The Pressures On

I’m sure some of you remember that awful noise your mom’s pressure cooker made. That ear popping rattling sound was anything but appetizing. Then your mom always ended up throwing her hands up when the food was popping up on the ceiling. Those days are long gone. Pressure cookers are designed today to create delicious meals in a short amount time with out all those hassles. It is now effective and user friendly.

Time is of the essence with a pressure cooker. Slow cookers take hours to cook. Ovens take at least an hour and sometimes two or three hours. Pressure cookers can cook those same meals in a matter of minutes.  The unique design allows you to cut cooking time in more than half. Everybody can appreciate a little less stress  in the kitchen. With a pressure cooker cooking on short notice is a breeze.

Pressure cookers cook at temperatures that are higher than the boiling point. The heat is always quickly and evenly scattered throughout the food. This type of cooking eliminates the chances of bacteria and that awful food poisoning.

There is no submerging the foods in water with a pressure cooker. All you need is just enough water to create steam. Less water means more vitamins and nutrients stay in the food and aren’t cooked away.  Being that everything is getting cooked in one area all the juices and flavors flow and melt together into one savory meal.

These are just a few things that make pressure cooking a good idea. Pressure cookers aren’t a scary way of cooking any more. They are economical and save time and money which is always a plus in anyones book.

Who would have thought that pressure could be a factor in cooking? Believe it or not pressure is foods “partner in crime.” Food cooks faster the hotter it gets and a pressure cooker allows for cutting that cooking time down by 70 percent. Can you imagine all that free time. Let’s find out what the pros and cons of pressure cooking can be.

Set Backs

With pressure cooking there is a major risk of over cooking your food because it’s under such great pressures. Foods cook very fast in a pressure cooker. Knowing the recipe and the ins and outs of your cooker will help to avoid those overcooked meals.

Another fault the pressure cooker has is the possibility of a pressure explosion. Today’s versions are much safer because they are fitted with a release valve. This allows the steaming to escape when the pressure reaches a desired point. This in turn helps to release the pressure instead of having a build up which can lead to an explosion. Here are a few key points to help you make your cooking experience safer!

•    Make sure the pressure cooker has at least two pressure release devices making for double the protection against the possibility of explosions

•    A safety lock lid will keep the lid from being opened once the pressure reaches a certain level.

•    A quick pressure release valve that allows for manual control the pressure within the pot

Country Style Potatoes

Ingredients:

·         1 tbsp. olive oil

·         1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced, stems trimmed

·         1/2 cup finely chopped onion

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         1/2 cup chicken stock or water

·         4 cups potatoes in 1/2” slices

·         2 tbsp. minced parsley

Preparation:

In the pressure cooker, heat the oil and sauté the mushrooms and onions until the onions are wilted. Mix in all the remaining ingredients.

Lock the lid and bring to pressure. Lower the heat and cook for 3 minutes at 15psi. Allow pressure to drop by quick release or auto release method and remove lid.

Serves 4

Stir Fried Broccoli – This recipe also works well with green beans, asparagus, snow peas and red peppers.

Ingredients:

·         2 tbsp. sesame, peanut or olive oil

·         1 large garlic clove peeled and crushed

·         1 slice of fresh ginger, quarter size and peeled

·         1 bunch of broccoli, cut into flowerets

·         6 tbsp. chicken or vegetable stock or water

·         2 tbsp. soy sauce

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

In the pressure cooker, heat the oil until very hot. Stir fry the garlic and ginger until the garlic is golden. Add the broccoli and stir fry until it’s bright green. Sprinkle with salt and transfer the broccoli to the pressure cooker steamer basket. Pour the stock and soy sauce into the bottom of the pressure cooker and lower the basket into it. Lock the lid in place, bring to pressure, then lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes. Release pressure using the quick release method or the auto release method and remove lid. Remove the basket and serve using some of the soy sauce liquid.

Serves 4

You can make just about any of your family’s favorite dishes using a pressure cooker. Here are some recipes my family loves, and you can make them in a fraction of the time it would normally take just by using your pressure cooker.

German Potato Salad

Ingredients:

·         4 slices of bacon

·         4 tsp. sugar

·         3 tbsp. vinegar

·         1 tsp. mustard

·         4 med.-large potatoes, cut in 1/4” slices

·         1 med. Onion thinly sliced

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         1/2 tsp. celery seed

Preparation:

Fry bacon in the pressure cooker until crisp, then remove and drain on paper towel and crumble. Reserve 1 tbsp. of the drippings and wipe out the pressure cooker. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, vinegar, mustard and bacon drippings. Pour 1-3/4 cups water into the pressure cooker. Layer the potatoes, onions, all of the seasonings above, the sugar and vinegar mixture, and the crumbled bacon in the pressure cooker basket. Lower the basket into the pressure cooker. Lock the lid into place and cook for 2 minutes at 15psi. Release pressure using the natural release method or the auto release method, remove the lid and serve.

Serves 4

Using recipes that are low in fat, salt and carbohydrates are easy to do in a pressure cooker, and they come out tasting delicious, even more delicious than if you baked, boiled or microwave them. Not to mention you will tend to make more vegetables when you use a pressure cooker because it is easy, efficient and pressure cooking makes your vegetable, frozen or raw, come out succulent and melt in your mouth. You may find that you prefer your vegetables without butter or salt once you start cooking them in a pressure cooker! Think of all the health benefits in that alone.

An added health benefit to using a pressure cooking is to make some of your favorite desserts in a pressure cooker. That’s right! You can use your pressure cooker to make desserts like homemade applesauce, cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and cinnamon and apple flan w/ maple syrup. You can choose the ingredients that go into your dessert to make them more nutritious for you and your family.

Do you remember the days when your mom used a pressure cooker to prepare yummy, delicious foods and meals? Perhaps you’ve thought those days are gone, or you thought pressure cookers were only for beans. Well, with today’s modern pressure cookers, your family can enjoy succulent, delicious and nutritious meals in a fraction of the time it would take to boil, bake or slow cook your favorite recipes.

Because pressure cooking uses the steam from the liquids used in your favorite recipes, the vitamins and nutrients are preserved in the food instead of being “cooked out” as they are in traditional boiling, baking or microwaving. And because pressure cooking reduces the amount of cooking time by up to 10 times, pressure cooking is a lot healthier than running out to a fast food joint.

Another way using a pressure cooker to cook our meals is healthier is because the ingredients used are fresh, whole, natural foods, not processed or packaged foods. Not only is using natural foods for all your meals, opposed to processed or packaged, healthier it also saves you money on your grocery bills every month. When you get in the habit of eating natural foods you’ll find you often have more energy, less weight gain, lower sodium and lower cholesterol levels as well. And because you can choose what goes in your pressure cooker you have more control over the amount of salt and other ingredients you are digesting.

Pressure Cooking Tips

Always pressure-cook meat or poultry with at least 1/2 cup of liquid (water, stock, etc.) in the bottom of the pressure cooker.  Some pressure cookers may require more than 1/2 cup, so check your pressure cooker’s instruction manual.  If cooking time is between 5 and 10 minutes, use 1 cup of liquid.  If cooking time is between 10 and 45 minutes, use 2 cups of liquid.  Preserved or salted meats should be completely immersed in water.

Exact cooking times for meat and poultry vary according to the quality and quantity of meat or poultry being cooked.  The denser the cut, the longer the cooking time should be.

For maximum flavor brown your meat or poultry on all sides in the pressure cooker. Use a vegetable oil, such as canola, before locking the lid to avoid burning and sticking.

You can find a plethora of pressure cooking cookbooks and recipes online, so be sure to use the cooking times given in the recipe for your particular food or meal.