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alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 12:38 pm Post subject: Pressure Cookers
How about an article on taking hte fear out over using a pressure cooker?

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 6:14 pm Post subject:
Are people frightened of them? If so then yes! We don't use ours much, but I think they come into their own when you have more people to cook for.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 6:22 pm Post subject:
We don't have one but have considered getting one for cooking things like beans and pulses so it would be useful if that was covered.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 6:41 pm Post subject:
I don't know, I don't use mine that much, but if I say to people I have they always say something about the safety element, rather than the nuts and bolts of doing it.

wildfoodie

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 2169

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 7:00 pm Post subject:
they're good for beetroot too....

T.G

Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 7:02 pm Post subject:
We used to use ours quite a bit at one time, kind of fell out of favour, I can't recall why.

wildfoodie

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 2169

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 7:11 pm Post subject:

Quote:

kind of fell out of favour, I can't recall why.

heavy? a bit scary when it hisses? what to do with that weird trivet thing...? what is that for?
I'm gong to take mine out of the cupboard and get to know it again. It's a pretty economical way to cook dense foods.
One of our staple saturday lunchtime/ weekday evening meals when I was a kid was
pressure cooker mince stew...
in the pressure cooker, sweat off an onion, brown your beef mince, add chopped and peeled carrots and potatoes, water or stock and a scattering of frozen peas, and pressure cook for about 6 minutes. Serve.
I'll need to try it to confirm the stock and cooking timings ( I was only 8 at the time ) and as I recall I didn't like the peas as they were that overcooked bleached out green. I think you could add them in after the cooking has finished and the lid is removed if you like a lighter cooked pea.

baldybloke

Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 1388
Location: Wiltshire

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 8:09 pm Post subject:
I use mine quite a bit, especially for stews, soups and gammon joints etc. My late Mum used to do the most amazing steam sponge puddings with lots of golden syrup. Fond memories. In fact when she past away I inherited 5 pressure cookers. Don't know why. Now down to 3.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 8:12 pm Post subject:

baldybloke wrote:

I use mine quite a bit, especially for stews, soups and gammon joints etc. My late Mum used to do the most amazing steam sponge puddings with lots of golden syrup. Fond memories. In fact when she past away I inherited 5 pressure cookers. Don't know why. Now down to 3.

She did the steamed pudding in the pressure cooker? I never thought of that. I suppose it cuts down the cooking time drastically.

T.G

Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 8:16 pm Post subject:

wildfoodie wrote:

Quote:

kind of fell out of favour, I can't recall why.

heavy? a bit scary when it hisses? what to do with that weird trivet thing...? what is that for?

I quiet like the hissy noise it makes

It is heavy though, I think it was more when we weren't cooking for a large number or amount it seemed quicker to cook with a pan. Whether it was or not was never tested really.

baldybloke

Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 1388
Location: Wiltshire

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 9:26 pm Post subject: celery soup

Pressure cooking reduces the cooking time by quite a bit. A stew usually takes 10 minutes prep time and 25 minutes cooking. I often do a pot of celery soup which couldn't be easier.
Melt 1oz of butter or oil and gently fry a small onion. Meanwhile roughly chop a head of celery, leaves and all, and rinse. Add to the pot with a bayleaf. Add a pint and a half of veggie stock, I use Boullion. Put the lid on and bring up to pressure. Cook for 10 minutes, then release pressure quickly by putting the cooker in the sink and pouring cold water over it. Then take the lid off, blitz the contents and serve. Simples

bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 11 9:33 pm Post subject: gammon hock and soaked black beans

Other than an easy way to do chicken stock my favourite pressure cooker recipe is a gammon hock and soaked black beans cooked in about 30-40 minutes in cider or cherry coke or something similar and then ideally leave it for a few hours to come down in pressure and absorb all the flavours

You can add lime juice and spring onions to make a lovely soup blended or not

You can add the meat and beans and some stock with onions and carrots an make a sort of pilaf

If there is only 2 of you the meat for the hock can certainly make 3 meals

One important thing to remember with a pressure cooker it not to fill it to much, 2/3rds is recommended

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