Tips for Handling your Pressure Cooker

I don’t know about you, but a pressure cooker does seem a little intimidating to me. It might just be the word pressure, but it’s most likely the fact that the pressure cookers of yesterday were known to have some explosion issues. Luckily, as I have learned through my own research, pressure cookers have been updated significantly and are extremely safe. 

How Does a Pressure Cooker Work?

Did you know that the first pressure cooker was invented all of the way back in the 1600s? Denis Papin, a French physicist, invented the first pressure cooker, which used steam pressure in a sealed pot to cook food very quickly. Unfortunately, Papin did not put an emphasis on safety, so the first pressure cookers were definitely risky to use and would be for some time. Today’s pressure cooker, though, features pressure-activated locks, valves to control excess pressure, and other safety features, making it a very safe appliance to use on a day-to-day basis.

However, please keep in mind that there are things you can do to ensure even safer pressure cooking. Whether you’re cooking beans, tenderizing meats, or even cooking hard-boiled eggs, please keep the following tips in mind when handling your pressure cooker:

• ·         Check the rubber gasket of the pressure cooker to ensure it is intact and not cracked.
• ·         Make sure that there isn’t any dried food on the rim of the pressure cooker.
• ·         Fill the pressure cooker properly. For example, beans expand significantly once cooked so only fill the pot about halfway. You can fill the pot about two-thirds full with meats and vegetables.
• ·         Use enough liquid to reach pressure. This will depend on the recipe, but a good starting point is a half a cup.
• ·         Read the instructions on how to release steam from your pressure cooker. There are multiple ways to do so, but the most common way is the natural release where you remove the cooker from heat and wait for the pressure to go down.
• ·         Clean the pressure cooker thoroughly after each use.

Ok, do you have all of that? In truth, a pressure cooker is very easy to use, and it is the quickest way to cook your beans, pulses, meats, veggies, and more. If you’re thinking about adding one to your kitchen, please know that it is very safe and easy to operate.

Top 3 Must-Have Kitchen Appliances

Everybody loves kitchen appliances: They make your life easier, they can work much faster than the average person, and they're reliable.  Most of the time, they're easier to use than standard kitchen appliances, such as the oven.

The Toaster Oven

The great thing about the toaster oven is that it's much smaller, and faster than a conventional oven. It heats up faster, cooks small dishes faster, and is extremely energy-efficient, especially compared to its full-sized counterpart. Best of all, the toaster oven is easy-to-use, making the cooking process much simpler.

The Griddle

A griddle is great to have, mostly due to the fact that you can use it for anything from pancakes to cheesesteaks.  Electric griddles especially are inexpensive, easy to set up, and cook relatively fast. Cooking on a larger surface makes the meal-making process faster, and easier, giving you the ability to cook more than one item on a single surface. The smooth, large surface of a griddle is especially great for breakfast foods, grilled sandwiches, and hamburgers.

The Pressure Cooker

A pressure cooker is an absolute must-have, especially because it's quick, saves energy, and doesn't take up much space.  A pressure cooker can also be used to braise foods in much less time than previously possible. The energy-saving aspect of pressure cookers is one of the highest selling points for the product. If you prefer electric pressure cookers to traditional stove-use ones, it saves you even more money in energy costs.  

Top 3 Electric Pressure Cooking Recipes for Dinner

Electric pressure cooking recipes make for great meals, no matter the time of day. Whether you want to cook for yourself, your family, or a group of friends, a pressure cooker meal is the way to go nowadays. These meals are easy to make, don’t make a mess and make plenty for leftovers. Here are the top three electric pressure cooking recipes for dinner.

Apple Cider Pork Loin

Who doesn’t love a good pork loin for dinner? Pork is one of the tastiest, most tender meats available. There are a myriad of different ways you can cook a pork loin, but one of the best is with a little bit of apple cider. This recipe calls for a two-pound center-cut pork loin, two tablespoons of olive oil, two cups of cider, one medium onion, two sliced apples, one tablespoon of sea salt, one tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper and one tablespoon of minced dry onion. Season the pork loin with minced dry onions, pepper and salt. Place the pork loin with the rest of the ingredients in the pressure cooker and cook for 20 minutes.

Short Ribs

Short ribs are probably one of the most popular dinner meals to cook in a pressure cooker. If you are trying to feed four people, you will need eight trimmed short ribs. You will also need beef stock, an onion, celery sticks, tomato paste, garlic, red potatoes, bay leaves, sprig rosemary and spring thyme. Cook the vegetables and tomato paste for four minutes before adding the short ribs. Once you add the short ribs, cook everything for 40 minutes.

Chicken Cajun Pasta

Chicken is another good option to cook in a pressure cooker. This meal, chicken cajun pasta, takes no more than 15 minutes to cook. That is what makes this one of the best electric pressure cooking recipes available for dinner. You need eight ounces of diced chicken breast, one pound of bowtie pasta, 12 ounces of heavy cream, two cups of water, an onion, green and red peppers, cajun spice, olive oil and minced garlic.

The next time you need to find a good pressure cooker recipe for dinner, look no further than the three in this list.

Top 3 Electric Pressure Cooking Recipes for Dessert

Using a pressure cooker to cook a meal is very rewarding. Not only does it reduce the amount of time it takes to cook a meal, but it also makes meat, pork and chicken very tender. Aside from cooking dinner, you can also use a pressure cooker to make dessert. We have compiled the top three electric pressure cooking recipes for dessert.

Chocolate Steam Pudding

To make chocolate steam pudding, which looks more like cake, you will need at least 15 minutes to cook it. The cook time is quick, but you should let it sit and cool for two hours prior to serving. This is not a dessert you can whip up at the last minute so be sure to plan ahead of time. For the pudding, which serves four, you will need the following:

●       Flour

●       Baking and cocoa powder

●       Butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract

●       2 eggs

●       6 ounces of melted dark chocolate

●       Heavy cream and one cup of chocolate chips

Apple Cake

Apple cake is a popular dessert to make with a pressure cooker, especially during the fall months. It will take you roughly 20 minutes to cook and then you must let it sit and cool for another 15 prior to serving. The ingredients needed for apple cake include:

●       2 Granny Smith apples

●       1 stick of butter

●       Sugar and yogurt

●       2 eggs

●       Baking soda, baking powder, all-purpose flour, vanilla extract and brown sugar

●       Chopped walnuts

●       2 cups of warm water

Flan

Who doesn’t love Flan? This is one of the most popular desserts for food lovers of all kinds and you can make it in a pressure cooker. To make a four-person serving size all you need is two cups of milk, six eggs, three egg whites, sugar and almond extract. You need 15 minutes to cook then two to three hours to chill in the refrigerator before serving.

Having a dinner party? Make sure you try one of these three electric pressure cooking recipes.

Want To Spice Up Your Pressure Cooker? Check Out These Accessories To Enhance Dishes

If you’re already using a pressure cooker at home, then you know the benefits: food cooked faster regardless of what it is. From refreshing vegetable options to hearty meat and potatoes, a pressure cooker is a more than capable of creating some of your favorite dishes in far less time than you’re accustomed to through traditional stoves.

Pressure cookers, which are turning into a kitchen staple as more people realize the benefits, work like this: A lot of steam is created due to pressure building inside the locked pot after heat is applied.

It’s that steam from water which speeds the cooking process and a valve controls the pressure inside the pot. For those seeking more of a good thing, a variety of pressure cooker accessories are already on the market and can further enhance your dishes. Below, we break down a few such accessories that are among our favorite add-ons.

Steamer baskets: Not content with simply tossing a variety of vegetables -- that required different amounts of cooking -- into your pressure cooker? Steamer baskets are the answer for you. These multi-level baskets and racks will allow you to compartmentalize what’s going on inside your pressure cooker. As a tip from experienced pressure cookers, the items that require the longest cooking time should be placed at the bottom of the basket.

Condensation collector: Pressure cookers are a water-centric affair. After all, it’s the steam from high pressure inside the appliance that speeds up the cooking process. These typically plastic collectors will connect to the appliance and help alleviate the extra condensation created during the cooking process. The items are available according to the size of your pressure cooker so purchase accordingly.

Canning rack: For those with an interest in or experience with canning, pressure cookers can assist with that, too. Of course, you’ll need a canning rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the cooker as the water heats up to the required temperature to preserve the food.

Plating: No, not the act of putting food on a ceramic surface for serving. While pressure cookers are known for their safety -- especially compared to the versions for decades past -- it’s always a good practice put something heat-resistant underneath the appliance. A ceramic disc slightly larger than the appliance itself will help protect the surface underneath your pressure cooker.

For more information pressure cooker accessories, call 973-287-5159.

Want The Most Out Of Your Electric Pressure Cooker? Here Are Some Tips And Tricks

Ask anybody who has used one: An electric pressure cooker is convenient. The technology that uses pressure and steam to speed up the cooking process makes everything from vegetable dishes to main courses a pain-free affair in the kitchen.

The popularly of the appliances has also created a strong following of cooks who’ve got plenty of tips and tricks to share when it comes to whipping up your favorite dishes. Below, we break down some of our favorite insider secrets and lesser-known suggestions.

- Final steps: The water-based process that lends itself to steaming vegetables and infusing water into certain other dishes won’t exactly “roast” a piece of meat unfortunately. To finish the job on a piece of chicken, use your oven’s broiler to brown and crisp the dish for a few minutes after it has been cooked in your electric pressure cooker.

- Maximum capacity: Electric pressure cooker veterans will tell you that overfilling your appliance is a recipe for disaster. Food that expands, such as beans, should fill two-thirds of the cooker while anything else should take up half of the space inside. You run the risk of items not cooking properly otherwise. Further, cutting food up into similarly-sized pieces ensures they will all cook evenly.

- Drowning a dish: Too much water could doom your dishes. That’s because there is far less evaporation going on inside the electric pressure cooker compared to a boiling pot of water on your stovetop. Thus, it is imperative that between a half-cup to one cup of water is used to correctly cook most items.

- Rushing for results: For those singing the praises of electric pressure cookers and all the good they can do, avoid the urge to put all the contents of your meal inside at the same time for faster cooking. It isn’t going to work out. You’ll want to start by cooking items that take more time then, after releasing pressure in-between, adding things that won’t take as long so everything finishes at the same time.

For more information on electric pressure cookers, call 973-287-5159.