Pressure cookers - are they good?

[TelephoneTree]

I'm wondering whether to get one or not but have no idea how to use them or if they're any better for day to day cooking or not!

I love mine but really only use it once or twice a week, I make soup once a week and the other night it is used for a stew of some sort. Years ago my Mum would use her for cooking meat, ham or brisket and it was fast and meat tender :)

I have a timer on my oven so slow cooked stews etc are easy. can you remember how long it would take to cook a chicken for example??

Anything 'wet' like stews and soups go in mine. I can cook a hearty lamb and veg stew with potatoes or dumplings in 20 mins. I just leave it to de pressurise rather than cooling it quickly. I have 2 pressure cookers. I cook boiled pots in the shallow one and take it camping as well. I have done a biriyani in the deeper one. Google some recipes. Mine gets a rest in the summer but comes into it's own when comfort food is required.

Oh! How long to potatoes take to mash in it and how long would the lamb stew take normally (I tend to do beef for 3 hours or so). And how long does chicken stock take in it?!

Does it take long to get the pressure build up in the first place?

I love mine for stews etc, DH is amazed at how tender the meat comes out and how quickly, he thinks it is my fab cooking lol (his mums is dire).

Can cook a whole chicken in about 30 minutes, the meat just falls of and is really juicy (can't eat the skin though as it is yuk !)