JoNorvelleWalker

I recently made a batch of Modernist Cuisine recipe (more or less) chicken stock that had been sitting in my refridgerator for about two days. I wanted the stock to last perhaps a couple weeks in the refrigerator, I was not aiming for shelf stable for four years. What I did was the following: I strained the cold stock through cheesecloth and a fine mesh sieve into quart canning jars. Since my pressure cooker holds one of these jars at a time, I placed a jar on the pressure cooker steamer insert, and pressure cooked for an hour on high pressure. I allowed the cooker to cool naturally. Surprisingly, when I opened the cover, the jar had not cracked to pieces. I had been a bit concerned about pressure cooking cold stock. I did not want to let the stock warm up first for fear of contamination. There are still two more quart jars of stock for me to process. What is the best way? Or should they be OK in the refrigerator as they are?

Thank you! I had not seen it. Now if I only had the ingredients...

Many thanks. I have never made either but in the 1970's and 1980's, on business trips, I was fond of Mai Tais and Zombies. What kind of absinthe would work well?

Excellent idea. I too do that with tropicals that I otherwise find lacking (like my "Piña Colada," which I make with dark rum, added lime, and a barspoon of allspice dram). In some cases, a small amount of a pie spice amaro (Ramazzotti, etc) can similarly add depth and spice; I like Luxardo Abano, which has a cola character but adds a great savory black pepper note. My favorite Tiki drinks tend to have a depth of spice to them; it's one reason I generally prefer Don the Beachcomber's drinks to Vic's (as much as I love the glorious Mai Tai). Can you give your recipe for the Mai Tai? I've been studying Wayne Curtis' book, and a Bottle of Rum. Curtis' Mai Tai (which I think is derived from Trader Vic's) is 1 oz Jamaican rum, 1 oz medium bodied rum, 3/4 oz orange curacao, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/4 oz orgeat. He also lists a Don the Beachcomber's Mai Tai as: 1 1/2 oz dark rum, 1 oz medium bodied rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1 oz grapefruit juice, 1/4 oz falernum, 1/2 oz triple sec, 2 dashes Angostura, 1 dash Pernod. I'd also be interested to see good recipes for the Zombie. Does anyone use real absinthe in their Mai Tai or Zombie formulae?

Tonight I repeated the above recipe, omitting the lime juice altogether, adding a dash of Angostura, and reducing the coconut oil to 1/2 oz. Very good. My only complaint is it could have used more rum! I think I prefer my pina coladas without any lime at all. For anyone following along at home, I have not been idle since last I posted: I made up a pina colada with the above recipe, but doubled the coconut oil to 2 oz. When the mixture was cooled the coconut oil solidified in big disgusting chunks, in a thin, vile liquid. That I drank only because it contained a lot of expensive Barbancourt. A little coconut oil goes a long way.

I tried putting my bowl in the top rack of the dishwasher and it came out OK. However I think I'll usually put it in the bottom section, as I have always done.

I made a Modernist Cuisine chicken stock tonight. No idea how it turned out, as it is still cooling. I was working with leftovers so I did not have as much chicken as they call for, and I had no leeks. Plus I did not use pepper. So much easier than in an open pot, that much I can say. Almost forgot...for dinner I cooked an artichoke. Twenty minutes on high pressure, steamed above the water. Turned out a little dry. Maybe just because this is not the season for good artichokes. I have another artichoke left, and I think I'll pressure cook it in liquid. Once I figure out what to do with all the stock.

Since I can't edit my last post, the bottom of the Vitaquick base lists the maximum operating pressure as 150 kPa, which is 21.76 PSI.

I spoke with a representative of Fissler about having received the wrong manual with my Vitaquick. She said they ran out of Vitaquick manuals and she is mailing me a photocopy. I asked for a printed manual when they are again available. A note in the package would have been helpful rather than just shipping the wrong manual, but I did not tell her this. I also asked her about any pressure difference between the US and the European Vitaquick. She said the models were the same. I pointed out that the lid of mine is stamped "US". She said the "US" just means it has UL approval. She added that the maximum pressure of the Vitaquick is 15-18 pounds per square inch. The UK Vitaquick manual lists the high pressure setting as 80 kPa, which is 11.6 PSI. Pazzaglia, if you are reading this, could you use your Fissler contacts to get further clarification from the factory?

I use a Chef's Choice for sharpening. Works well for me. I used to hand sharpen on a stone but I never achieved a good edge. This led to embarrassment when my son brought home a friend in the restaurant business. When we started to fix dinner she commented favorably on my knives...until she tried to cut with one.

Since it is too late to edit, I misremembered and misspoke: the rice pudding recipe I usually use, from Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah, pp 165-166, calls for 1/2 cup rice and 5 cups of liquid (not 4 1/2 cups).

I've been using this method for about eight months now, as I see from my last post date. I just bought a Fissler pressure cooker set, one pan of which has the dimpled surface that Fissler calls Novogrill. I can report that this works well for steak, although I need a bit more work to figure out the temperature with it. I think the pan tonight was a bit too hot. To keep it from getting overdone I took the steak off the heat before I had a chance to baste with butter. While the steak was resting I sauteed mushrooms and garlic in the Fissler, then deglazed with red wine and finished with parsley and the butter I would have used for basting. Cooked just to my taste and tender, but maybe not as flavorful as if I had cooked more slowly and not skipped the butter step. I was pleased how easily the Fissler pan cleaned up.

I had to conclude that the Fissler rice pudding recipe was defective. Either that or I've lost the ability to measure out a recipe. I am trying again with about twice as much milk, cooked for a longer time. I sort of wish Fissler had used weight rather than dry measure for their cook book -- one might have expected better from a German company. Meanwhile I steamed a whole potatoe for making mashed potatoes. I cooked the large, well scrubbed russet potatoe for fifty minutes, then mashed as usual with butter, salt, and cream. Great flavor, although the result was a little dry. I think because my usual boiled potatoes absorb a lot more water. Mashing with a bit of added milk might have made all the difference. Tasting the modified rice pudding now. Much closer to what I think of as a pudding. The recipe as written calls for 3/4 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cup of total liquid. Whereas the traditional rice pudding recipe I cook on the stove top calls for 1/2 cup of rice and 4 1/2 cup of liquid. Maybe it's a difference between American rice pudding and German rice pudding. But I suspect it is bad recipe. I doubt I will try making it again.

For a chocolate cake that needs no embellishment, I suggest Rose Levy Beranbaum's Perfect All-American Chocolate Butter Cake, The Cake Bible pp 54-55. Leftovers are not usually a problem. It also works for cupcakes. The recipe calls for Dutch processed cocoa, which sadly I remember everytime I think to bake one (like now). I really should get some more good Dutch processed cocoa for the pantry.

I guess no one like polenta? Tonight I tried rice pudding from the recipe book that came with the Fissler Vitaquick, except I halved the recipe and cooked it in a pint canning jar, rather directly in the pressure cooker. Tastes OK. The rice is a bit chewy, but not over or underdone. I have to say I like my rice pudding cooked on the stove top better, even if that takes about an hour and twenty minutes start to finish.

The pressure test worked as far as I can tell. I put the 8 liter pan on medium high heat with 300 ml water in it. After a couple minutes steam came out of the handle. A few seconds later the steam shut off and the pressure indicator began to rise. I reduced the heat to low when the second white ring of the pressure indicator was visible. However steam started coming out of the handle again and making noise, telling me (I think) that the pressure was too high, so I took the pan off the burner. When the indicator started to go down I put the pan back on the burner at the lowest heat setting. The lowest setting of the burner was sufficient to hold the pressure at two rings (whatever pressure that may be) for the twenty minutes that I tested. The manual says the maximum pressure is 75 kPa, however I do not necessarily believe the manual (for reasons stated above). Thus I'm no closer to knowing the actual pressure. The lid is stamped "US", which as pazzaglia mentioned earlier in the thread probably denotes a different pressure setting. Interestingly the 8 liter pan came with a sticker that says "Complies with UL 136", the US pressure cooker standard. However, as shipped, the pan cannot comply with UL 136, since UL 136 specifies what information about the pan must be in the included manual.

Thanks. Looking carefully at the picture I can see they are made by the same company. I may get some to try.

OK, thanks, I did it. I ordered the Quatro Set Large on Amazon, for delivery tomorrow. I sort of wish I had a few more dollars left for food. I was not so fortunate. My manual is for the vitavit premium. The Amazon reviewers were correct. In my opinion supplying the wrong manual for a pressure vessel is pretty inexcusable for a large well established company. (Fortunately one of the lanuages is English.) As upset as I am with Cuisinart for not supplying spare parts for my now useless Cuisinart pressure cooker, at least when I bought the Cuisinart they enclosed a xeroxed sheet in place of the missing manual, with an apology that they would mail the printed manual when it was available. Which they did. Somewhat more positive first impressions of the Vitaquick: The pans are beautiful. All the pieces fit together smoothly and precisely. The smaller 4 liter pan has the Fissler dimpled browning surface. The larger 8 liter pan has a smooth surface. The two pans nest together nicely. Included are a perforated insert, tripod, and glass lid. With the supplied perforated inset installed, the 8 liter Vitaquick pan will accomodate one Bormioli quart (1 liter) canning jar. However there is very little space between the lid of the jar and the lid of the Vitaquick. Can anyone tell me if this is OK? Or should there be some minimum clearance? There is enough room for four Bormioli pint canning jars, with plenty of space above. I'm not sure if this is a plus or a minus, but the pans are heavy. Expect an update after I try some pressure testing later.

Were these the lifeliners you were speaking of? Warp Bros. PM125C Plast-O-Mat Ribbed Shelf Liner

I'm looking for the best method to prepare polenta in a pressure cooker. I know of at least three: Modernist Cuisine's in a plastic pouch, but I don't have a vacuum sealer. MC@Home's in a canning jar, but I have read of problems. Vickie Smith's in a bowl set inside the pressure cooker, which looks more trouble than it's worth. I like the idea of cooking polenta in canning jars the best. Has anyone tried this who could offer suggestions? The only ways I have made polenta are stirring on the stove or in a double boiler. Thanks!

OK, thanks, I did it. I ordered the Quatro Set Large on Amazon, for delivery tomorrow. I sort of wish I had a few more dollars left for food.

Having read this whole thread again (for the third or fourth time) I believe Pazzaglia answered my question in her post #236. If I understand correctly, I think the short answer is "yes". I hope.

From reading reviews on Amazon there are reports that (at least as of a month or two ago) Fissler is shipping some Vitaquick models with the wrong manual, and that the units don't reach 1 bar pressure. Has anyone experienced this first hand? I want so much to like the Vitaquick.

Chippy, thanks for relating your positive experience with the Vitaquick. I am in the US so the Vitaquick is the only easy to get Fissler model, although in my experience it's not too difficult to order European cookware from amazon.fr (except for the cost, of course). I was not thinking to use the Anova for the same things as the pressure cooker. Both the Anova and a pressure cooker would let me prepare things in ways that I cannot currently make, that's why they were linked in my mind. I have a good thermometer. Which makes me think it would be nice if there were some way to measure temperature inside a pressure cooker. I realize if all the air is expelled from a pressure cooker, the temperature can be calculated from the pressure. Does anyone know if the Vitaquick allows all the air to be expelled, or does the pressure valve shut off before that happens?

I may be able to finally afford a pressure cooker by the end of this week. I'm still leaning to the Vitaquick. Does anyone have new experiences to share that might affect my decision? The Anova circulator is tugging at my sleeve but I think I need a pressure cooker more.