Using a Pressure Cooker this side of the 70's...

[Stars66]

Hiya, my dad thoughtfully (his thoughts not mine) bought me a prestige pressure cooker and said I would "love cooking with it!".
Does anyone use these in this century?! And what should I cook in it? I've cooked some chick peas this afternoon, but I can't see us eating those every week!!

Any recipes / tips appreciated! TIA

I just recently got one too.
Does yours have a recipe book with it?

I love my WMF and use it quite frequently. Avoided getting one for years (that whole 'unexploded bomb' thing.. brrr) and then read an inspiring article by Heston Blumenthal no less. Excellent for turning out those 'slow cook' cuts like braising steak in short order, or for keeping all the flavours in a batch quantity of bolognese sauce, curry, soup or chicken stock. Yesterday it was pressed into action making a bean and bacon broth.

Heston Waxes Lyrical

I used my for doing potatoes 4mins
Broc 1min
Carrots just over 1min

Obviously these times when up to pressure

Much quicker the boiler pan

They seem to be really popular in Indian supermarkets so maybe curry??

They are fab. We use our for soups, stews, chilli, bolognese etc. Gets sooooo much more use than our slow cooker. Read you instruction book -it should give guidance on timings, different pans have different pressures, so times may be slightly different.

They are fab. We use our for soups, stews, chilli, bolognese etc. Gets sooooo much more use than our slow cooker. Read you instruction book -it should give guidance on timings, different pans have different pressures, so times may be slightly different.

Bean and bacon broth sounds lovely, a real winter warmer.
Yes, it comes with a recipe booklet, I just wasn't blown away by the ideas in there and there's no pretty pictures for me to see what stuff should look like!!
Plus how do you stir stuff? Unpressurise and stir then repressurise?! Is that even a word?!!

All the time.
well, at least once a month

Excellent for lentils and beans, that's why they are sold in Indian supermarkets but I'm too scared to use one.

I cook gammon joints in mine. Also pie fillings like beef.

On stirring. When I make something like Chilli I get all the ingredients going as per normal, stirring etc. and, at the point where a recipe might say 'cover and simmer', that's when the lid goes on and I let it get to pressure.

One tip. Add any thickening agents like flour towards the end of the cooking rather than at the start. If the contents of the pressure cooker are too thick to start with they can stick to the bottom when you turn the heat up to achieve pressure.

Another tip. To save fuel, turn off the hob a little early, leave the lid on and let the dish finish cooking in the time it takes for the pressure to come down naturally.

I've had one for donkey's years, ever since I bought my first home and it had a vile electric stove. It was cheaper to buy a pressure cooker than a gas stove!

Anything that slow-cooks, braises, casseroles, or steams for hours can be pressure-cooked. If the recipe booklet does not inspire you, get a book from the library.

Or try a casserole-type dish that you already make. Do everything as normal except for not adding any flour or cornflour. It should be no more than 2/3full, and needs about 2/3 of the liquid you would normally use.

When you get to the 'simmer on low heat for 3h' stage, put the lid on, bring to pressure, and then turn the heat down to minimum. You know it's at pressure when there is a steady strong plume of steam whistling out. You then need to slowly turn the fire down until there is just the barest trickle of steam coming out silently. Cook for 1/3 of the time you normally would use.

For a soupy dish, or to let it cook further, allow to cool down without releasing the valve. But if you want to thicken the gravy, or dish up quickly,twist the valve (make sure it's facing away from you!) to release the steam.

I used to make old-fashioned steamed puddings, like treacle sponge or steak-and-kidney, in mine. Also chicken soup: put a clove studded onion, some peppercorns, a pinch of cinnamon, a couple of bay leaves, a fat carrot or two peeled and cut into 1" chunks, and a strip of lemon peel in the pan, then put the trivet in and a whole chicken in the basket on top. Add water to about half-way up the pot. Being to pressure and cook for about 1h. It doesn't matter how you cool it. You can serve it immediately, but if you put the soup and the chicken in the fridge in separate dishes the flavour improves overnight and the fat separates. Season it after its cooked, otherwise you risk over-salting it.

BTW, I'm in my 40s, not an old granny