I’m always happy to learn about a new convert to pressure cooking so I was delighted to come across a charming blog post with pictures called Learning to Love My Pressure Cooker, Vol. 1.  It’s written by Stefanie Koperniak, who begins:

One of my goals for the year is to develop a good relationship with the new pressure cooker that Chris and I have acquired (as a Christmas gift from his parents). Chris has long talked about getting a pressure cooker, but I’ve been reluctant, mainly because I’m afraid that using one will result in some sort of kitchen disaster (explosions, steam burns, pureed vegetables spattered all over the ceiling).

His mom, though, has long sworn by the speed and efficiency of a pressure cooker, using it to steam artichokes and make tasty soups (such as a great butternut squash and apple soup that she made when we visited for Thanksgiving). So, after taking the pressure cooker out of the big cardboard box in which it arrived, I decided that I was ready to take it on. (Well, sort of–there will likely be some cowering in other rooms as the pressure cooker shakes and releases scary bursts of steam–at least for a while.

To read more and check out the recipe for the vegan African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew she adapts for the “pc,” click here.

20th Anniversary Edition New Available!

I just discovered a blog written by a recent convert to pressure cooking, and I wanted to share it with you.  I love the writer’s enthusiasm about the “PC.”  As she puts it:  the pressure cooker relieves the pressure.

My sentiments exactly…

These enthusiastic folks share some useful advice from their personal experiences using an electric pressure cooker.

It’s easy to ask questions and join in on the conversation.

Since I’m an avid pressure cooker user, and often have two cookers going at once, I’m always on the look-out for a good multi-timer.  I just got this dandy 4-way timer and am very happy with it.

I’m never good about reading the small print in instruction manuals, but found this timer very user friendly and easy to set up.  It times up and down, so that if I’m writing a recipe, I can start it counting up and then write into the recipe just how long it takes the onions to become limp.

Once the cooker has reached high pressure, I set it for the number of minutes I want it to cook at high pressure and then it lets me know loud and clear when it’s time to release the pressure.  You get the idea…

You’ll find many comments on and accolades for this timer on Amazon.com.  I can see why people like it–takes the pressure out of cooking under pressure.

Photo courtesy of Food Network

Iron chefs are smart folks.

They know that using the pressure cooker is the best way to cook something fast.  In the recent White House competition, numerous chefs cooked under pressure, both literally and figuratively.

In her blog, it’sallfare.com, Marie Walsh captures the excitement in words and images.

The rich and hearty taste of this dish belies the ease of preparation. Part of the secret is enhancing good-quality storebought tomato sauce with fresh green bell pepper and mushrooms. The rest of the secret is hidden under the lid of the pressure cooker.

I often serve the cacciatore with parmesan mashed potatoes, but rice or polenta are also good choices.

SERVES 4 AS A MAIN COURSE

8 MINUTES HIGH PRESSURE PLUS NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups chopped onions or leeks

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

½ cup red wine

10 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, sliced or quartered

3 pounds bone-in skinned chicken breast halves, thighs, or a combination

2 cups good-quality tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

One can (6 ounces) pitted  black olives, drained

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or basil, plus more for garnish (optional)

1/8 to ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

½ cup grated parmesan or romano cheese, plus more to pass at the table

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a 4-quart or larger cooker. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and boil until about half evaporates. Scrape up any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the cooker.

Stir in the mushrooms. Set the chicken on top. Cover the chicken with tomato sauce. Do not stir. Plop the tomato paste on top.

Lock the lid in place. Over high heat bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape.

Stir in the olives, parsley, red pepper flakes (if using), cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the cacciatore rest for 3 to 5 minutes.

To serve, lightly dust each portion with cheese and sprinkle with parsley. Pass extra cheese in a bowl.

Variations

Cook-Along Potatoes (6-quart or larger cooker): Arrange 2 to 3 pounds medium potatoes, scrubbed or peeled and quartered, on top of the tomato sauce.

Instead of adding ripe black olives at the end, cook cacciatore with one or more varieties of Mediterranean olive, such as Cerignola, niçoise, or picholines.

Stir in a bunch of chopped arugula along with olives.

Vary flavor by using tomato sauce with sausage or roasted garlic.

Transformations (Follow basic recipe except as noted)

Pasta and Chicken Cacciatore (6-quart or larger cooker): After adding mushrooms, stir in 1½ cups chicken broth and 12 ounces short pasta (preferably a variety with crevices, such as spirals or campanelle) that normally cooks within 9 to 12 minutes. Instead of bone-in chicken, use 2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch chunks. Cook under pressure for 5 minutes, then quick-release. Stir well as you add remaining ingredients. Separate any pasta that is stuck together, and release any that is clinging to bottom of cooker. If pasta is not uniformly cooked, cover and steam in residual heat during resting period.

Turkey Cacciatore: Substitute skinned, boneless turkey thighs, 7 to 10 ounces each. Timing remains the same.

PRESSURE TIPS:

For electric and high-BTU stoves, set a heat diffuser under cooker before bringing up to pressure.

The ½ cup wine, supplemented by ample liquid given off by onions, mushrooms, and chicken, is sufficient to bring up the pressure and create plenty of sauce.

Adapted from PRESSURE PERFECT, copyright Lorna Sass, 2009

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Photo courtesy of Kent Cameron Photography

You’ll have fun telling your guests that this cheesecake was “baked” in a pressure cooker. They probably won’t believe you.

“Wow!” exclaimed one friend who tried the recipe. “Making cheesecake is reason enough to invest in a pressure cooker. You can be sure I’ll never make cheesecake in the oven again.”

“It must be the fastest cheesecake on earth,” said another.

You may enjoy eating the cheesecake warm, when its texture is reminiscent of a souffle. For the traditional dense version,allow an hour to cool to room temperature then at least 4 hours to chill.

Pressure-steam the cheesecake in a 7-inch springform pan. If you can’t find one locally, order it by mail from www.Zabars.com

Serves 6 to 8

15 minutes high pressure plus natural pressure release

Pan spray or butter for preparing a 7-inch springform pan

For the crust

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup chocolate cookie crumbs

For the filling

2 large eggs

16 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (Avoid reduced fat products which will prevent the cake from setting properly.)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the optional garnish, choose one

Berries or sliced fresh fruit

Cherry Pie Filling (from a can)

Prepare a foil strip: Cut off a 1 1/2-foot-long piece of standard-width aluminum foil. Double it twice lengthwise to create a long strip. Set aside.

Use butter or pan spray to coat bottom and halfway up the sides of the 7-inch springform pan.

To make the crust, combine the melted butter and cookie crumbs. Press them onto the bottom and a little way up the sides of the springform pan.

Using an electric mixer or a food processor, blend the ingredients for the filling. Do not overwork the batter. Pour mixture into the prepared pan.

Pour 2 cups of water into a 6-quart or larger cooker. Set a trivet or rack in place that will raise the cheesecake above the water. Center the uncovered pan on the foil strip and lower it onto the trivet. Fold down the ends of the strip so that they don’t interfere with closing the cooker.

Lock the lid in place. Over high heat bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape. sLet the steam subside before lifting the pan from the cooker with the aid of the foil strip. Set on a rack. If there is a small pool of condensed water in the middle, blot it up with a paper towel.

If not eating warm, cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Before serving, release and remove the rim of the springform pan. Serve from the base of the pan, garnished as desired.

Tip: The cheesecake freezes very well. Defrost it at room temperature or in the microwave.

Many people contact me for advice on buying a new pressure cooker, and it can be a jungle out there with so many models available in price ranges from $39 and up to $180 for a 6-quart cooker.

Here are some important things to look for.  You’ll find more details in the introductions to my four pressure cooker cookbooks.

HEAVY BOTTOM

Opt for an 18/10 stainless steel cooker that has a 3-ply bottom with an aluminum or copper sandwich. A well constructed heavy bottom distributes heat evenly and prevents sticking and scorching during the time when the cooker is set over high heat to bring it up to pressure.

LID AND TYPE OF PRESSURE REGULATOR

Contrary to what they say about books, you should judge a pressure cooker in large part by its cover. The lid reveals how the cooker functions and what safety features are built into the design.

**First make sure that it’s simple to lock the lid into place and remove it after cooking.

**Then determine what kind of pressure regulator the cooker employs and how easy it is to determine when high pressure is reached.

There are three types of pressure regulators (so named because they regulate the amount of pressure in the cooker):

1) the spring-valve

2) the removable jiggle-top

3) the developed weight regulator (a jiggle-top in disguise).

All are safe to use, but with the spring-valve it’s easiest to know for sure when high pressure is reached.

SAFETY BACK-UPS

Make sure the cooker has at least 3 different safety back-up mechanisms for releasing excess pressure.  These will be described in the Owner’s Manual or you can check with the company’s customer care department.

PSI

This refers to the pounds of pressure Per Square Inch. Look for a cooker that operates at 13 to 16 pounds of pressure per square inch at high pressure.  This will get the job done faster than cookers that operate at 9 pounds PSI.

SIZE

Get at least a 6-quart since you can only fill a cooker 2/3-full.  (You need to allow a few inches on top for the steam pressure to gather.)  Get an 8-quart if you’re cooking in large quantity or if storage isn’t an issue; an 8-quart will allow you to do triplex cooking, such as making layers of potatoes, meatloaf, and carrots and cooking them at the same time.

Here’s the meat-and-potatoes dish to make when you feel like getting on with it–no time lingering over browning the meat and no extra step for cooking the potatoes.

This no-frills approach is all thanks to the ingenuity of cowboy cooks who never wasted a thing: When leftover morning coffee found its way into the dinner stew, they discovered that it deepened the flavors remarkably well.

Northern Italian Cooks use a similar approach by adding espresso to a beef stew called Stacotto al caffe.  In American this coffee-laced dish is often called Chuckwagon Beef Stew.

In this recipe, the potatoes are cooked along with the beef right from the start. It’s no problem if they get a bit overcooked since they are to be mashed coarsely with some sharp cheddar and crisp bacon bits. Serve them in a mound in the middle of the stew.

Serves 4

20 minutes high pressure plus 15 minutes natural pressure release

3 strips bacon, chopped

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onion

1 cup strong black coffee or beef broth

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chunk, cut into 1-inch cubes, well trimmed

2 large bay leaves

3 pounds Idaho potatoes, scrubbed or peeled, then halved

1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar or Monterey pepper jack cheese, or more to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

Set the bacon in cooker and set the heat to medium high. Fry until quite crisp, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, and lowering the heat to medium, if needed, to prevent the bacon from burning, about 4 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a bowl and pour off the thin film of fat.

Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until softened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add coffee and stir well, taking care to scrape up any browned bits that are sticking to the bottom of the cooker.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, beef, and bay leaves. Stack the potatoes on top of the beef (Some will end up in the liquid and become extremely soft and flavorful.)

Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat to maintain high pressure and cook 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to come down naturally for 15 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure. Remove the lid, tilting it away form you to allow excess steam to escape.

With a slotted spoon, lift the potatoes out of the cooker and set them in a large bowl. Taste the beef and, if not sufficiently tender, return to high pressure for 5 minutes more. Again, let the pressure come down naturally.

Use a potato ricer or fork to mash the potatoes coarsely, mixing in the cheese and reserved, crisp bacon as you go. Season the potatoes with salt and lots of pepper. Reheat the potatoes in the microwave, if necessary.

Remove the bay leaves from the stew and season to taste. Ladle the stew into large, shallow bowls. Set a large mound of smashed potatoes in the middle. Garnish with parsley, if you wish.

Copyright © 2009 Lorna Sass