Is it worth getting a pressure cooker?

dandy-candy

I've never owned a pressure cooker, but every Xmas DH mentions how brilliant his mums one was for cooking the Xmas pud quickly. Now I wouldn't buy one just for that, but I don't really know what people use them for?
If anyone has one can they tell me what they cook in it and how often it gets used. I don't want it to be something that ends up in the back of a cupboard!

helcat26

Hi
I used to have an old style hob and weights pressure cooker and never used it.
But these days I am having to make a lot of bulk casserole style meals for elderly relatives and so splashed £50 and bought an electric one.
It sautes, makes soup, pressure cooks, slow cooks , rice cooks, and makes yoghurt!
I love it
It saves me hours and energy making stews for the old folks and I use it for cooking ox cheek in tomato and balsamic, Oxtail for a pasta sauce, chicken stock from bones, lamb shank etc. for my husband and I.
It takes a 3 hour cooking time down to 30mins- fantastic


would not cook Christmas pud in it though, now I buy may Christmas pud s they are so costly to make and I microwave them!

kboss2010

I'd never had one either but my OH got one and it's great! We use it for boiling rice, veg and potatoes and it takes about 1/3rd of the time of a normal pan with a lid on.

pigpen

Mash (like tonight!) .. takes less than 15 minutes! .. in ye olden days when I was cooking for 2 or 3 I would use the dividers and cook carrots, swede or cauliflower as well as the potatoes.
stew
Ham shank
chicken drumsticks
soup

I worship mine at least twice a week!

ro2778

Add oil and white sugar and stir until caramelised i.e., it turns brown
Then add chunks of diced pork belly (the fattier it is the better i.e., Waitrose, sometimes you get lucky in Aldi), stir in the caramel and seal.
Then add a bit of dark (not too much) and light soy.
Then add some chinese mushrooms that have been soaked for a day
Then spices (staranise, cloves, a few pieces of nutmeg)
Next add some fresh peeled chestnuts, if dried also soak for a day.
Add water to about half way up the pork.
Put the lid on, secure it and cook for 35 minutes.

Serve with rice and some veg such as pak choi or broccoli. Perfect use of a pressure cooker! If you tried to make this with a conventional cooker it would take 4-5hrs to make the pork belly tender.

Debran

Mine went to a charity shop last year. Never used it for years. I prefer a slow cooker but each to his/her own.

Lance_De_Boils

I have a slow cooker and a pressure cooker. If I could only keep one it would be my pressure cooker.

Mr_Singleton

I have a slow cooker and 2 pressure cookers. Slow cooker is gathering dust.

I definitely get/use a new type pressure cooker rather than the older type ones which understandably give people the jitters.

I've got the Fissler Vitavit Premium which I can heartily recommend.

nmlc

I have a pressure cooker I use on the hob. I'd say it's the most used saucepan in my kitchen. I use it at least 3 to 4 times a week. It's brilliant for cooking potatoes that I then want to mash as they're nice and deep so the mash doesn't go everywhere. I also cook my xmas puds in it, I make my xmas puds and they need to be steamed for a couple of hours, then can be re-heated in the micro when you want to eat them. The recipe is in the instruction booklet. Mine is a prestige one. I also used the base as a large saucepan, ie, for cooking pasta and just large quantities.

I couldn't manage without mine. The only thing I would say is that if you're going to cook veg in it, other than potatoes, it can really overcook them if you're not careful.

Hope this helps.

nmlc x

Lance_De_Boils

When I was a kid my nan used to have a very large enamel teapot. She kept it on the gas hob for most of the day. By the end of the day the tea used to taste pretty stewed.
I find my slow cooker gives a similar taste to stews. Stewed stew as it were.

Stews in my pressure cooker are really good.
I found that it saves a lot of fuel in that I bring veg/potatoes up to pressure and then turn the gas out. They kind of cook themselves.
I also cook lentils this way.

Mojisola

dandy-candy wrote: »

If anyone has one can they tell me what they cook in it and how often it gets used. I don't want it to be something that ends up in the back of a cupboard!

I've got an Instant Pot - absolutely brilliant.

The Christmas pudding was reheated today in 30 minutes.

We regularly have cheap cuts of meat cooked to perfection in very little time.

Whether you would use one regularly depends on you. Do you eat the kind of meals that you would use the cooker for?