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Pressure Cookers |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,223
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Pressure Cookers
I was watching a demo of the modern day pressure cooker. I used to have one years ago and it was a bit frightening back then and hardly got used. Today they look much easier but I remember the food did not look or taste all that appetising.
Has anyone got one and would recommend it? |
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Herefordshire
Posts: 22,789
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I remember the one my sister had years ago, used to scare the hell out of me, my parents had one a couple of years after, it was better, it had a timer on to release the pressure.
I do not use one myself, I know a couple of people who use them, but only for stews in the winter. A lot of people are using slow cookers instead. |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,223
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Yes I have a slow cooker but on the demo it said the pressure cooker would do just the same in a fraction of the time.
They did a whole chicken in something like 25 mins but of course they covered it in a marinade to make it look more appealing when it was cooked. |
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 10,653
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I've hd a pressure cooker for more years than I care to remember. I've just got some chuck steak from the butchers to make a casserole. The thing tio remember is, just as in any other form of 'wet' cooking, to sear the meat first, not only for the pleasing appearance, but to seal the meat too.
I'll sear the meat in the pressure cooker (using it as a large saucepan), remove the meat and add onions and garlic. Deglaze the cooker, put the meat back in, add stock and the lid, bring to pressure and half an hour later you have the basis of many fine stews! |
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 11,478
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I use mine a fair bit. It cooks ham joints in about the third of the time. I've also cooked a whole chicken to make an chicken and noodle soup!
I would say though that while its excellent at making tough stuff edible very quickly (eg hearts) you don't get that wonderful rich stock you would from a long slow cook. Overall I'm quite pleased with it and this winter I intend to see if I can make suet pudding like my mum did, but without steaming for several hours! |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Mid Wales / Canolbarth Cymru
Posts: 37,481
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I bought one after a discussion (on here I think) a few months ago.
Paid up for an expensive model as an investment - Fissler VitaQuick - and have not been disappointed. Lovely for braises as others have mentioned but also for veg, ready in minutes. |
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posts: 11,878
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^^ Doesn't it take a while to get hot? Most veg take under 5 minutes so I am surprised if it is quicker than that.
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 11,738
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I bought a Pressure King Pro a couple of months ago, and can recommend it. I hadn't had a pressure cooker before, it does exactly what the ads say, meat really tender, and the sticky ribs recipe is the best.
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#9 |
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Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 25,199
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I use it only for cooking beef, it takes around 45 minutes instead hours, but I only use it when I don't have the time. It does taste differently to me, because you need to use enough water to build up the pressure and the meat basically boils in the water.
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 13
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Anything you'd want to do in a slow cooker can be done in a pressure cooker in a fraction of the time, and they don't need to be these scary looking contraptions with loads of bells and whistles.
If you find you need to use a bit more water than usual to cook something in, just take off the lid at the end and reduce the sauce for 10 minutes. They're great for tougher cuts of meat if you don't have much time to cook in the evening. Curries too. There's a reason why 90% of Indian households have a pressure cooker. |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Mid Wales / Canolbarth Cymru
Posts: 37,481
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Quote:
^^ Doesn't it take a while to get hot? Most veg take under 5 minutes so I am surprised if it is quicker than that.
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#12 |
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 2,135
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When I was a teenager my mate decorated the kitchen with soup when the pressure cooker erupted. What a mess that was.
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posts: 11,878
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So roughly how long does it take to reach pressure so you can start recipe timing? Is it quicker if you boil the water in a kettle first?
I'm intrigued now. I spent some time looking into steaming, but have effectively given up partly because it is so slow. Maybe high pressure steaming is the way to go. I do use a slow cooker, but I use it mainly because it's slow. I can prepare stuff the night before, take the pot out of the fridge and put it into the cooker in the morning, go to work, and come home 9 hours later to find it cooked. |
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: South Wales/Gran Canaria
Posts: 8,294
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I've a small pressure cooker I used to take camping, I've a standard family size and a massive American pressure cooker (pressure canner ) which I use for 'canning' (jars) of all sorts of food from meat to fruit.
Pressure cookers are a real bonus in the kitchen when you have got the hang of using them. |
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#15 |
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 458
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Quote:
So roughly how long does it take to reach pressure so you can start recipe timing? Is it quicker if you boil the water in a kettle first?
I'm intrigued now. I spent some time looking into steaming, but have effectively given up partly because it is so slow. Maybe high pressure steaming is the way to go. I do use a slow cooker, but I use it mainly because it's slow. I can prepare stuff the night before, take the pot out of the fridge and put it into the cooker in the morning, go to work, and come home 9 hours later to find it cooked. . The hotter the water you put in the pressure cooker the quicker the pressure cooker is going to reach the pressure. If your gas/ceramic hob etc. brings water to the boil quickly it will make an impact on reaching the pressure point much quicker. Also the amount of food and water is going to dictate how quickly it reaches the pressure point. In my conditions when I fill up my pressure cooker with 5 large chicken legs and pour hot boiling water over it and place it on my ancient gas hob, it reaches pressure point in about ten minutes. |
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posts: 11,878
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^^ Thanks.
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posts: 11,878
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Well, I've ordered one today. A high-end WMF 6.5L one. It should arrive tomorrow.
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#18 |
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: shoreham-by-sea
Posts: 826
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I would be interested to know if you can put a whole chicken in with some carrots and a few veg as I like to make chicken soup. I have a high dome one at the moment for this reason but would like to replace it soon for something more modern.
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#19 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posts: 11,878
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Quote:
Well, I've ordered one today. A high-end WMF 6.5L one. It should arrive tomorrow.
Steamed potatoes take around 12 minutes in total, rather than 20 minutes or so boiled, so there is an overall time saving. Other veg don't matter so much as it is the slowest that determines the overall time. I've had quite a few meals which were not ideal due to me not being used to the new regime. Sometimes things take longer than I expect, and you can't just stick a fork in to see if something is done; you have to release pressure, test it, and then build it up again if it isn't done. |
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,223
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Well I've gone off the idea of one of these now but my interest has turned to the Wolfgang Puck pressure oven. Although pricier, the food is browned and looks delicious.
Anybody have one? |
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