Pressure cooker recipes and uses for a beginner

[bonkboo]

Just ordered the 10 qt Fagor. Can't wait. when I get it I'm gonna ask about that carrot soup recipe.

Any other (beginner) suggestions?

[andiesenji]

Just ordered the 10 qt Fagor. Can't wait. when I get it I'm gonna ask about that carrot soup recipe.

Any other (beginner) suggestions?

If you like hearty soups, do try this one for Ham bean soup.

When I make this the traditional way it takes several hours but this is done in less than an hour and is excellent.

[heidih]

You may want to check out our discussions about cooking with your pressure cooker such as these:

[dcarch]

I use my PC to make rice.

Perfect every time.

dcarch

[LindaK]

A pressure cooker is the only way I now make beans and stock. Simple, fast, and with stock, vastly superior to what I've produced with traditional methods.

I've yet to get much past the beginner stage, so I'm interested in other suggestions.

[emannths]

The Modernist Cuisine team has published some recipes on their blog, including a few that make use of the pressure cooker. There are others that have been published in other media, like the caramelized carrot soup recipe that appeared in Food & Wine. I'd also look into using the jar-inside-a-pressure-cooker method used to make dense, moist things like caramelized onions and polenta.

[jmolinari]

MAking just stock makes a PC worthwhile!

i've used it for pork belly braised in asian stuff (soy, star anise etc.) came out meltingly tender in 30-45 minutes.

My problem with doing beans in the PC is that the timing is critical. Too short and they're raw, too long and you have bean mush

Edited February 13, 2012 by jmolinari (log)

[Emily_R]

Totally agree with jmolinari -- stock alone makes it worthwhile, as does something like pork shoulder. I've had the same experience with beans -- too short and they're raw, too long and they're mush.

Has anyone here actually made that MC carrot soup? When I look at the recipe on Food and Wine, it calls for no liquid in the pot, just butter. Is this really ok? I don't understand how it comes up to pressure with no liquid -- is it just the liquid that comes out of the carrots?

[mkayahara]

Totally agree with jmolinari -- stock alone makes it worthwhile, as does something like pork shoulder. I've had the same experience with beans -- too short and they're raw, too long and they're mush.

Has anyone here actually made that MC carrot soup? When I look at the recipe on Food and Wine, it calls for no liquid in the pot, just butter. Is this really ok? I don't understand how it comes up to pressure with no liquid -- is it just the liquid that comes out of the carrots?

I've made it several times, and it does work! There's water in the butter that you use, plus the water that comes out of the carrots, yes. It's worth trying it at least once.

I make beans regularly, too, using Ideas in Food's times and pressures: 5 minutes at low pressure, drain, then refill and cook for 25 minutes at high pressure. I usually get at least one or two beans that are not-quite-cooked-through, but most of them are great, and I've never had them turn to complete mush. Given how hard my water is here, I would never cook dried beans without a pressure cooker.

[paulraphael]

If you're interested in using the pressure cooker to make stocks — one of the most interesting applications of the technology — be sure to read the cooking issues blog post on the subject. Interestingly, pressure cooker designs are different in fundamental ways. Some allow you to make stocks that are better than conventional ones, and others do not.

[Chris Hennes]

Note also, however, that the Cooking Issues post on the subject isn't the last word: the Modernist Cuisine team disagrees with the CI conclusions. So you might have to experiment on your own as well.

[bmdaniel]

In particular - Nathan said you can get the same results by just moderating the heat enough such that you don't get venting (which isn't that hard in practice).

[bonkboo]

Got the PC. Did chicken stock that night. Last night I did a version of the caramelized carrot soup. (Centerfuge is at the repair shop;)) Awesome results. Looking for something else to do today. Looking for paleo ideas, as my wife is trying that diet. Thoughts?

[slkinsey]

My problem with doing beans in the PC is that the timing is critical. Too short and they're raw, too long and you have bean mush

One way to avoid this is to hydrate the beans in salted water (let's say a 5% brine). Then change the water and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Pretreating with salt results in a firmer, "fudgey" interior texture rather than a looser, creamy interior texture. But this is a texture I prefer for many preparations. More to the point, it solves the problems of splitting skins and bean mush from slight overcooking. And the beans are salted throughout.

In particular - Nathan said you can get the same results [as you would get using a nonventing pressure cooker] by just moderating the heat enough [on a venting pressure cooker] such that you don't get venting (which isn't that hard in practice).

This is what I do. I have a gigantic WAFCO pressure canner I use to make stock. I just balance three quarters on top of the jiggle weight set to 15 PSI and then the gauge reaches 15, I moderate the heat to keep it right around 15. No venting.

Edited February 21, 2012 by slkinsey (log)

[jmolinari]

My problem with doing beans in the PC is that the timing is critical. Too short and they're raw, too long and you have bean mush

One way to avoid this is to hydrate the beans in salted water (let's say a 5% brine). Then change the water and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Pretreating with salt results in a firmer, "fudgey" interior texture rather than a looser, creamy interior texture. But this is a texture I prefer for many preparations. More to the point, it solves the problems of splitting skins and bean mush from slight overcooking. And the beans are salted throughout.

Thanks, i will try this for sure! Last time i added some calcium chloride which solved the problem as well...too bad i didn't write down how much i added.