Pressure cooking

[bixaorellana]

In common with many other people whose mothers warned them out of the kitchen when the pressure cooker was in use, I went through decades of adult, cooking life without ever using one.

Then one day it occurred to me -- mothers warn children away from them. Mothers are adults, as I am now, and I successfully do other potentially dangerous things, such as driving. This musing occurred around the same time I found a real deal -- two Ecko pressure cookers and a lid at a fantastic meant-for-Christmas-buying price. One cooker is 4.5 liters and the other 8.

I think the first thing I cooked in one must have been beans, and I became an instant convert. Not only is cooking time dramatically reduced, but there is something about the trapped steam that I swear preserves more flavor.

From there I moved on to meats that ordinarily need long cooking, with excellent results.

I've since bought cookbooks for ideas and guidance, and discovered that pressure cooking is frequently better for some foods, and not just because of speed. I now steam green beans in the pressure cooker because it's the ultimate steamer that keeps all the flavor in.

[lagatta]

And canning, of course. Some foods can only be canned safely (in terms of killing potentially dangerous bacteria and other critters) under pressure.

[Kimby]

I use my pressure cooker, also called a pressure pan, in place of a slow cooker or crock pot.

The results are similar, but I don't have to get fired up to prepare dinner before I've even eaten breakfast!

Plus, if a recipe requires browning, it can be done right in the pressure pan, whereas with crock pot cookery, you have to dirty a second pan to brown meat beforehand.

[bixaorellana]

I never heard pressure pan before, Kimby.

My mother said that in the '40s brides sometimes got a set of pressure cookers!
What's odd about this selection is the big jump from 6 to 12 quart size.

[Kimby]

Mine is called "Mirro-Matic Pressure Pan", by Mirro Aluminum Goods Mfg. Co. of Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
(What is it about Wisconsin and pressure cookers?)

Incidentally, I'm aware of two types of pressure regulators. Mine has a circular disk with 3 holes (5, 10 and 15 pounds) that jiggles to let off steam/pressure. Others have something more cone or bowl shaped that rocks back and forth.

What type are yours, bixa?

[Kimby]

BTW, my directions say "don't beat your spoon on the rim of the pan, as this might disfigure the rim to the extent that a perfect seal could not be effected."

[bixaorellana]

I have the "OLLA EXPRESS® CLASSIC" on this page. You will see that "Classic" is code for "bottom of the barrel". Be sure to click on "nueva línea rosa in the sidebar for a chuckle.

I have read the tip about banging the spoon somewhere, probably in one of my pressure cooker books, as directions that come with Mexican products are notoriously skimpy. The little booklet that came with the cooker does have the useful advice: "NEVER put the Olla Express into a hot oven."

[bjd]

Shortly after I got married, my French in-laws gave me a pressure cooker -- some model with a screw-top lid and a valve. I believe they were standard equipment in many French kitchens. Not being used to one, I never used it at first, and many years of eating my father-in-law's overcooked potatoes + carrots in a pressure cooker made sure I never would actually use it.

I still have it though -- it's handy when I need a large pot for something.

[bixaorellana]

I think so many people won't use a pressure cooker because they knew bad cooks who effectively used pressure cookers to ruin food. However, as I said in the OP, when used correctly they are actually better for certain foods that you wish to remain crisp and flavorful.