| My Italian mother-in-law bought me a pressure | | | | can cause – like an explosion. You need to |
| cooker earlier this year. She uses hers all the time as | | | | ‘release’ the steam / pressure using the |
| her speciality is soups. However I have found it one | | | | special valve on the lid and once all the steam / |
| of the most used utensils in my kitchen – not | | | | pressure is released (causing the pressure indicator |
| just for soups, but for casseroles, roasts and sauces. | | | | button to go back down into the lid – thus not |
| Yes, I use my pressure cooker at least once, if not | | | | stick up anymore) then the lid can be safely opened. |
| twice every single week. I have found my pressure | | | | The first time I used my pressure cooker, I |
| cooker so wonderful, I want to share with you my | | | | didn’t allow all the steam to be released and all |
| experience. | | | | my sauce ‘exploded’ all over the roof and |
| What is a Pressure Cooker? | | | | over my oven and wall (not good). I was very lucky |
| Pressure cooking is cooking in a sealed pot (pot with | | | | not to burn myself. So it’s very important to |
| lid) that does not allow air or liquid to escape, causing | | | | follow the instructions that come with your pressure |
| the liquid in the pot to rise to an extremely high | | | | cooker and make sure that all the steam has been |
| temperature accelerating the cooking of the food | | | | released (and the pressure indicator button is all the |
| while retaining all the nutrients. Miss Vicky (from ) | | | | way down) - so basically you can’t open the lid |
| says the reason that food cooks so much more | | | | until that has gone all the way down and sits flush |
| quicker in a pressure cooker is because “steam | | | | with your lid). |
| has six times the heat potential when it condenses | | | | What can you cook? |
| on a cool food product”. | | | | Of course you can cook soup, but I also cook my |
| How does it work? | | | | roasts (just add cheap beef, can of tomatoes, 1 cup |
| Food is placed in the specially designed pressure | | | | of red wine, onions (and other vegetables as desired) |
| cooker pot with lid (with special valve and pressure | | | | and when liquid is boiling (button on lid is all the way |
| indicator button) with some amount of liquid | | | | up and the cooker is making a rattling noise, reduce |
| (depending on the recipe) and put on the stove. | | | | heat and cook for 45 minutes, then turn off stove, |
| When the liquid reaches boiling point, steam is | | | | release button on top of lid, wait until button goes |
| produced (pushing the pressure indicator button to | | | | back down and there you have – super tender |
| stick up on the lid), and the high level of pressure of | | | | beef with a nice thick sauce). You can also do |
| this steam cooks the food. This method of cooking | | | | casseroles as well with only 1/3 to ½ the cooking |
| copies the simmering method, but is much much | | | | time of simmering. Its fantastic because its a great |
| faster with equivalent results. | | | | way of cooking really really cheap cuts of meat - |
| Now, on completion of the cooking, there is a | | | | making them tasty and super tender in a short |
| challenge. You can’t simply open the lid. If you | | | | amount of time. |
| do, it can be very very dangerous and the pressure | | | | |