Pressure Cooking

[conachair]

Originally Posted by 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.

Let go a little, I don't do recipes either very well but shove a load of stuff in there with your favorite herbs and spices, let it hiss quietly for a while then see what comes out.

Try it.

It's usually tasty.

[beau]

I use my pressure cooker a lot.
I buy cheap cuts of meat, sometimes fatty (lamb or pork) and pressure cook with water for 30 minutes. I then cool it down and pour off all the fat laden water. Then I add herbs and spices with a liquid such as coconut milk or tomato puree.
Simmer with the lid off to reduce the liquid.

[Bergovoy]

oh man, dont throw away the baby with the bath water...

let the water cool down, and the fat will congeal and you can scoop it off...

the water will be excellent flavor / gravy.. you can add teh cocoa nut milk or tomato whatever, or regular milk and flour or corn starch to thicken it up...


just simmer with the lid off and let it thicken... omg... yum...

and for the record, I got a few pounds extra goin' on... (no surprise huh?)

[JanetGroene]

Originally Posted by GeoPowers

We must need a pressure-cooker-for-dummies cookbook or user's guide. We bought one when we first moved aboard because we always heard people rave about them and that you "had" to have one. Used it once or twice, thought that it took about as long to heat stuff up (we only tried veggies), and that the pot was a pain to wash (big and the handle doesn't come off ). Now the only time we use our pressure cooker is when boiling crab without the lid! Maybe we have too big a pot?

If you do home canning it's nice to have a pressure cooker that can hold pint or half-pint jars. As the old saying goes, a pint's a pound. So a home-canned pint of skinless, boneless, lean meat or fish is a meal for four or more. A large canner is just too for most folks to carry and a 6-quart is more than I can lift when it's hot and full of food. Ergo, a 4-quart cooker is about my speed for cooking and canning. If you never can and have a crew of only one or two, a smaller cooker is more practical.

[zeehag]

janet--home canning works on a boat while sailing only at a DOCK. canning at sea or keeping GLASS canning goods in a boat sailing is asking for slivers and blood.
more realistic ways to preserve foods when you havent a land base is salting, smoking, or drying.
many cruising folk havent land base.--makes a difference in how foods are kept.

[Stefan128]

I found clear step-by-step manual about chicken canning here hugs and giggles: canning chicken.... and almost the same as movie here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fINnsFJGyKU

. Hope you will find this useful too.

[ziptie-ducktape]

hawkins stainless are the best from india, buy one on line

[GeoPowers]

Originally Posted by Stefan128

I found clear step-by-step manual about chicken canning here hugs and giggles: canning chicken.... and almost the same as movie here

. Hope you will find this useful too.

Wow, cook for 10 min + 75 min + cool down! Seems like a really long time, but I guess you get lots of chicken out of it.

[fgd3]

Pressure cookers really speed up the cooking of dried beans.

Fabbian

[theveggiequeen]

There are many pressure cookers that work well. I would think that a smaller one that is 3 or 4 quarts would be great. Look at Fagor or B/R/K or buy a set with a smaller and larger pot with 1 lid that fits both, plus a glass lid for keeping one cooked dish warm while waiting for the second to cook.
You'll save fuel and get great tasting food quickly. Great for all kinds of dishes that require liquid.
If you bought one and don't use it, you just haven't learned what to do. Best piece of kitchen equipment.
Not meant for pressure canning without exact instructions, and must be 10 quart or larger.

[JanetGroene]

Originally Posted by zeehag

janet--home canning works on a boat while sailing only at a DOCK. canning at sea or keeping GLASS canning goods in a boat sailing is asking for slivers and blood.
more realistic ways to preserve foods when you havent a land base is salting, smoking, or drying.
many cruising folk havent land base.--makes a difference in how foods are kept.

Canning is usually done at the dock simply because that's where one re-provisions. However, my friend lost her freezer in the Indian Ocean and was able to save many of her provisions by canning them. Please see thread on Glass Breakage on Boats.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by JanetGroene

If you do home canning it's nice to have a pressure cooker that can hold pint or half-pint jars. As the old saying goes, a pint's a pound. So a home-canned pint of skinless, boneless, lean meat or fish is a meal for four or more. A large canner is just too for most folks to carry and a 6-quart is more than I can lift when it's hot and full of food. Ergo, a 4-quart cooker is about my speed for cooking and canning. If you never can and have a crew of only one or two, a smaller cooker is more practical.

I've canned fish offshore using pressure cooker before - works a treat.

Some more tips on preserving - Voyaging with Annie Hill: Pickling Fish

[tager]

I just bought a pressure cooker. It is amazing. All grains are instant variety! Wow!

I love making soups. Just throw everything in and your soup is done in ten minutes. Magic.

I got the fagor elite 4 quart, it looked chinsy but it is working well so far. 50 bucks at macys.

[Trox]

Originally Posted by tager

I just bought a pressure cooker. It is amazing. All grains are instant variety! Wow!

I love making soups. Just throw everything in and your soup is done in ten minutes. Magic.

I got the fagor elite 4 quart, it looked chinsy but it is working well so far. 50 bucks at macys.

I was looking at them the other day. Will the 4 quart meet most your needs? They looked small to me.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Bergovoy

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...

I believe 15 psi is the standard "high" pressure setting. That's less than half what's in my car tires.