Have you used a Pressure Cooker?
A few summers ago, my husband and I visited some friends who live in West Virginia. They live in a beautiful home with many acres of land in the countryside. On that day, we spent the afternoon catching up and admiring their gardens and farmland. Later that evening, we enjoyed a lovely dinner. One of the topics of conversation that evening was cooking with a pressure cooker. They used this method of cooking almost exclusively.
Excitedly, they provided raving reviews about their pressure-cooked meals and the time savings they achieved using this cooking method. They were proudly on a mission to convert others, as they believed it was a great way to cook.
I filed that idea in the back of my mind until it was time to provide suggestions for what I might want for Christmas the following year. One of the things I suggested that year was a pressure cooker. On Christmas day, surprise, I got a pressure cooker.
I had never used a pressure cooker before, and I had never observed anyone use it. I picked up the instruction booklet a couple of times, but I could not sit and focus on the details. One of the reasons we did not already have one is because they are pretty scary to me. Even though I do not know much about them, they seem complex and dangerous.
After a few months, my husband ran out of patience and decided to read the instructions and test the pressure cooker himself. The first time, he cooked a whole chicken using a basic recipe he found on the internet. The chicken was good, but he was not too impressed. The second time he did some research and found the product brand’s website. The brand happens to be T-Fal, and here are the recipes they provide on their site.
In addition to the above recipes, he also found a Jaime Oliver Professional Series by T-Fal cookbook, subtitled Quick and Easy Pressure Cooking with Jamie Oliver. The second recipe he prepared was a chicken recipe from that book. It was so good, he was hooked.
It has been a few years since I received the T-Fal Pressure cooker as a gift. My husband is still the only one that operates it. He uses recipes sometimes, but mostly he improvises.
The primary reason I had requested the pressure cooker way back then was to cook beans faster. I used to prepare beans infrequently because of how long they took to cook on the stovetop.
It took my husband a long time to master the procedure to cook a perfect pot of beans. He finally settled on a time and setting that works all of the time.
It is not as quick as I thought it would be to cook beans in the pressure cooker. However, the results are excellent.
To achieve the desired results, he allows the cycle to end, and the machine to de-pressurize on its own.
He then opens the lid, and turns the machine back on. On the sauté setting, he allows the beens to boil until the broth thickens, which doesn’t take long.
During this time, however, he must closely monitor and stir the beans to prevent them from burning. But also, he must be careful not to burn himself with the boiling liquid, which tends to splatter, as it reaches a high boil.
This extra step makes a big difference. Without this extra step, the broth remains clear and thin. At this point, the beans are perfect for bean salad recipes. If you want to serve beans with a thicker broth, then I recommend the extra step of boiling the beans for a few more minutes. Again, be very cautious if you decide to follow this recommendation. As with any boiling liquid, you want to ensure that the hot splatters don’t reach your skin.
Review of Two Types of Pressure Cookers
The T-Fal Pressure cooker reference above was the first pressure cooker that, as I mentioned, I received as a gift. It was a stove top device. It cooks food on the stove, like other pans, except that it has a lid with a lock and pressure release mechanism to hold and release pressure.
The stove top device we had worked perfectly and we did not feel the need to replace it, until, one of us accidentally damaged the lid by resting part of it on a hot pan, oops. There was no question, we had to replace it.
We replaced it with the Insta Pot.
The InstaPot is more user friendly than the stove top version. Even though I am not the one cooking with it, I can tell that my husband is able to use it quite easily after studying the user manual. There are many settings that are intuitive, but there is nothing like making sure by carefully going through the explanations provided by the manufacturer.
Even thought I am apprehensive of using it, there are built in safety mechanisms. If something goes wrong, the pressure sensor is designed to release. A second safety feature allows the device to shut off the heating mechanism so that the pressure does not continue to build up.
Still, the safest way to operate a pressure cooker is to read the instruction very carefully and follow all of their precautions.
The food tastes great, but the most amazing and convenient reason to use a pressure cooker is to save time.
InstaPot brand carries several models, some are fancier than others. We opted for the simplest version.
If you are starting your collection of kitchen essentials, it makes sense to try to get a version that serves more than one purpose, to avoid having to buy other products that take up space.
Because we already have rice cooker and air fryer, we did not see the need to get a high end version.
Below are a few photos of the above reference trip to West Virginia.
