# Pressure cooking 101.



## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

Sometimes I'll come home to find my dad has bought something for me. Usually it's a garage sale item or a book. Today I came home and found a pressure cooker, of all things (cuisinart). I have no idea how to use it! I'll crack open the instructions later on but are there any great recipes, links, websites I need to know? I'm 42 and have never, ever used one..truth be told I'm not sure why he bought one but that's besides the point.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I don't have one but always thought one would be great, especially to make a pot roast or stew really fast! Those would be great places to start.

Your dad sounds great


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Whole rabbit, squirrel, chicken, especially older ones. Green beans, peas, potatoes for mashed and potato salad....James


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

Thanks..I'll probably stick to chicken. Tonight I might get the courage to use it.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

I like whole cooked chickens. They just fit. Open plastic. Pull out plastic bag and toss the stuff in the pressure cooker. Measure a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper in your hand a dump on top. Brown bottom of chicken over medium high heat for a 15 minutes sizzle. High sides contain the mess. Add a cup or two of hot water at the end of the sizzle. (One minute Prep time.)

Put the thingy on the top and cook for 45 minutes after thingy starts to jiggle. Adjust the temp to medium so that it jiggles about 3 to 4 times per minute.

White down the counter, and things you have touched with hot soapy bleech water. (Takes less than a minute)

When ciij time is up, cool the cooker under running tap water for a few seconds until the pressure equalizes. Take the top thingy off and remove the lid. Protect your self from the steam. Let the bird cool until you can handle it. 

Pull out the bones. Toss the skin if you want. Pull the meat with your fingers or a couple of forks. Clean hands get it done and you can feel the hard stuff you want to toss.

Make chicken and noodles with half of it right away and divide the other half for the freezer for the next time or when cool for the best chicken salad sandwiches.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

Thanks Bret - that helped! I'm still not sure how this will be a timesaver for me though. I'm busy, but on days I'm the busiest, I just set the crockpot. I don't want to hurt my dad's feelings (and my mom said they could definitely use it if I don't need it). At this point it seems like just another gadget I can do without?

The main issue for me is that 50% of the time we eat different things - like the youngest gets fish sticks while we get salmon. So..I cook everything in the oven at once with different times. I could see myself using this occasionally but not really enough to merit having it around?

Hm.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

Vosey said:


> Your dad sounds great


 He is! But he's very much a buyer/hoarder and I'm not...hence my username.  I'm always trying to explain gently that I don't always need things, in a way that doesn't hurt his feelings.


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

Pressures cooker are great time savers.

Beans cook quickly, which is nice for folks like me who dont think ahead.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Bret, why do you cook your chicken so long? My book says for whole chickens they only cook for 15 to 20 minutes.


http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-long-to-cook-foods-in-a-pressure-cooker.html


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Less-is-more said:


> Thanks Bret - that helped! I'm still not sure how this will be a timesaver for me though. I'm busy, but on days I'm the busiest, I just set the crockpot. I don't want to hurt my dad's feelings (and my mom said they could definitely use it if I don't need it). At this point it seems like just another gadget I can do without?
> 
> The main issue for me is that 50% of the time we eat different things - like the youngest gets fish sticks while we get salmon. So..I cook everything in the oven at once with different times. I could see myself using this occasionally but not really enough to merit having it around?
> 
> Hm.


I understand. Try it two or three times to make dad happy. A chicken, swiss steak, pot roast. One pot each time. Brown the meat first. Again, high sides contain the splatter. Clean up is fast. I look a the total job and the flavor.

If had to start over at the ranch, I would choose and chain, ax and come-a-long. 

If I had to start the kitchen over it would include a pressure cooker. I just cleaned out a space in the kitchen and gave an electric skillet to Goodwill.
The crockpot gets used too, sometimes.

I even canned a pint of pears once to see if I could, because I had two pears and a jar. I was playing. I play a lot. When the canned pears cooled, I opened the jar and ate the pears. Yes, I am an immediate gratification person.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

suitcase_sally said:


> Bret, why do you cook your chicken so long? My book says for whole chickens they only cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
> 
> 
> http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-long-to-cook-foods-in-a-pressure-cooker.html


You caught me. I always over do stuff. Each time I take a little off the time and I turn the stove off after 15 minutes. I had a large whole chicken the last time, and I wanted to make sure. I could tell by how easy the bones pulled out that I didn't need that much time. Sure made it easy to debone the chicken though. Thanks for checking me.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Less-is-more said:


> He is! But he's very much a buyer/hoarder and I'm not...hence my username.  I'm always trying to explain gently that I don't always need things, in a way that doesn't hurt his feelings.


Glad you have your dad.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

Bret said:


> I was playing. I play a lot. When the canned pears cooled, I opened the jar and ate the pears. Yes, I am an immediate gratification person.


You're brave! My experiments end in failures, which is why I'm so skeered of this machine. I took physics so I know what I could be in for.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Less-is-more said:


> You're brave! My experiments end in failures, which is why I'm so skeered of this machine. I took physics so I know what I could be in for.


Then do this. Always use medium high or less to bring up the temp to boiling, so it will not get away from if you forget, like I would. Do not leave the house during the few minutes it takes to cook. Know that the safety is built into the cooker if you follow the rules. Someone else did the experimenting. We just have to follow the directions. I wish I would have taken physics instead of biology.


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## gimpy (Sep 18, 2007)

Bret said:


> Brown bottom of chicken over medium high heat for a 15 minutes sizzle. High sides contain the mess. Add a cup or two of hot water at the end of the sizzle. (One minute Pre time.)
> .


or better yet, a beer or some diluted wine, stock or even fruit juice depending on what your final dish will be. Water doesn't add any flavor but I wouldn't use anything really heavy flavor like burgundy wine without diluting it because pressure cooking really infuses the meat with the flavors. It's like marinating while cooking.


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## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

My dear, departed mother-in-law used hers every day to feed 8 people. They told me that without this time-saver, they wouldn't have had all the great meals that she made.


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## sugarspinner (May 12, 2002)

Love mine. It lets me cook not-so-tender meat cuts a shorter time and to fork-tenderness-think old hens, beef round roasts, etc. It's great for stews. 
I also use mine for little batches of pressure canning. So, if I want to can up pints of something like soup, I can pressure can 4 pints in my pressure canner while I'm fixing supper or washing dishes. 
It really depends on how you cook/eat, whether it will be a help or not - - - and whether you get in the habit of using it. 
Just be sure to read the instructions. Not all pressure cookers are the same.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

Thanks everyone - it's still in the box.  I might re-gift it back to them. I just don't think it really fits my style of cooking. I plan meals a week in advance so there's never really a time I need to fix something in a hurry. On days that I'm rushed, I've planned ahead and made up the crockpot the night before.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

You are one with your kitchen. There is no pressure.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

*ommmmm*


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Less-is-more said:


> *ommmmm*


I heard the soft gong and chimes too.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

my presseur cooker is the key to great chicken soup or chicken n dumplings as it not only makes deboneing easy and the meat tender but all the great flavor melts into the broth. after removeing the bones adding your other ingredidents like dumplings 'veggies n nudlles or what ever recipe your working on will result in a much richer and flavorful dish without spending so much time watching a pot boiling on the stove though the aroma from that boiling pot may fill the neabourhood with delightful smells and attract company to dinner that flavor could be better in the pot contributeing to your dish .


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Well Arnie, you made the first argument for pressure cookers that has swayed me - that the flavor stays in the pot instead of filling the air. Nonetheless, I've always felt that if there was any chance an unskilled person (Hello, Kiddo) could put it to use improperly, it was maybe dangerous? Are they all "idiot proof" now?


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

RedDirt Cowgirl said:


> Well Arnie, you made the first argument for pressure cookers that has swayed me - that the flavor stays in the pot instead of filling the air. Nonetheless, I've always felt that if there was any chance an unskilled person (Hello, Kiddo) could put it to use improperly, it was maybe dangerous? Are they all "idiot proof" now?


I refuse to answer this question on the grounds that I have used one, and it could also infer that I am an idiot, in which case I have no defense. :cowboy:

Arnie, do you have sway bars on your cooker?


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

coming from a big family where every meal was sort of a celibration and home cooking was incouraged .things that I figger are fool prouf or "easy as pie" i'm sometimes surprised buy questions like- how do you get that crust flaky; or how do you get fluffy dumplings . yet for all its uses and convience in time saveing and tenderizeing tough meats . you do need to pay attention to whats going on when using a pressure cooker . never fill the pot so full as to have something clog the steam vent tube ;though even on old antque ones there is an over pressure plug to pop out and you do have to wait till the pressure has returned to zero before trying to open the lid again the plugs little pin will drop down some new cookers have safty catches on the lid that will not allow opening till the pressure has zeroed . I will advise that you practice with your cooker to gain experience and confidence try filling it 1/3 with water and giving it a test run to learn by doing how things work then cook a couple easyer things like a small chuck roast or a couple cups of pinto beans . as the old saying gos we can all learn to do things the right way . and You can do it . very few things are fully automatic and are dangerious if done wrong . I know many who drive cars every day who can't change a tire or use jumper cables . I wish I could show em how easy it can be . try it you,ll like it


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