Pressure cooker recipes / questions

LittleBrownFrog

Having had my pressure cooker as a wedding present, it sat in the cupboard for ten years. When we moved here in September, I nearly threw it out, but decided to make the effort to at least try it. So far, all I've cooked is dried beans - but that in itself makes a huge difference - I can't believe I've been cooking beans for hours on end when they could have been done in 15 minutes in the pressure cooker!

oopsadaisydoddle

Thanks for all of the replies! I think I might invest. I need to try and budget a bit with my food shopping - one of my big things is not cooking something proper on an evening and then having to go out and get something even though I've got stuff in the freezer! If I was a bit more organised I could whip up good family meals!

I like the fact that things seems to be quicker in the pressure cooker.

valk_scot

oopsadaisydoddle wrote: »

Hi everybody,

I just wondered if anyone could tell me what kind of things you cook in your pressure cooker?

Do people mainly use it for soups/stews? Also, are they quite easy to use?

The other thing that worries me is whether everything will turn out tasting the same which I feel it does a bit with the slow cooker!!

Thanks for any tips!

I make mostly soups and stews in my pressure cooker, plus mince based dishes like chilli and bolognaise sauce. It's also good for cooking dried beans and pulses quickly.

As to whether it all tastes the same, I really don't like using my slow cooker as I think it makes most foods taste like overcooked school dinners and I hate the pappy texture of meat cooked in a SC. The same recipies done in the pressure cooker have far more flavour and texture, the only downside is that you do have to use a certain amount of liquid in a recipe and this can result in an excess of gravy/sauce that needs to be reduced down at the end. That's easily done though given it's already in a pot, just give it a few minutes on the boil with the lid off, or add thickening at the end. You can also brown the meat and veg in the pressure cooker base at the start of prepping the recipe, this adds more flavour as well and no need for an extra pot.

And it's quite useful having a big pot just to use as a pot, of course! One tip, when you're looking at sizes remember you can't fill it more than 2/3rds full, normally, you need some head room to build up the steam pressure. You can get high dome lids or flat lids, I prefer the flat lidded version because if you're using it as a normal pot you can fill it up more for the size of pot you have to store iyswim? Also if you're going to use it for jam a wide based PC base is better than a tall thin one for boiling down the jam.

They are a doddle to use once you get the hang of them, which doesn't take long. Also, unlike a slow cooker, you can prep, cook and eat the food within an hour of deciding to make it, you don't have to faff around prepping a meal several hours before you make it. For the ultimate in convenience of course you can prep the meal in advance, keep it chilled in the fridge in a bowl then when you come in pop it in the pressure cooker and fire it up. The food will be ready by the time you've changed out your work clothes and laid the table.

Alisha2008

I use mine to cook any stew with beans on it (chickpeas specially take hours and I do a couple of stews with cheackpeas).

Also for meat stews (pork,lamb or beef), I cook them for 15 min on the pressure cooker and then another half an hour or so to let them thicken (and then eath them the day after, as they are SO much better).

I've never thought things taste the same because it's a pressure cooker... it depends what you are cooking no???

oopsadaisydoddle

Thanks again!

I agree with valk_scot - I just think everything in the slow cooker tastes bland. I also often feel like the food is not hot enough.

I'm off to check some out now!

Dex

Hi All,

I got a pressure cooker for Christmas and I excitedly had a go with it and it was a complete disaster. Pretty sure what I did wrong now but looking for some good recipes to try it with. Anyone use a pressure cooker and have any recipes they'd like to share??

I really want to prove to my other half that I can cook with it

arbroath_lass

I love my pressure cooker but TBH I've never followed a recipe. Just use what you normally would for soup, stews, casseroles etc. But you can't cook dumplings in them!

McpPsl

arbroath_lass wrote: »

But you can't cook dumplings in them!

I have been using my pressure cooker to cook dumplings in for over twenty five years.

After the stew or casserole has been cooked under pressure I remove the pressure cooker lid, add the dumplings to the stew then just place the lid back on without tightening it up so that the dumplings steam without pressure. Twenty minutes later, light and fluffy dumplings ready to serve.

hth.

eamon

Make & model of the cooker please. Have you got the manual?

I've been cooking with PC's for over 25 years and rarely have disasters and these are usually caused by insufficient liquid (water, stock but not oils or fats). 1/2pint is the most common amount. Also as this is your first PC experiment with water a few times to get used to reducing the temperature once the desired pressure has been reached.

arbroath_lass

McpPsl wrote: »

I have been using my pressure cooker to cook dumplings in for over twenty five years.

After the stew or casserole has been cooked under pressure I remove the pressure cooker lid, add the dumplings to the stew then just place the lid back on without tightening it up so that the dumplings steam without pressure. Twenty minutes later, light and fluffy dumplings ready to serve.

hth.

You can't cook them with pressure though, which is what I meant but worded badly :rotfl: