The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: chardog on October 08, 2013, 05:17:44 PM
-
I did a search and was surprised that "Pressure Cooker" did not bring up anything on the Forum.
Anyway, I just inherited my mom's 1950's Presto Pressure Cooker and I have to say, from my research, this is quite the Mustachian device.
Cooks pinto beans in 15 minutes, etc. so you use less energy and save time.
We are cooking a pot of pintos and veggies and rice tonight and so far it's great. I also found a bunch of Indian recipes for pressure cookers that sound awesome.
Anyway, thought I would start this thread so other Mustachian might share their expertise, experiences and recipes.
-
We have one, and we primarily use it for potatoes, and the odd stew. Potatoes are done in 8 minutes (bring to a rocking boil, then turn down to low for 8 minutes, and then cool under running water).
-
Not MMM, but http://earlyretirementextreme.com/a-tribute-to-my-pressure-cooker.html
-
Not MMM, but http://earlyretirementextreme.com/a-tribute-to-my-pressure-cooker.html
Great article. "Cooking under normal pressure is simply wasteful and old-fashioned."
Although definition of "old-fashioned" would need to mean pre 1679:
The first version of a pressure cooker was created by Denis Papin, French physicist and mathematician (1647-1712). In 1679 he made a large cast iron vessel with a tightly fitted lid that locked. His invention raised the boiling point of water and at this higher temperature, bones softened and meat cooked in quick time. http://missvickie.com/library/history.html
-
Not MMM, but http://earlyretirementextreme.com/a-tribute-to-my-pressure-cooker.html
One of the comments dealt with cooking in Colorado at 10,000 feet elevation:
"On a related note, where I live in Colorado pressure cookers are more than just a convenience, they’re practically a necessity. The boiling point of water is reduced to such a degree at 10000 ft that cooking dry beans or pasta is pretty much an all day affair if you don’t have one."
-
Love our pressure cooker. Two particular faves: super fast applesauce and chili made with dried, unsoaked beans.
-
Not MMM, but http://earlyretirementextreme.com/a-tribute-to-my-pressure-cooker.html
One of the comments dealt with cooking in Colorado at 10,000 feet elevation:
"On a related note, where I live in Colorado pressure cookers are more than just a convenience, they’re practically a necessity. The boiling point of water is reduced to such a degree at 10000 ft that cooking dry beans or pasta is pretty much an all day affair if you don’t have one."
I live at 9000 feet and I keep threatening to buy one, but never do. Pasta takes 25 minutes at our house and you actually cannot cook beans at 9000 feet. I tried once. After about 12 hours of soaking and 12 hours of cooking, they still were not done. Potatoes in a crock pot NEVER turn out right. Maybe this will be the year!
-
Not MMM, but http://earlyretirementextreme.com/a-tribute-to-my-pressure-cooker.html
One of the comments dealt with cooking in Colorado at 10,000 feet elevation:
"On a related note, where I live in Colorado pressure cookers are more than just a convenience, they’re practically a necessity. The boiling point of water is reduced to such a degree at 10000 ft that cooking dry beans or pasta is pretty much an all day affair if you don’t have one."
I live at 9000 feet and I keep threatening to buy one, but never do. Pasta takes 25 minutes at our house and you actually cannot cook beans at 9000 feet. I tried once. After about 12 hours of soaking and 12 hours of cooking, they still were not done. Potatoes in a crock pot NEVER turn out right. Maybe this will be the year!
I am still experimenting with mine. I made a great chicken dish with it a few months ago that had the pieces falling off the bone after 2o or 30 minutes under pressure. Then I burned the living crap out of some bison stew (think I had way too little liquid in there).
For potatoes, you might try an old upstate NY trick: salt potatoes. You dump a LOT of salt into the water, so much so that there is still some left undissolved even after the water is boiling. The saturated brine greatly raises the boiling temp vs. plain water (I think that at sea level it boils at close to 230F, have not measured it at my 5,000 and change elevation). At sea level, this results in a smooth, creamy consistency with new potatoes as well as faster cooking times, but you might just get regular potatoes done right. Traditionally you just drain the brine off and your potatoes are salted, but you could certainly rinse the salt off as well.
-
So our first time cooking with the Pressure Cooker was a complete success. In one evening, we made three dishes (Pinto Beans, Veggies w/ rice & Barley/Veggie soup) and they all came out great. Not bad for newbies.
A few things I learned:
-It's pretty easy and the speed of cooking is awesome.
-You need to be mindful to not overfill the pot beyond the 2/3 recommended limit (I did not, so no problems)
-Don't start timing the cooking until the top starts to hiss like a rattle snake (that's when you turn the heat down) I started the timer too early on the beans so I had to cook more after opening, but it was not too big a deal.
-It brought back fond memories from my childhood when I was fascinated by the thing.
I am thinking I could use it camping on a camp stove as well, although I do like using cast iron dutch ovens when camping and just sitting back and relaxing for the 50 minutes or so it takes them to cook a stew or stack of green chili enchiladas. Mmmm, getting hungary again. :)
-
Love our pressure cooker. Two particular faves: super fast applesauce and chili made with dried, unsoaked beans.
Footnote, what's your chill recipe? I've got a hankering for chili all of a sudden.
Please and thank you :)
-
Love our pressure cooker. Two particular faves: super fast applesauce and chili made with dried, unsoaked beans.
Footnote, what's your chill recipe? I've got a hankering for chili all of a sudden.
Please and thank you :)
http://thekitchenauthority.com/35-min-chili-for-pressure-cookers/
(Only mods I made were subbing more tomatoes for the V8 and adding dried Thai bird chiles.)
-
Thanks!
-
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pressure-cooker-chili-recipe/index.html
I usually reduce the meat and throw in all kinds of other things like beans, corn, etc. I have everything I need to make it except that I lost the weight for my pressure cooker. I don't want to buy a new one for $9 since I'm sure it's around here somewhere, but I've looked everywhere a few times and I can't find it.
Other things I like to cook in the pressure cooker are:
Steel cut oats (still takes about the same time when you include time to come up to pressure, needs to be double boilered to prevent burning).
Steaming whole onions for things that need lots of cooked onion
When I bought mine I needed a larger pot, and a pressure cooker was about the same price (maybe cheaper). I think they've increased in price now, and I probably wouldn't buy one again. A pressure canner would be nice for pressure canning, boiling water canning, cooking large batches of soups, and making homebrew, but I don't like cooking in aluminum so that rules out the last two uses, and I don't can enough to get something that big dedicated to canning.
-
http://thekitchenauthority.com/35-min-chili-for-pressure-cookers/
(Only mods I made were subbing more tomatoes for the V8 and adding dried Thai bird chiles.)
I played with the spices a bit, and only had about 1.5 pounds of ground beef, so I added a red pepper, and some celery, and used 2 19oz cans of diced tomatoes, instead of the V8 and tomato sauce. I had about 1/3 - 1/2 cup too much liquid (I wanted to make sure the beans cooked, so I erred on the side of too much water) but it was delish!
-
Super easy carnitas. I can get dinner done in 30 minutes or less.
-
http://thekitchenauthority.com/35-min-chili-for-pressure-cookers/
(Only mods I made were subbing more tomatoes for the V8 and adding dried Thai bird chiles.)
I played with the spices a bit, and only had about 1.5 pounds of ground beef, so I added a red pepper, and some celery, and used 2 19oz cans of diced tomatoes, instead of the V8 and tomato sauce. I had about 1/3 - 1/2 cup too much liquid (I wanted to make sure the beans cooked, so I erred on the side of too much water) but it was delish!
I have celery and red pepper on hand, so I'll try your tweaks when I make it this Sunday - thanks!
-
Super easy carnitas. I can get dinner done in 30 minutes or less.
Never thought of this one but it sounds amazing.
-
I love mine. I got it second hand off Gumtree (similar to Craigslist but UK). The owner had been given it but never really figured out how to use it. It doesn't have weights on top, instead it has a lid that locks into place and has a rubber seal.
It cooks on virtually no gas once it's up to pressure and makes things like dried beans soooo easy to cook. I like to make Jamaican stews in it and things like brown rice & lentils.
Definitely a good investment for me in terms of time and energy cost for cooking. Still working on getting to know the timings but with mine, you can depressurise it and then if it needs a bit longer, no big deal, just put the lid on and repressurise it very quickly.
The only thing I don't like is that it is not remotely non-stick so you have to, for example, brown onions and garlic separately. If you try to do them in the bottom of the pan you get a massive welded-on burnt mess.
I also find it brilliant for making veggie stock. I keep a bag in the freezer with scraps of veg. Once I have enough, I boil it up in the pressure cooker to make stock. It makes a well-flavoured stock without endless simmering almost for free.
-
I made more barley as well as rice using the Pan In Pot method which was indeed fool proof. http://missvickie.com/howto/grains/foolproofrice.html
My neighbor came back from the coast with some shrimp, so I also made shrimp etouffee for the first time on the stove top and it was incredible.
-
I pressure can venison (deer meat) once a year and have awesome roast beef like canned meat all year long. Add to noodles or make open faced roast beef sandwiches...yummm.
DA
-
Could always whip up a batch of "Satan's kimchi."
Fill the cooker with oxygen up to 5 PSI, then pump in fluorine until it starts escaping through the safety valve. Put the vessel over an open flame until it reaches 700°C (That’s °C, not °F. Yes, this will probably set off the smoke alarm.) Now, pump the hot gas over a liquid-oxygen-cooled stainless steel surface.
(What?)
-
Was in Bed Bath and Beyond yesterday and saw a display for pressure cookers for $19.99.
-
Pressure cookers are an essential in Brazilian cuisine, too!
Here's my recipe for feijao (Brazilian bean stew)
http://www.adventurous-soul.com/feijao-beans-recipe/
Ribs are also fantastic. What I do is:
- Slice up a whole bunch of onions/garlic and put them in the pressure cooker with ribs and a couple cubes of beef bullion
- Add a bit of water (although the onions melt, I'm nervous about pressure cooking with no liquid to start
- When pressure is reached, turn the heat down to low
- About 35 minutes later, you have delicious tender ribs and plenty of gravy
-
I have more of an automated one that I picked up very cheap on craigslist: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Elite-Platnium-8-Quart-1200-Watt-Stainless-Steel-Digital-Pressure-Cooker/6796210/product.html?cid=202290&kid=9553000357392&track=pspla&TID=PLA:52572242e4b030dd94e74075&kw={keyword}&adtype=pla (http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Elite-Platnium-8-Quart-1200-Watt-Stainless-Steel-Digital-Pressure-Cooker/6796210/product.html?cid=202290&kid=9553000357392&track=pspla&TID=PLA:52572242e4b030dd94e74075&kw={keyword}&adtype=pla).
What is really nice about it is that it can also brown, slow cook, rice cook - even bake. I mostly use it was a slow cooker and pressure cooker though. I didn't like having to time and watch the thing bobble on the other versions. I just lock the lid, put the time and walk away. It beeps when done. All of my broths are amazing now. I save all my veggie scraps and meat bones and make freaking amazeballs stock in 30 min or less.
I just really like the browning factor. I can brown the meat off first to develop flavor and then just set it to pressure cook or slow cook. It's so nice to not have to use another pan or the stove.
-
Pressure cookers are an essential in Brazilian cuisine, too!
Here's my recipe for feijao (Brazilian bean stew)
http://www.adventurous-soul.com/feijao-beans-recipe/
Ribs are also fantastic. What I do is:
- Slice up a whole bunch of onions/garlic and put them in the pressure cooker with ribs and a couple cubes of beef bullion
- Add a bit of water (although the onions melt, I'm nervous about pressure cooking with no liquid to start
- When pressure is reached, turn the heat down to low
- About 35 minutes later, you have delicious tender ribs and plenty of gravy
Sounds delicious. I am going to have to try those.
-
I love cooking with my pressure cooker. I have been making tons of stews recently and usually follow this recipes guidelines and then switch it up how I want it. Here is the recipe, http://www.mygourmetconnection.com/recipes/main-courses/beef/pressure-cooker-beef-stew.php
All these recipes on here sound so good. Looks like I will be having my hands full for a while trying some of these out!
-
Making vegetable stew and pot roast for dinner in the pressure cooker. Smells great so far.
http://idiotsguides.com/static/quickguides/foodentertainment/pressure-cooker-meals-delicious-vegetarian-stews.html
http://noblepig.com/2013/02/pressure-cooker-pot-roast/
-
Making vegetable stew and pot roast for dinner in the pressure cooker. Smells great so far.
http://idiotsguides.com/static/quickguides/foodentertainment/pressure-cooker-meals-delicious-vegetarian-stews.html
http://noblepig.com/2013/02/pressure-cooker-pot-roast/
The pot roast in incredible, falling-apart-flavorful-goodness.
-
It's cold out.
Time to make pot roast again. :)
-
I love my pressure cooker, but I don't use it for cooking anything that has tomatoes, like a tomato sauce or ragu, as I find that the short cooking time does not help releasing the sugars in tomatoes, and the sauce ends up a bit sour. However, I've used it to make a wonderful pulled pork which take 10 times less time than my slow cooking method, and is almost -but not quite- as good. My recipe serves 8 normal people, perhaps 3 or 4 like my son...
canola or olive oil, for cooking
1 2-3 lb. pork shoulder
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. grainy mustard
a good dose of black pepper
In the pressure cooker, heat a bit of oil over medium-high heat and brown the pork on all sides. Add the onion, stock, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, mustard and pepper to the pot. Cover and lock the lid, and bring the pot up to pressure. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until the pressure goes down, then remove the lid. Pull the pork apart in the sauce and serve on french crusty bread or buns.
-
I have pressure cooker envy.
-
Pressure cookers sound awesome and now I want one.
However, with respect, I don't think barbecue should be hurried along. Pulled pork in an hour is impressive but I'd rather give it eight. Just my opinion. Anyone done head-to-head tests?
-
Pressure cookers sound awesome and now I want one.
However, with respect, I don't think barbecue should be hurried along. Pulled pork in an hour is impressive but I'd rather give it eight. Just my opinion. Anyone done head-to-head tests?
Then do 8 hours or 4 or whatever you want. Hour for hour, it should be more tender from the pressure cooker.
-
http://thekitchenauthority.com/35-min-chili-for-pressure-cookers/
(Only mods I made were subbing more tomatoes for the V8 and adding dried Thai bird chiles.)
I played with the spices a bit, and only had about 1.5 pounds of ground beef, so I added a red pepper, and some celery, and used 2 19oz cans of diced tomatoes, instead of the V8 and tomato sauce. I had about 1/3 - 1/2 cup too much liquid (I wanted to make sure the beans cooked, so I erred on the side of too much water) but it was delish!
I have celery and red pepper on hand, so I'll try your tweaks when I make it this Sunday - thanks!
I was going to make this again tonight, but the link doesn't work anymore? :(
Did you happen to copy the recipe?
-
I also use mine to make stock.
Great for dried beans/chickpeas if you're in a hurry
Basically almost anything I make in my slow cooker : takes all day but doesn't need supervision.
The Pressure cooker takes less than 30mins, but does need some supervision.