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The Dinner Pressure's Off with a Pressure Cooker
I grew up with a mother who cooked, and cooked a lot. We rarely had take-away (in those days the options where we lived were fish'n'chips, Chinese or a dodgy version of pizza) or ate out. In winter Mum used her pressure cooker to make soup, stew, and braises to keep us fed and warm. In summer she used the pressure cooke as a pressure canner for preserving fruits and vegetables and sauces.
We were given a slow cooker as a wedding present, and I loved it and it was used every week, year round, until the crock cracked. It was very quickly replaced and the new cooker is still going strong.
Then I read a book about pressure cookers and how they can change lives. Yes, I was sceptical but it had me thinking, and certainly made me curious. Perhaps a pressure cooker would be a useful addition to my kitchen tools.
Except they were so expensive. And then one day, in my favourite op shop, I found a Namco pressure cooker, just like Mum's. And for the huge sum of $8! That pressure cooker came home with me and it sat on the bench for weeks until I plucked up the courage to try it.
One beef curry, made from gravy beef, on the table in 30 minutes and I was convinced. I wasn't scared any more!
The only problem was we're a family of five and I like to at least double recipes and this was a very small, single meal pressure cooker. Our budget at the time didn't stretch to spending $200+ on a new, bigger pressure cooker so I persevered with the small one, but it really wasn't being used to it's full money saving potential.
A few years ago, my family gave me a multi-cooker for Christmas (before they became the latest and greatest kitchen gadget). It is a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a soup cooker and an electric saucepan. I love it, but I'll confess right now to only using the pressure cooking function.
Why? Because I cook rice in the microwave in 15 minutes. I have a much bigger slow cooker that is used all year round for pasta sauces (which need slow cooking), silverside etc.. My soup is made in a 10 litre stock pot. And frankly, for me, an electric saucepan is just a nuisance - much easier and faster to use the gas.
But the pressure cooker function is brilliant. I have always been scared of pressure cookers. My mother's would reach pressure and the valve would go off, and I'd be terrified. The electric multi-cooker doesn't do that, so no more jumping in fright.
It's great for quick casseroles, stews, braises. It's wonderful for puddings and soups (without the soup function). When I do a bulk cooking day, I have the pressure cooker going along with the slow cooker and preparing a month's worth of meals is a breeze.
If you're like me, and have been nervous around pressure cookers, or want something that is quick, as opposed to a slow cooker, consider using a pressure cooker to prepare your meals. They really are fast, energy efficient and today's modern pressure cookers are very safe.
We were given a slow cooker as a wedding present, and I loved it and it was used every week, year round, until the crock cracked. It was very quickly replaced and the new cooker is still going strong.
Then I read a book about pressure cookers and how they can change lives. Yes, I was sceptical but it had me thinking, and certainly made me curious. Perhaps a pressure cooker would be a useful addition to my kitchen tools.
Except they were so expensive. And then one day, in my favourite op shop, I found a Namco pressure cooker, just like Mum's. And for the huge sum of $8! That pressure cooker came home with me and it sat on the bench for weeks until I plucked up the courage to try it.
One beef curry, made from gravy beef, on the table in 30 minutes and I was convinced. I wasn't scared any more!
The only problem was we're a family of five and I like to at least double recipes and this was a very small, single meal pressure cooker. Our budget at the time didn't stretch to spending $200+ on a new, bigger pressure cooker so I persevered with the small one, but it really wasn't being used to it's full money saving potential.
A few years ago, my family gave me a multi-cooker for Christmas (before they became the latest and greatest kitchen gadget). It is a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a soup cooker and an electric saucepan. I love it, but I'll confess right now to only using the pressure cooking function.
Why? Because I cook rice in the microwave in 15 minutes. I have a much bigger slow cooker that is used all year round for pasta sauces (which need slow cooking), silverside etc.. My soup is made in a 10 litre stock pot. And frankly, for me, an electric saucepan is just a nuisance - much easier and faster to use the gas.
But the pressure cooker function is brilliant. I have always been scared of pressure cookers. My mother's would reach pressure and the valve would go off, and I'd be terrified. The electric multi-cooker doesn't do that, so no more jumping in fright.
It's great for quick casseroles, stews, braises. It's wonderful for puddings and soups (without the soup function). When I do a bulk cooking day, I have the pressure cooker going along with the slow cooker and preparing a month's worth of meals is a breeze.
If you're like me, and have been nervous around pressure cookers, or want something that is quick, as opposed to a slow cooker, consider using a pressure cooker to prepare your meals. They really are fast, energy efficient and today's modern pressure cookers are very safe.
Pressure Cooking:
The method of cooking by steam in a specially constructed saucepan, at very high temperatures so that foods are cooked much more rapidly. Very useful for such long processes as making stock for soup, or the bottling of fruits and vegetables. Also tenderizes cheaper cuts of meat for stews and casseroles.
The method of cooking by steam in a specially constructed saucepan, at very high temperatures so that foods are cooked much more rapidly. Very useful for such long processes as making stock for soup, or the bottling of fruits and vegetables. Also tenderizes cheaper cuts of meat for stews and casseroles.
The technical info on pressure cooking is this: the boiling point of water is 100 degrees Celsius at sea level. This boiling point changes with increased pressure, and it's this idea that is used in pressure cooking.
Food cooks around four times faster in a pressure cooker than using conventional methods, perfect if you're in a hurry. And because pressure cookers use less energy you'll be saving money and helping the environment.
Yes! Pressure cookers can save you money as well as time.
Pressure cookers are ideal for preparing cheaper cuts of meat, and with the ever increasing price of meat, this is something budget conscious cooks need to consider. Even the toughest cut becomes melt-in-the-mouth tender when cooked in a pressure cooker. Soups, stews, casseroles, puddings and pot roasts can be on the table in around 45 minutes, just great for a busy day and a hungry family.
You'll find that food often tastes better cooked under pressure, much the same way a stew or casserole tastes better if it's left in the fridge for a couple of days. The higher heat and increased pressure combines and melds the flavours together so it tastes great as soon as it's cooked.
Food prepared in a pressure cooker also retains more nutrients as they use less liquid. This means that food is better for you too (another potential saving on medical costs and multi-vitamin pills).
If you haven't tried pressure cooking yet, borrow a pressure cooker and give it a go.
Food cooks around four times faster in a pressure cooker than using conventional methods, perfect if you're in a hurry. And because pressure cookers use less energy you'll be saving money and helping the environment.
Yes! Pressure cookers can save you money as well as time.
Pressure cookers are ideal for preparing cheaper cuts of meat, and with the ever increasing price of meat, this is something budget conscious cooks need to consider. Even the toughest cut becomes melt-in-the-mouth tender when cooked in a pressure cooker. Soups, stews, casseroles, puddings and pot roasts can be on the table in around 45 minutes, just great for a busy day and a hungry family.
You'll find that food often tastes better cooked under pressure, much the same way a stew or casserole tastes better if it's left in the fridge for a couple of days. The higher heat and increased pressure combines and melds the flavours together so it tastes great as soon as it's cooked.
Food prepared in a pressure cooker also retains more nutrients as they use less liquid. This means that food is better for you too (another potential saving on medical costs and multi-vitamin pills).
If you haven't tried pressure cooking yet, borrow a pressure cooker and give it a go.
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