New Pressure Cooker - Now What?

[Extemporaneous]

Just bought a new Fagor Futura pressure cooker set (4 & 6 liter).
Now if I only knew how to cook or had a teacher!

I do have some recipes and so will just start.
Any good advice and/or anyone want to come to cold Ontario, Canada and teach me?
Thought so, Don't blame ya!

I'll let you know how I do (good or bad).
NEVER cooked in my life!

Wish me luck,
Extemp.

[sarafina]

one thing I like about pressure cookers is you can PARTIALLY cook things and them finish them up with traditional methods, which often impart more flavour. Potatoes are a good example. Partially pre cook them in a pressure cooker and then hash them or saute or gratin or scallop...

Also, when you make an item like stew or chili or soup make a big batch and then can it. Easy to do, lots of online instructions. Great way to have stuff aboard with out using freezer or icebox space!

Be careful with veggies. Unless you like them grey and limp they cook VERY quickly under pressure!

[Extemporaneous]

Originally Posted by sarafina

one thing I like about pressure cookers is you can PARTIALLY cook things and them finish them up with traditional methods, which often impart more flavour. Potatoes are a good example. Partially pre cook them in a pressure cooker and then hash them or saute or gratin or scallop...

Also, when you make an item like stew or chili or soup make a big batch and then can it. Easy to do, lots of online instructions. Great way to have stuff aboard with out using freezer or icebox space!

Be careful with veggies. Unless you like them grey and limp they cook VERY quickly under pressure!

That all sounds very good ...... but do you teach??

Kidding, Thanks.
I've only got everything to learn.

Extemp.

[Force 10]

No Problem I use them all the time. Here a Recepie which delights any hungry Crew.

Bout 6 big fist Moose Meat (Beef uggggh) will do if you cant get your own, cutup in very large cubes throw in Cooker, next halve a mug of Paprika, one Teespoon Salt, one Teespoon Pepper, 3-5 peeled Potatoes cut into Cubes, 3 Tablespoon Oil, halve Head of Cabbage cut into small Pices, Halve Cup of Chicken in the Mug or Beef in the Mug. Top of with Water to 2 inches below Lid. Close Lid and heat on Max heat till Steem starts hissing. Reduce so that you just can hear the Steem escaping and have her sit like that for 40 minutes.

Done.

Serve Steeming hot with Bread or Crackers also goes good with plenty of Red Wine. Best food on a cold Ocean Voyage or after a Daylong Winter Sail.

Prost and sorry for the Gramar must be the Merlot...............

[Meridian]

The best damned popcorn in the whole wide world.
1/2" (12mm for those who are imperially-challenged) of vegetable oil in the bottom. Heat on high until a few test-kernals pop. Then add 1/2 cup (or more) of popcorn. Continue shaking, with lid on, every 5-10 seconds until popping stops. Add obscene amounts of butter and salt, then prepare to fend off the kids and neighbors.
You'll thank me later.
John

[Sonrisa]

We made this all summer during a trip to Alaska, and I can barely cook toast.

3 cups flower
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 can of beer

Smear butter/margarine around the bottom of the cooker. Sprinkle cornmeal over the whole buttered surface (this is to prevent the bread from sticking to the pot). Mix all the other ingredients together and throw it in there. Put the top on, but don't seal it. No pressure is required, it just acts as an oven. Cook on the lowest possible heat for 40 minutes or so. If you get adventurous, add some cheese, or raisins and cinnamon. Can't go wrong with a can of beer in there.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Sonrisa

Can't go wrong with a can of beer in there.

Does the recipe work with a 6-pack?

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Sonrisa

We made this all summer during a trip to Alaska, and I can barely cook toast.

3 cups flower
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 can of beer

Smear butter/margarine around the bottom of the cooker. Sprinkle cornmeal over the whole buttered surface (this is to prevent the bread from sticking to the pot). Mix all the other ingredients together and throw it in there. Put the top on, but don't seal it. No pressure is required, it just acts as an oven. Cook on the lowest possible heat for 40 minutes or so. If you get adventurous, add some cheese, or raisins and cinnamon. Can't go wrong with a can of beer in there.

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Does the recipe work with a 6-pack?

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 x 6 pack beer of choice.

Method:
drink beer, go buy more beer, drink same and forget about the bread stuff.

Works with any pressure cooker.

[Extemporaneous]

Originally Posted by Wotname

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 x 6 pack beer of choice.

Method:
drink beer, go buy more beer, drink same and forget about the bread stuff.

Works with any pressure cooker.

And it looks like this recipe is scalable, excellent.
I should have known the guys would have some dam good recipes too.

Keep them coming, I'll be a master chef in no time!

Extemp.

[tomperanteau]

Wow, what a timely thread! After reading a bit about them, I took the wife out and we bought a pressure cooker for the boat. Please, keep the recipes coming!

[Extemporaneous]

Well I made my 1st Pressure Cooked Meal (5th meal of any kind).
See attached.
I followed the directions I mean recipe the the T.
It turned out okay but that's about it.
I'm thinking it's the recipe, not my cooking that just wasn't that great.
Oh well, it's a start.
Next, I'm going to try Boiling Water!

Wish me luck,
Extemp.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by Extemporaneous

Well I made my 1st Pressure Cooked Meal (5th meal of any kind).
See attached.
I followed the directions I mean recipe the the T.
It turned out okay but that's about it.
I'm thinking it's the recipe, not my cooking that just wasn't that great.
Oh well, it's a start.
Next, I'm going to try Boiling Water!

Wish me luck,
Extemp.

Ok, just lookin at that recipe and my first thought is that the no brainer timesaver here is the beans. Instead of buying a can of beans for a cup and a half for $1.50 (or more) cook dried beans in 12 minutes, set aside and then do the chili and add the beans back in.

And for the chili, boost the meat to 2 lbs, bump the garlic up to 8 cloves, add 2 TB paprika and another tablespoon of ground chili powder. At least! Replace the plain flour with Corn Masa Flour for the thickener. I like to dump in a can of corn as well for flavour and colour and texture.

I don't think it needs much time in the pressure cooker after it's all mixed together. Maybe like 5 minutes? AT that point it's all cooked and you just want the flavours to meld.

Another option is to pick up some bags of Carroll Shelby's Chili mix when they are on sale, I get good results with that!

[dpex]

Best device I ever bought. Go to The Instructables and get loads of bread-making recipes, including Sour-Dough, made quickly in a pressure cooker.

I set things up so the bread cooks while I'm underway. Try adding things like chopped olives, or a half a tin of salmon to the recipes. Yum.

But for meat-lovers, the following is oral heaven and really quick.

About 2lbs meat. Pork roast, shin beef, skirt steak, chicken thighs, you name it. The quality of the meat doesn't matter.

Chop into about 3/4 inch cubes.

Chop up four big potatoes...don't chop to fine...you'll learn what's best. :--))

Chop up three big onions, also not too fine.

Chop the stalks of Broccoli or cauliflower into big lumps; (The stalks have the most flavour) add. You can chuck in parsnip and or carrot lumps, soup lentils, split peas, you name it. The trick with the ingredients is to make the pieces larger than you would normally.

Toss all into pressure cooker then add about a half a cup of soy sauce, about a level tablespoon of mixed herbs, and LOTS of garlic. I use the crushed stuff at a rate of a big table-spoon for this mix.

Add water till ingredients are just covered. Clamp on lid and set burner to highest setting, and let her rip. As soon as the cooker has started releasing steam, leave it for twenty more minutes, then take off the heat. Stand for twenty minutes than put back on heat for ten minutes of pressured cooking. Take off heat, leave to stand till safety dingus has dropped. Open lid, put open pot back on stove and heat again on high. Stir contents, add about 1/4 cup of cornflour mixed in a bit of water. Stir till thickened. If thickening doesn't happen, add some more cornflour and water.

If you want you can add chilli powder, or chilli sauce. Curry is a nice variant.

Serve on rice and top the lot off with lashings of bean-sprouts which have just sprouted...they taste best then. BTW: Bean sprouts are the sailors continuous supply of fresh vegetables. To find out how go to

YouTube - How to Grow Bean Sprouts

Also you can top the bean sprouts with carrot salad. Grate one carrot into a bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon of crushed garlic and one teaspoon of mint sauce. Stir. And try to not eat it all before the main event. :--))

And if you really want to make this a gourmet experience, place a half a wedge of blue cheese in a dish. Add one punnett of Vanilla yoghurt, mash and mix till creamy, and drizzle on top of rice-base/pressure-cooked food (as above) bean-sprouts, carrot salad.

BTW: Blue cheese and vanilla sauce on a fine steak is also oral heaven.

Then, of course, there's this sauce with raw oysters. Oh Lord. Now there's a taste.

Oral heaven. :--)))))

Cheers
Dpex.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Try this site, full of recipes and instructions; Pressure Cooker Recipes

[Sailndive345]

I have been cooking with a pressure cooker for many years - see if you can get a copy of "cooking under pressure" - by Lorna Sass - has some wonderful recipes - especially the risottos are excellent!

Bon apetit!

Sailndive