Addendum to Presto Cookers and Instant Pot...

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AGREED-WHAT UGLY wallpaper in the pressure cooker video-Really-that video is an informercial for Presto Pressure cookers!!My Mom had one-when I was little was fascinated by it and afraid of it,too!Haven't seen a pressure cooker used in many years.Like anything else safe when used properly.
 
Cash Registers and Pressure Cookers:

I love those registers. In the recent thread about department store sounds, this mechanical NCR register is the sound I miss at grocery stores and other retailers.

I have been on a nostalgia kick the past few days and have my grandmother's 1940's Model 40 Presto pressure cooker. I am going to get it out, oil the wooden handles and lid gasket, then try it out. The idea of being able to have potatoes ready to whip in 8 to 10 mins is nice. I used to do pole/green beans in the PC and plan to do some good ole southern green beans once I get the mojo back in gear with the PC

I read back through this thread and others dealing with Pressure Cookers, picked up so valuable information.

If anyone has any tips, warnings or advice ..shout please...
 
For those of us who live at high altitude

Pressure cookers are faster than microwave ovens once you want more than two potatoes (or you have to buy a commercial 2,000W microwave).

 

I use one of mine nearly every day, they're such a time saver.

That first video was made by Presto, of course.
 
Aluminum

I realized after reading back through previous threads that my cooker is made of aluminum. I have never cooked in aluminum. I know it is durable, not much more. Am going to look through the history on the site to see if threads have discussed aluminum cookware over the years.
 
Actually,

It is made of a magnesium-aluminium alloy. This means it will last forever. No dishwasher, of course.

It also means you will now hear all sorts of hysterical nonsense (if this weren't deluxe, I'd use another word) about how evil aluminium is. 

It's not.

At.All.

Use it. Enjoy it. Clean it and polish it and you'll love it forever.
 
Panthera, you were hitting on exactly my apprehensions with regard to Aluminum and it leeching into foods cooked in it. I am somewhat relieved to read your posting.

My heart sank a bit when I discovered the PC was not stainless. Makes complete sense being almost 80 years old that it would not necessarily be made of stainless steel.

I ordered a new lid seal and pressure valve and planning to put this old girl to work. Now with a better understanding of the actual composition of the metals.
 
Good film from Presto, and an excellent print for an old 16mm title. A well-known cast with Spring Byington (December Bride) as Mrs. Bartlett and child actress Connie Marshall (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House) as Carol. The younger brother is Gary Pagett, who's been in a lot of TV shows and movies.

In the movie I saw an Admiral refrigerator and Sunbeam mixer at the friend's house. I couldn't tell what the appliances in the Bartlett home were, but the cabinets appear to be Kelvinator.
 
Supermarket training film

Anyone else recognize the music when the checker was demonstrating how to ring up an order? It happens to be the theme song from "The Donna Reed Show".

I'm pretty sure the woman presenting the check is Fran Ryan, who played the second Doris Ziffel on "Green Acres", in addition to the Hungry Jack pancake commercials.
 
Presto Model 40 - Green Beans

Cleaned up this 1948 Pressure Cooker, manufactured by National Presto "Model 40". It shined right up and discovered both the lid seal and the over pressure plug were still safe and did not need to be replaced. I now have extras if I need to replace in the future.

Snapped some green beans and used my regular recipe for them, loaded it up and five minutes after the steam achieved 15psi, I had some really good green beans.

Realizing the new cookers are electric and have internal timers and maybe a few safety features...they are expensive! I think i'll stick with this 1948 version for which my grandmother most likely paid a good deal of cash...I guess every thing is cyclical. I am assuming she paid what would have been in 1948, a lot of money for a pressure cooker. We now pay a good deal of cash for a modern pressure cooker called an "instant pot". They really do the same thing...cook using pressure.

I was reading about the name "Presto" and back in the 1940s the reason it was named "Presto" was because of the very reduced cooking time(s). Panthera mentions above that in areas of high altitude a Pressure Cooker is faster than a microwave oven. I have never much cared for cooking in a microwave oven. Warming and melting things (and the pudding making we communicated about in another thread) are about all I do in a MWO.

My hunch is I will keep this old girl out in my regular stash to be used more than I have in the past.

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Ain’t she petty! Lol. Those beans were cooked perfectly in that thing. Will be trying potatoes and mashing/whipping them very soon.

Really looking forward to being able to have mashed potatoes in 20 mins as opposed to over an hour.
 
Toploader55, I usually cook the potatoes in chicken broth, so I would imagine the cup of broth replacing the water will be sufficient? What do you think? The green beans I prepared in the pressure cooker could maybe used a bit less time ( I think I cooked them for four minutes).

My hunch is the potatoes will have more body with much of the starch being retained as you mention.

I am going to try a pot roast in the cooker this weekend and use the regular ingredients I normally use. Will be interesting to go from a slow cooker to a pressure cooker pot roast.
 
I think that amount of stock should be good.

Brocolli can be hard to figure out. Sometimes if it's really thick and tight packed buds, the buds can be mush and the stems "al Dente".

The Shocking of Vegetables is important with Pressure cooking as well as conventional. But unless you're serving them right away, it's good to cool them with cold water. Otherwise they keep cooking and will be mushy.

Pot Roast does well with the "let the pressure drop to it's own accord" to quote the Presto cook Book

https://www.gopresto.com/recipes/ppc/howtouse.php

https://www.gopresto.com/recipes/pressurecooking/index.php?PHPSESSID=6d4888
 
In my book, Russet or Idaho potatoes should be baked or fried (or even nuked).

Boiling/steaming is for red/white potatoes, which are waxier and don't fall apart when done in water.

I have all sorts of pressure cookers but more often than not I'll cook red/white potatoes on the stove top. Takes five minutes to boil, and another 15 to cook. 20 min tops. The pressure cookers can take that long, or longer, to get to pressure, cook the potatoes, and then do a natural release. Plus on the stovetop I can poke them with a fork to determine if they are done.

I use a pressure cooker for stuff like brown rice, artichokes, etc. Stuff that takes more than 40 minutes on the stovetop. Even then, each time it's a bit of a science experiment.
 
"In my book, Russet or Idaho potatoes should be baked or fried".

OMDDBJ !!! Absolutely. But why I like Idaho for mashing is because you have total control over the consistency. I do mash Yukon Golds, Red Bliss, Maine New Potaoes and their flavor is wonderful. Almost Buttery like.

But for Straight up mash that has stand up to a lot of Gravy or Jus, You can adjust the texture better. Add Chicken Stock or Milk, or Sour Cream or all of that as I like a "stiffer" mash when dousing it in Pot Roast Gravy, Chicken Gravy, or just plain Meat Juice.

That's just my thang.
 
Potatoes, like nearly everything but meat

Should be shock cooled.

This is one of the few genuine advantages of non-electric/electronic pressure pans: They can be cooled down by a stream of water across the lid or in a basin of water.

Except for meat and canning (of some things) everything cooked in the pressure pan should be shock cooled.
 
I love Nevada Russets.  They're so much smoother and creamier than those from Idaho.  They're not easy to find, though. 

 

Raley's (AKA Bel-Air and Nob Hill) markets out here have locations in Nevada and have been known to stock Nevada Russets in all of their stores.  I don't know if they still do; none of their stores are conveniently located to me anymore.  If not, they might still be available through special order. 

 

Mike, based on my own recent experience, go easy on the liquid for the pot roast.  It will generate some of its own.  I did my first one in a PC not that long ago and should have used less liquid.  Also, err on the side of less cooking time.  You just want the meat to be tender and not to lose all of its structural integrity, as in pulled pot roast.
 
Reducing liquid and time

rp2813, thanks for the advice. My slow cooker recipe is the one I planned to use in the pressure cooker and that normally requires about two cups of liquid. I will definitely reduce the liquid and also will monitor the time. Tks!

http://reduceing liquids
 
Mike, as a reminder, find a PC-based recipe that's similar to your slow-cooker pot roast recipe and that will give you the optimum liquid amount to adjust to.  Bob

 
 
Thank you Bob

Bob, thanks I had found a similar recipe using a PC and upon rp2813’s suggestion, I am going to reduce the liquid a bit. The one thing I miss about having a slow cooker is the wonderful aroma that permeates the entire house when a slow cooker is cooking.
 
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