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Pressure Cookers
MillyC
15-09-2016
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?
noise747
15-09-2016
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.
MillyC
15-09-2016
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.
postit
15-09-2016
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!
Shrike
15-09-2016
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!
Welsh-lad
17-09-2016
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.
brangdon
17-09-2016
^^ 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.
paralax
17-09-2016
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.
IvanIV
17-09-2016
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.
ginandtabs
17-09-2016
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.
Welsh-lad
18-09-2016
Originally Posted by brangdon:
“^^ 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.”

Not all veg. Tough stuff like swedes!
chopsim
18-09-2016
When I was a teenager my mate decorated the kitchen with soup when the pressure cooker erupted. What a mess that was.
brangdon
18-09-2016
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.
neo_wales
18-09-2016
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.
Lottie_lowe
19-09-2016
Originally Posted by brangdon:
“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.”

My first pressure cooker is about 7 months old. " Tefal Secure 5 Neo - 6 L "and I have to say I am very please with it .

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.
brangdon
24-09-2016
^^ Thanks.
brangdon
25-09-2016
Well, I've ordered one today. A high-end WMF 6.5L one. It should arrive tomorrow.
dragonrapide
25-09-2016
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.
brangdon
03-10-2016
Originally Posted by brangdon:
“Well, I've ordered one today. A high-end WMF 6.5L one. It should arrive tomorrow.”

I'm finding it a bit of a learning curve. It is quicker than I'd feared, though. With minimal water it can reach pressure in about 3 minutes. Usually it's a minute or so longer but much of that time is heating the water which I can do while I'm preparing what's to go in. Also, if you open it and then reseal it, it's only a minute or two to reach pressure again, so it's practical to add quicker cooking food part-way through.

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.
MillyC
08-10-2016
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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