1 hour ago, rotuts said:you, of course, have an IntatntPot ? the perfect complement to the CSB.
Thank you for the comments, Rotuts. At risk of hijacking this whole thread, what is the advantage of an InstaPot-type Pressure cookers? I agree that pressure cookers are essential, but ordinary old-fashioned stove-top cookers. Fagor makes a great one. Here's my contrary view:
-Pressure cookers actually cook on the heat for very short times. Bring up to pressure (5-10 minutes, less if you pre-boil the water in an electric kettle like I often do), let cook for 0-5 mins, turn off the heat and let your food cook in the residual pressure/heat. The only exception is beans/hard starchy tubers (30 mins heat), stocks (40-60 min), or dense meaty stews/sauces (20-30 mins). Anyway, the timing is too short to really need an electric timer, at least not worth the trade-offs.
-If I want to depressurize the pot instantly, I put it under running cold water. Can't do that with an IP, at best you need to open the valve and have steam go all over the place.
-You often need to "stir" your food, or it can burn, or at least stratify in funny ways on longer cooks. Think of what happens to tomato sauce. I give my pressure cooker a shake/flip (like sautéeing in a pan) and all is well. IP doesn't have a handle!
-Lastly, most important, the pressure cooker is a very sturdy, thick-walled cookpot in and of itself. I sautée in it all the time (lid off), either to prep food before pressure-cooking it (for instance onions going into a stew) or just a handy extra pot.
-Sorry, I really can't see myself pre-programming a pressure cooker and walking away. I'm sure the IP has a good safety valve, but there is still plenty that can go wrong (bad seal, food stuck in the valve), you need to keep an eye on these things.
Anyway, for my way of cooking, I love pressure cookers, but this is a place for Keep It Simple, Stupid!
Just my $0.02.....
