Comments on: Under Pressure: A Primer on Using a Pressure Cooker

By: Jill, The Veggie Queen

Jill, The Veggie Queen — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:33:16 +0000

Steel cut oats link is at http://bit.ly/info/dBdAg.

Thrilled to hear that people are loving their pressure cookers. One of my customers told me that she loved her pressure cooker so much that she wanted to take it to bed with her but her husband wouldn’t let her — he was jealous. Now, that’s funny.

By: Jill, The Veggie Queen

Jill, The Veggie Queen — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:05:37 +0000

I use my pressure cooker for steel cut oats all the time. Here’s the link to my recipe http://bit.ly/cJ4RTb. Funny thing, though, this last batch of oats that I bought is taking 5 minutes at pressure, instead of the usual 3. And that’s the real deal — every batch of beans or grains may require different amounts of time, depending upon the batch.

Thanks for thinking of me and pressure cooking. My mentor is Lorna Sass, she’s the real queen. I am a protege, and proud of it.

I think that everyone could benefit from using a pressure cooker — any time of year.

By: Jill, The Veggie Queen

Jill, The Veggie Queen — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:54:42 +0000

This post on my Pressure Cooking blog points out the differences between a slow cooker and a pressure cooker. http://bit.ly/9WdLHr I explain it like this, “If you’re a person who can think hours in advance about dinner, then a slow cooker is probably fine for you. If you are like me, and think, gee it’s 5 o’clock, what am I making for dinner?, then a pressure cooker is perfect for you. The food also remains much more distinct, with better flavors, in a pressure cooker than in a slow cooker.

I swear by mine, and can’t help but sing its praises. It’s changed my cooking life — for the past 14 years.

By: Lia Huber

Lia Huber — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:09:28 +0000

Alexandra . . . I had a very similar mental block for years! And I still go through a mild panic whenever it hisses a bit. But they’ve apparently gotten much more reliable. Thanks for the history, Pamela . . . very interesting. Makes me happy I have a Kuhn Rikon .

By: Pamela S. Treadwell

Pamela S. Treadwell — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:19:41 +0000

I was reading about the history of pressure cookers in Miss Vickie’s Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes, and learned that pressure cookers really got a bad rap after WW II when the demand for pressure cookers increased. Unfortunately, as demand increased, so did shoddy and cheaply made pressure cookers that are infamous for exploding. Naturally, people eventually stopped buying and using them. The pressure cookers available on the market today are usually foreign imports with improved pressure valves and at least three different safety mechanisms.

I remember when I got my first one and put it through a trial run with just water. My heart was in my throat the entire time!

By: Alexandra Alznauer, C.S.

Alexandra Alznauer, C.S. — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:31:59 +0000

In college when I had the spare time (?) I used to love cooking and eating wheatberries. I had no idea a pressure cooker could have the time it takes to prep this wonderful grain.

Mental block: I still have this nightmarish childhood memory of the time our neighbors pressure cooker exploded starting a minor kitchen fire. Firemen from the local station arrived in no time as all the neighbors gathered on the sidewalk. I recall my physician father saying that this was why we had no such thing in our house!

Now that the technology has been updated and made safer I’d consider buying one.

By: Lia Huber

Lia Huber — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:07:52 +0000

I forget to do that too, and found it SO handy for the quick soak on Thanksgiving for our beans. They were the best I'd ever made--creamy without being mushy. Pamela, can I ask you about canning with a pressure cooker. I heard several people talking about it at the canning event I attended, but can't imagine how it works. If you would, would you answer here, in the Playing with Pressure Cookers conversation? Thanks!

By: Alison Ashton

Alison Ashton — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:41:10 +0000

Isn’t that cool, Pamela? I really like the pressure cooker, ’cause you can use it to quick soak the beans. I always forget to put them out to soak.

By: Pamela S. Treadwell

Pamela S. Treadwell — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:35:00 +0000

I enjoy cooking with a pressure cooker. I currently have 4, and I plan on purchasing a larger one soon (10 qt) for canning. I used one today to make a bean soup! My husband looked very confused when I walked into the family room with a bowl of steaming hot beans and a slice of cornbread! He saw the beans soaking on the counter when he came in and presto, 20 minutes later everything was ready! He actually asked me what I was eating

By: Lia Huber

Lia Huber — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:13:30 +0000

PS — I used the pressure cooker to make both the rice and the beans for our Thanksgiving meal and they turned out GREAT! You’ve turned over a whole new leaf for me. Next up, braises.