Pressure Cooking

[ziptie-ducktape]

I bought mine in india, but u can find them on line "Hawkins" 5Lt great love it would not leave with out it , all stainless

[jerrymc]

I bought mine in india, but u can find them on line "Hawkins" 5Lt great love it would not leave with out it , all stainless

I bought a Hawkins 5L, made in India, as well and have quickly been converted to a true-believer regarding pressure-cookers. This thing is great, easy to clean & stores in the same space that I used to put a large pot (that I never use anyway)

Still learning & experimenting..for instance, last night I steamed corn-on-the-cob, lobster tail & potatoes for Xmas Eve Dinner..cooking time = 4 minutes (after coming to pressure) So, in less that 15 minutes, I prepped, cooked and was ready to eat. And clean-up was a simple wipe-out the pot! You can't get any better than that.

Now I know why liveaboards & cruisers swear by cooking in a pressure cooker

[ziptie-ducktape]

yes they are great once u make the conversion you will never return,,, if u think that it is the most common cooking vessel across all of asia from Iran to Thailand how could they be wrong true believer

[Shiddique]

I love my pressure cooker.
Great for making soups and stews. Fantastic ribs and beans are done in no time.
I would suggest that you get one from a place like Bed Bath and Beyond (don't forget the 20% off coupon). Try the pressure cooker for a few times, if you don't like it return the cooker. If you like it great.
My only advice is get one a bit bigger than you think you will need.

Gone are the days when you have to worry about the pressure cooker exploding. There are at least 2 "fail safe" valves in every one that I have seen lately.

I would advise against getting one from a resale shop unless you know for sure it is in very good condition and all parts are there and the instructions are there as well. Make sure the gasket is in good condition. (I am a fan of resale stores but in this case I would hold off getting a pressure cooker at one unless you are sure it is in working condition.)

Ask around you may have friends that have one and can loan you theirs as well as give you a lesson in pressure cooking.

[hellosailor]

Pressure cookers have traditionally been good for folks who live by recipes. Seal it up, set the timer...same thing every time.
I don't do recipes, I do "this would work well" and need to eyeball the meal once in a while to see how it is doing. So I guess one of the newfangled pressure cookers with a glass lid would be the way to go. Anyone have any recommendations for specific brands or models with glass lids? Obviously, not an electric one.

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

HelloSailor, I don't know of any pressure cooker with a glass lid. The Kuhn Ricoh is sold with a glass lid for non pressure cooking. The beauty of a pressure cooker is you cna always open it -- reduce the pressure first -- and add, mix or whatever during cooking.

[tkheaps]

Not sure the recipe necessity is true....just yesterday I used mine for a stew.....browned garlic & onions first, added meat till brown, threw in H20 & spuds, turned down to medium after the rocker started rockin and set the timer for 30 minutes...... presto, perfect, simple stew.....no need to peek.

**Just need to be really safe**** about handling the cooker while under pressure, don't accidentally knock the rocker off or remove it until the cooker has depressurized by cooling down. I usually just let mine do its own thing after turning off the heat. My girlfriend usually puts her in a sink full of water for a rapid cool down. Either way works...... just depends on the degree of tenderness you may or may not want on the cooked foods inside.

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by Hannah on 'Rita T'

HelloSailor, I don't know of any pressure cooker with a glass lid. The Kuhn Ricoh is sold with a glass lid for non pressure cooking. The beauty of a pressure cooker is you cna always open it -- reduce the pressure first -- and add, mix or whatever during cooking.

The first time I used a pressure cooker I opened it without reducing pressure. File that one under "not clear on the concept". The lid hit the roof but fortunately no aspiring chefs were injured. The boston steamed bread was terrific as I recall!

[Bergovoy]

i am surprised that more people dont use pressure cookers on land ???

the purpose or reason pressure cookers are a great cooking tool, land and sea, is that it cooks things 3x as fast, (or more)... Now for the member who used it once to cook veggies and didnt quite understand or get the 'fuss' over pressure cookers is right... cooking veges in a pressure cooker wont save you anythng, nor will it make the veggies taste any better.. veggies dont need to cooked for long periods... in fact the faster you cook them the better.. in and out in a pan and done...

meats in a pressure cooker will come out more tender, as if you 'slow roasted' them... a pressure cooker acts as a roasting pan, which is why the other member posted about placing it in an oven, after removing the gasket..(so the gasket wont melt).

the pressure cooker will retain the heat longer and hold the pressure longer so you can use it as a crock pot for stews...

the reason pressure cookers work has to do with PRESSURE, duh!... at higher altitudes, it takes longer to cook things as water boils at a lower temperature.. so you think you cooking at 212 degrees, but actually it is less, so it takes longer to cook... now at lower atmosphere, water cooks at a higher temperature, as does the meat and everything else, so it cooks faster, and siince it traps the moisture in, you wont get dried out meat that is tough.. just the opposite.


learning how to cook with pressure cookers isnt hard, but it does take some thought so that you understand the mechanics/nuts and bolts.. then after then you can cook bread, cake, stew, roasts, meatloaf...

btw: you can cook a burger in a ziploc bag and boil it... (sounds yucky, but if you season it right, it comes out effing perfect)... i would suggest slow cooking the ziploc meat... think hours not minutes) not the most practical onboard, but it is a good change to the normal...

[Bergovoy]

Originally Posted by hummingway

The first time I used a pressure cooker I opened it without reducing pressure. File that one under "not clear on the concept". The lid hit the roof but fortunately no aspiring chefs were injured. The boston steamed bread was terrific as I recall!

you are amazingly lucky... typically the lid 'hinges' near the handle making the lid spring/fly back towards teh person handling it and causeing major trauma...

it is harder then hell and usually impossible human strength to open that lid but it is possible.


most if not all pressure cookers i have seen have a button for pressure release.. but be careful, press it often while taking the lid off. cause you can release the pressure then start twisting the lid, and it will build up some more pressure in that short time...

sink cooling is very acceptable, but not necessary if you can take your time, just let it cool down, then when the pressure valve, the wiggly weight thing on top stops rattling, then remove it before taking the lid off...


btw, you can see the pot expand under pressure... you can also measure the increase in size... there is a ton of pressure in there...

also, you can find replacement parts/gaskets etc for most pressure pots...

[hellosailor]

"The beauty of a pressure cooker is you cna always open it -- reduce the pressure first "
Thanks, Hanna. I'm very much aware of that but if you open it, you need to wait another ten minutes after you close it again to build pressure again...open, close, wait, wait, and it is very easy to wind up cooking slower than in a pot. Especially if the pc is a heavily made one that cooks very evenly even when not pressurized.

[tkheaps]

Originally Posted by Redbeard33

which brands/sizes do you pressure chefs prefer, based on ease of use and marine being compatible?

Mine is a Bene Casa, I'd say 6 quart also. Got mine as a gift so really did no research but I do like it, as there are no protruding handles like the old fashioned ones......the handle is centered on top, there are 2 safety valves on mine besides the rocker nipple.

[GeoPowers]

Tried out the pressure cooker again a few times since last posting- I think I'm finally getting the hang of it! First was collards. I started off traditional slow cooking to allow the pork to break down and flavoring to infuse with the collards, then I pressure-cooked to achieve tenderness. Turned out great and probably saved 30 minutes cooking time at least. Next came chili which I was most impressed with. I cut chuck into small spoonsized squares and marinated in seasoning and beer. Then I browned the beef while saving the marinating liquid. Once brown I dumped the marinating liquid into the pot and pressure-cooked for about 12 minutes. Then cooked chili as usual unpressurized. The meat came out SO tender- very nice and my "new" way to cook chili. The biggest drawback for my PC now is its fixed handle makes it cumbersome to wash.

Next is pork tenderloin- we'll see how it goes!

Frank

[Bergovoy]

omg, i want some greens now... damn.... it's been so long since i had good greens... yum!!!!

[Bergovoy]

oh, forgot, the issue with tomato and metalic pots, is a common issue but the only 'bad' thing is that the acid from teh tomato will leach some metal flavor into the food... sugar does nothing to nuetralize the acid... you could put in some baking soda to do that, but, that will make the food fizzy.. heheheheh

sugar will 'nuetralize' the flavor only... kinda cover up the bitter acid or metal flavor.

if you could cook tomato based foods in glass or porcelin whatever that would be best, but other then that, we have been cooking spaghetti in metal pots all my life and not one complaint...

(it will darken up the aluminum in the pot, but other then that, nothing)