Pressure Cookers – what's cooking?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Tonight I got home from work, badly needing a protein fix. I made Laura Pazzaglia's pressure cooker boiled eggs:

http://www.hippressurecooking.com/cracked-soft-medium-and-hard-boiled-eggs-in-the-pressure-cooker/

Apart from one omelet I have not cooked an egg all summer (except as an ingredient in ice cream/hollandaise/mayonnaise, pavlova and maybe a small cake, if lady fingers qualify as a small cake -- oh, and pastry cream and creme anglaise -- but since the mayonnaise's not cooked it doesn't count). It has been years since I've tried to cook an egg in the shell. (And with good reason.) If it didn't work, I figured that's what the dishwasher is for.

But the technique worked wonderfully. Four minutes yielded two perfect, easy to peel eggs. For those familliar with Modernist Cuisine's egg pictures they corresponded to between 72 and 74 deg C. Whites were well set with no more than a tear of liquid yolk.

Thank you, Laura, if you happen to be reading this.

[shellyschachter]

I use my electric pressure cooker several times a week. Although it only does 11-12psi on high, it is still convenient and shuts itself off which I love.

I make a sandwich spread based on the French rillette which has much, much more fat.

I smoke 3-4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder (called Country style ribs out here) at 235° for 3-4 hours until they have great color and some bark. I am not cooking until tender.

I sear in my pressure cooker chopped onion, garlic, celery, zucchini, carrot and sweet pepper, add some red wine, then some broth, and then chopped dried apricots (or dried mangos) and/or home dried tomatoes. Vegetables and dried fruit just depend on what's in the fridge.

Cook on high for 45-60 minutes and finish the shredding with an immersion blender. Salt and pepper to taste

I also make this with chicken thighs and beef chuck roast, but the meat is always smoked until dark and bark.

It is a lower fat delicious spread for sandwich, pizza, appetizers, etc.

Shelly

Edited September 21, 2013 by shellyschachter (log)

[boudin noir]

Does anyone do octopus in the pressure cooker?

[jayt90]

[

Edited September 21, 2013 by jayt90 (log)

[jayt90]

Does anyone do octopus in the pressure cooker?

I have done squid tubes for about 10 minutes. More reliable than grilling or pan frying, so octopus should be fine, if small and tender. It will curl .

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I've had a few more successes:

Steel cut oats 2 1/2 oz with 10 oz water and 1/2 oz Kosher salt cooked a pint canning jar on high for 23 minutes (I aimed for 20, I'd go for 25 next time). Best steel cut oats I've had...except for the two small pretty stones I found...found the hard way.

Green beans cooked on high for a minute or two. Wonderful! I first tried lindag's 3 minutes from the pressure cooked thread and ended up with mush. I guess I need a timer.

Last night was chicken cacciatore cooked on high for 20 minutes. I do like my chicken well done.

Now if I could only cook long enough to get the stones to tender.

[ElsieD]

I've had a few more successes:

Steel cut oats 2 1/2 oz with 10 oz water and 1/2 oz Kosher salt cooked a pint canning jar on high for 23 minutes (I aimed for 20, I'd go for 25 next time). Best steel cut oats I've had...except for the two small pretty stones I found...found the hard way.

Now if I could only cook long enough to get the stones to tender.

Did you cook the oatmeal in the jar with the lid on?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Did you cook the oatmeal in the jar with the lid on?

Yes, but the little stones still managed to get in.

I just came back from the store with a bag Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats. I'm hoping the premium price might discourage pieces of rock. And there was an error in the recipe I posted (complicated recipe, I know). The Kosher salt was 1/2 teaspoon, not 1/2 ounce. I'm fond of salty porridge, but that would be pushing it.

[lindag]

Green beans cooked on high for a minute or two. Wonderful! I first tried lindag's 3 minutes from the pressure cooked thread and ended up with mush. I guess I need a timer.

Jo,

Did you use the fast-release method? Mine come out perfectly, but I'm open to trying less time. (I'm assuming you were cooking fresh green beans and not frozen - they cook differently.)

As to steel cut oats: Cooks Illustrated did a test a while back and Bob's Red Mill was way out in front. It's what I use.

Actually I have detested oatmeal my entire life but I continue to try to force myself to like it just because it's so darned good for you.

I use Bob's and cook it in my Zo rice cooker. I can actually say that I'm beginning to learn to like oatmeal (but I still have a way to go - it's a texture thing.)

Edited September 24, 2013 by lindag (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Jo,

Did you use the fast-release method? Mine come out perfectly, but I'm open to trying less time. (I'm assuming you were cooking fresh green beans and not frozen - they cook differently.)

As to steel cut oats: Cooks Illustrated did a test a while back and Bob's Red Mill was way out in front. It's what I use.

Actually I have detested oatmeal my entire life but I continue to try to force myself to like it just because it's so darned good for you.

The beans were fresh and whole. I used the fast release. My comment about perhaps needing a timer was serious. I was measuring the three minutes by the clock on the stove. Yesterday I looked at beans in the store. They were on sale this week but they were old and mottled. It is the end of the summer here after all. I hope I can find some more nice ones, since when cooked at the shorter time they were so good.

Once when he was a teenager my son complained of under done green beans. His friend, who was having dinner with us, replied: "It's a lot better than the other way."

I love the texture of oatmeal! Just thinking of the texture makes me hunger for it. I wish I was awake enough to use the pressure cooker.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I just finished a batch of the Bob's steel cut oats -- same recipe as above. I can see why Bob's won their awards. No foriegn matter, wonderful texture. I am also a convert to cooking oatmeal in the pressure cooker: great taste, quick, and only a pint jar to clean up.

[haresfur]

I made a pot of baked beans that turned out nicely, I kind of hate to say it, because they weren't vegetarian. Took most of the meat off a smoked pork hock and set aside. put the hock and skin in the PC with white beans, cooked on high for 20 minutes. Natural release then drained reserving the bean stock. Then made a seat-of-the-pants bean recipe with tomato, dry mustard, about 1/2 the ham, a bit of the stock, and not too much molasses.

The bonus was that the bean/ham stock was fantastic. I could have drunk it with a straw, but used it in split pea soup with the rest of the ham.

I also discovered that my cleaver was not up to chopping through the ham bone. Oh well, in a few years I might have the knick sharpened out.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Was the smoked pork hock something you made or did you purchase it already smoked? Sounds good either way.

[patrickamory]

Making celery stock for a celery risotto. Celery, onions, Chinese leeks, carrots, onions, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaf and parsley, covered with water and cooked at high pressure for 20 minutes. I have a venting PC and the apartment smells wonderful.

[haresfur]

Was the smoked pork hock something you made or did you purchase it already smoked? Sounds good either way.

I bought it at the big chain supermarket. I suspect most of them are used in soup.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The other day I baked a pineapple upside down cake with fresh pineapple. The cake part was properly done, however the pineapple (of which I used a lot) was practically raw. In addition to being difficult to masticate, the pineapple enzymes were not deactivated, and the cake really hurt my mouth.

I thought about throwing the whole thing out, but I wrapped the smushed cake in heavy aluminum foil and pressure cooked it for an hour. The result is much more enjoyable.

[lindag]

When I've made this cake with fresh pineapple I've always cooked the pineapple in a skillet with butter and brown sugar for up to 20 minutes before assembling the cake.

Did you not cook the fruit first?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

When I've made this cake with fresh pineapple I've always cooked the pineapple in a skillet with butter and brown sugar for up to 20 minutes before assembling the cake.

Did you not cook the fruit first?

Nope. The recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cake Bible didn't call for cooking. It specified pineapple, fresh or canned. Cooking the pineapple in the skillet sounds much better than pressure cooking, but is a little difficult after the cake is baked, unfortunately.

[jayt90]

I have been using a pressure cooker for years - I own 3 at present including a mongo 24 qt that doubles as my pressure canner. While my main purpose is to speed up cooking things like pot roasts and 'slow cook' things, I have made pulled pork, fillings for tamales etc where the seasonings get infused. I'm glad the PC is making a comeback and I think 'popular' media makes using them harder than they really are. And for what it's worth, my mom did have one blow up on her, put a dent in the ceiling because that pressure valve didn't 'work'. It still won't stop me from using mine!

I'm confused about using the PC for the "low & slow" things. Since the PC brings up the pressure & therefore the temp...

Of course, I know it works for stocks...

But I'm confused. ??

The PC is like "Low & Slow" on speed. It's the steam penetration that allows quick cooking without overcooking.

A crock pot roast left on simmer will come to a slow boil, or 200 F by the end of the day. A PC will reach 225 F - 250 F , much faster, and with steam. The collagen and fat will break down, and the protein or flesh in the meat will finish just-in-time without becoming stringy.

Some baked beans done low and slow never come around, but will cook quickly in pressured steam heat above 212 F.

Carbohydrates and vegetables generally react well to fast pressured steam. You can do green vegetables quickly, and preserve the emerald color with an ice bath..

Hard boiled eggs react to the PC by separating the membrane from the white, hence, easy to peel.

In my kitchen the PC is the anti-sous-vide, cost effective, time saving, and flavorful.

[jayt90]

I used a pressure cooker to soften the skin on a pork shoulder roast.

This took 30 minutes of dry steam heat to soften the skin but leave the roast rare at center.

, 13 psi..

....

.

The roast was finished in 450 F convection oven for 30 minutes.

Result: succulent crispy skin and juicy pork inside.

[Kerry Beal]

What do you mean by 'dry steam heat'? Pressure cooker on a rack above the water?

[jayt90]

That's right, on a rack. It reminds me (in my mind) of experiencing dry steam in a Russian steam bath.

[Porthos]

From a Rancho Gordo post earlier in this thread: "Deborah Madison suggests for beans: 20 minutes at high, unsoaked, slow release and then about 20 minutes in the open air."

 

So while searching for a steamer insert the other day I happened across our pressure cooker that we have never used. I used on in my teens but I haven't been in my teens since before Nixon resigned. At first I thought I would donate it but then I decided that maybe it would be useful for beans. So I searched and found this thread. I am in the middle of my initial experiment as I type: one pound of black beans.

 

I released the pressure after 20 minutes and tested the beans. Still more crunch than I expected. I have brought them back up to pressure and am going for an additional 10 minutes. If this works out I will probably stop being lazy and mostly using canned beans.

[Porthos]

It looks like 30 and 30 might work for me.  These beans will be bagged and frozen for future use.

 

I think, at least for the moment, I have decided to hang on to the PC.

 

Next up, but not today, will be pinto beans.

[blue_dolphin]

It looks like 30 and 30 might work for me.  These beans will be bagged and frozen for future use.

 

I think, at least for the moment, I have decided to hang on to the PC.

 

Next up, but not today, will be pinto beans.

 

Thanks for bringing this up.  I bought a pressure cooker, mostly for beans, and gave it one try before concluding that I liked them better my usual way:  unsoaked, bring  to a boil on the stove, add salt, a garlic cloves, bay leaves and dried chiles,  and into the oven @ 250 or so until done. Great beans and it makes for a lovely warm kitchen, not exactly what I want at this time of year!  I'll give it another go and hope that finishing them on the stove will make them more like my slow oven method without as much extra heat in the kitchen.