remove asparagus immediately to serving plates. Ideally, the stalks emerge firm in texture, but translucent and golden cream colored in appearance. Serve with clarified, lemoned butter, sea salt, and fresh black pepper. Good bread, and plenty of Weissbier are good sides.
posted by paulsc at 10:26 PM on September 15, 2006
Spargel (White Asparagus)
Buy 1/2 pound per person of large, fresh White Asparagus spears, the thickness of your little finger if you are of Bavarian heritage, or of your middle finger if you are a bony Westphalian (3/8" to 1/2" diameter). Wash and carefully peel the stalks of their thin outer skins, perhaps after blanching briefly if the skins are at all tough.
In a pressure cooker, put 1 14 ounce can of chicken stock, a 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of good, dry white Mosel wine, 2 dried bay leaves, small handful chopped fresh basil, couple teaspoons of dried marjoram leaves. In the bottom of the pot, put a metal steamer basket, and on the steamer basket, load as much White Asparagus as will fit easily. Assemble and seal the pressure cooker lid. Place pressure cooker on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until cooking pressure develops.
Lower burner heat to cooking range, and cook for 3 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness of stems. Chill the cooker quickly after cooking, and remove asparagus immediately to serving plates. Ideally, the stalks emerge firm in texture, but translucent and golden cream colored in appearance. Serve with clarified, lemoned butter, sea salt, and fresh black pepper. Good bread, and plenty of Weissbier are good sides.
posted by paulsc at 10:26 PM on September 15, 2006
Don't forget that you can use a pressure cooker's pot as, well, as a pot. (At least the stovetop type; I have a Kuhn Rikon). So if you're optimizing cabinet space, you could replace one large cookpot with the pressure cooker.
I wouldn't classify pressure cookers as a kitchen necessity, but they're not gadgety frippery either. I love being able to cook beans and meats in 'em.
posted by hattifattener at 11:15 PM on September 15, 2006
I wouldn't classify pressure cookers as a kitchen necessity, but they're not gadgety frippery either. I love being able to cook beans and meats in 'em.
posted by hattifattener at 11:15 PM on September 15, 2006
I learned to use a pressure cooker before I learned to fear a pressure cooker... I've only had one incident in 40+ years. I overfilled the pot when cooking beans, and it made a hella mess.
Roast Beast
Take a frozen roast, run a little warm water over the surface to thaw just the outside, sear all sides in the pressure cooker with a little oil. Put the meat on a rack to elevate it. (I have a circular one that is perfect. Can't remember if it came with my pot) Add a few beef boullion cubes, and an onion cut into quarters. Salt & pepper.
Pressure cook for 15 - 20 minutes. Cut potatoes and carrots into pieces. Cool cooker under running water, release pressure. Add potatoes and carrots. Pressure cook for another 10 minutes. Cool cooker, release pressure. Take meat and veggies out to a serving platter. Make gravy in pot. Serve.
posted by Corky at 5:18 AM on September 16, 2006
Roast Beast
Take a frozen roast, run a little warm water over the surface to thaw just the outside, sear all sides in the pressure cooker with a little oil. Put the meat on a rack to elevate it. (I have a circular one that is perfect. Can't remember if it came with my pot) Add a few beef boullion cubes, and an onion cut into quarters. Salt & pepper.
Pressure cook for 15 - 20 minutes. Cut potatoes and carrots into pieces. Cool cooker under running water, release pressure. Add potatoes and carrots. Pressure cook for another 10 minutes. Cool cooker, release pressure. Take meat and veggies out to a serving platter. Make gravy in pot. Serve.
posted by Corky at 5:18 AM on September 16, 2006
Ooops. Forgot to say that you have to add about 1 1/2 cups of H2O to cooker while cooking meat. Otherwise, it will be one very dry roast beast!
posted by Corky at 5:19 AM on September 16, 2006
posted by Corky at 5:19 AM on September 16, 2006
Useful, and not dangerous. Second what hattifattener said and get a nice heavy one that will double as a regular pot when not in pressure mode.
posted by rxrfrx at 5:38 AM on September 16, 2006
posted by rxrfrx at 5:38 AM on September 16, 2006
Useful, and not dangerous.
Not dangerous at all - unless you are unfortunate enough to have one blow up on you. Me? I've always been the kid with the least amount of luck on the block.
5 years ago, I ended a rather long affair with my pressure cooker. Standing there in the kitchen, with lots of sizzling hot beans burning into my face and uncovered chest, I decided to cut the pressure cooker off for good.
I've been okay without it.... that first day returning to work was difficult. Everyone kept asking, "what... what the hell... happened to your face?"
I now watch as the scars inflicted upon me by my former love slowly fade with the passage of time....
posted by bradth27 at 6:06 AM on September 16, 2006
Not dangerous at all - unless you are unfortunate enough to have one blow up on you. Me? I've always been the kid with the least amount of luck on the block.
5 years ago, I ended a rather long affair with my pressure cooker. Standing there in the kitchen, with lots of sizzling hot beans burning into my face and uncovered chest, I decided to cut the pressure cooker off for good.
I've been okay without it.... that first day returning to work was difficult. Everyone kept asking, "what... what the hell... happened to your face?"
I now watch as the scars inflicted upon me by my former love slowly fade with the passage of time....
posted by bradth27 at 6:06 AM on September 16, 2006
Like joeclark says, I find it super useful to cut the time down on brown rice. I've used it on artichokes, beans, and corned beef. Also, I canned tomatoes a few weeks ago for the first time.
posted by peeedro at 9:24 AM on September 16, 2006
posted by peeedro at 9:24 AM on September 16, 2006
People I know who love their pressure cookers tend to either eat a lot of beans, or a lot of risotto. "Seven minutes! No stirring!" they always say. It may be true.
posted by bink at 11:53 AM on September 16, 2006
posted by bink at 11:53 AM on September 16, 2006
I have a Mirro 12qt, and I use it exclusively for cooking large amounts of chili. I tried cooking chili in a pot once. It took a lot longer, and I found that I didn't get as much flavour for my spice usage as compared to when I used the pressure cooker.
Another thing I've noticed about using the pressure cooker to do chili is that it can be a bit too wet, since not as much water escapes as when using an open pot. Alton Brown's trick of adding broken up corn chips works perfectly to thicken the chili. Use beer for your liquid, make your own chili powder, and you will have lots of excellent chili, fast.
posted by benign at 2:32 PM on September 16, 2006
Another thing I've noticed about using the pressure cooker to do chili is that it can be a bit too wet, since not as much water escapes as when using an open pot. Alton Brown's trick of adding broken up corn chips works perfectly to thicken the chili. Use beer for your liquid, make your own chili powder, and you will have lots of excellent chili, fast.
posted by benign at 2:32 PM on September 16, 2006
Beans and green peas are undoubtedly the culprit in virtually all pressure cooker explosions. If you want to be super safe, don't cook these foods in the pressure cooker.
Cornmeal (or, more rapidly, masa harina) will nicely thicken chili.
posted by rxrfrx at 4:13 PM on September 16, 2006
Cornmeal (or, more rapidly, masa harina) will nicely thicken chili.
posted by rxrfrx at 4:13 PM on September 16, 2006
It really depends on if you want to learn to use it or not. I had an old one lurking in my kitchen for years. I knew it could be useful so I didn't get rid of it but I thought it was kind of scary and after 10 years of not using it and not doing anything about learning to, I gave it away. On the other hand I love my vegetable steamer, have burned through several, all of which I got at thrift stores for under $5. Quite often they are still in the box and have never been opened. I think people get them as wedding gifts, think:Well, that's the stupidest thing I've ever seen, and get rid of them. So, do you want to put the time and effort into using a new piece of equipment? It helps if you know someone who loves theirs and will teach you.
posted by BoscosMom at 3:58 PM on September 17, 2006
posted by BoscosMom at 3:58 PM on September 17, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
I cook everything in it. Roasts, stews, rice pudding, risotto, various grains that normally take forever to cook (quinoa, for one)... really, everything. So fast and easy.
Mine's from QVC's Cook's Essentials line, which I believe to be a relabeled Farberware programmable pressure cooker. It costs a bit less from QVC.
posted by houseofdanie at 5:56 PM on September 15, 2006