mix and match appliances?

[retromom]

Pressure Cooker Continued...

I bought an 8 qt. Mirro about a year ago. It makes the best corned beef and cabbage. I should use it more often, but the kids don't usually like "one pot meals".

I had not had a pressure cooker for years. The last one we had belonged to my mother-in-law. I'll never forget the night my husband accidentally removed the regulator and it sprayed beef stew all over the ceiling

 

[retromom]

Pressure Cooker News.....

Chachp - I just bought a 1955 Good Housekeeping Cookbook for $1.00. It has a small section (194-199) on pressure cooking. Let me know if you need a recipe for Pressure-Curried Shrimp or Company Chicken Supreme!

 

[chachp]

Retromom,

I is easy to convert those old recipes for use in an electric cooker?

 

[retromom]

Pressure Cooker Recipes.....

Chachp:

All of the recipes use 15lbs of pressure. They even mention electric pressure cookers: "Meet the newest in the field: It's a completely automatic pressure cooker that has its own electric base and controls the time, pressure, and even the venting."

I will do some experimenting to see if these recipes are decent.

 

[kenmore1978]

electric vs stovetop pressure cookers

The pressure regulates the temperature in either a stovetop or electric pressure cooker, so no recipe "conversions" are really needed.

I bought several books for pressure cooking off E-Bay when I decided to get serious about cooking in order to make it easier to stay on the Atkin's diet by having variety. Also bought a lot of books that were either food-specific (tofu, chicken, vegetables, desserts, popcorn, ice cream, pies and cakes, etc.) Also purchased a LOT of books that were appliance-specific (electric frying pan, rice cooker, slow cooker, food processor, blender, waffle maker, ice cream machine, steamer, electric mixers, microwave oven, sandwich maker, juicer, deep fryer, wok) I even have a little microwave pressure cooker that I used for the first time recently and it worked perfectly. Didn't have enough food to justify bringing out the "Big Bertha" pressure cooker, and all the other methods called for hours of cooking on teh stovetop or in a slow cooker.

 

[chachp]

I should have been more specific regarding conversions. I wondered how I would know when to use High Steam vs. Low and Natural Release vs. Quick Release.

Some recipes are easy to figure out and others I wasn't sure. Many recipes in older books speak of adjusting the steam based on how the regulator is moving or whistling or whatever it does. My Mother never used one when I was growing up, and my only experience with one is my electric model.

 

[david]

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Venus, sounds good. Would you tell me what I need to do in my presto to cook it? I am looking for variety recipes and have 2 books on the subject of pc's. BTW most cooker recipes specify whether to cool slow or quickly. I don't know how an electric cools quick, but my stovetop model, you just sit it in the sink and run cold water over it. I have learned to give these ample time to cool, sometimes it seemms to take longer to cool than to cook.

 

[david]

By the way, chachp

Your kitchen is out of this world. Great looking decor and the appliances just look so well matched. I like.

 

[kenmore1978]

pressure cooking

CHACP, I'll take a look in my pressure cooker books and see what they say on the subject.

 

[maytagbear]

My favourite pressure cooker books are by

Lorna Sass. Her recent one, Pressure Perfect,
is a treasure! Even her first cook book, Cooking Under Pressure
is very good. The Chicken Biryani (Pressure Perfect) is worth the price of the book, I think. The recipes are clear, interesting, but not weird, and all the variables are explained--electric cooker, electric stove, 4 quart versus larger cooker, all the details.

There are some cookbook authors who are best on a topic. Lorna Sass is the best on pressure cooking. Jean Anderson is best on food processors. Beatrice Ojakangas is the queen of Scandinavian baking.....

I have a 4 quart electric Presto pressure cooker from the early 1970s. It is a standard Presto, but with an element and Control Master---just like a Presto electric frypan.

Pressure Perfect has lots of information, including useful charts for vegetables, whole grains, and beans.

I use my pressure cooker 2-4 times a week. I would not cook wild rice any other way!

I am seriously thinking about getting an additional, larger pressure cooker, because there are some things that are better suited for a 6 quart or larger pressure cooker.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[kenmore1978]

Lorna Sass

That's one of the pressure cooker books I have

 

[retromom]

corned beef and cabbage

David:

Here is the recipe straight from the manual: For a 4.2 qt. cooker:

2lbs corned beef brisket
3cups water (I use chicken broth)
4 carrots sliced (or use "baby carrots" whole)
4 medium potatoes cut in small chunks
4 cabbage wedges
1 small onion cut in small chunks

1. Place corned beef in cooker add water (broth).
2. Cover, set control at 10 psi and cook 60 minutes after control jiggles.
3. Cook cooker normally for 5 minutes, then place under faucet.
4. Add remaining ingredients.
5. Cover, set control at 10 psi and cook 8-10 minutes after control jiggles. Reduce pressure instantly (this is where you run it under the faucet).

Hope you all enjoy it. I will be making corned beef myself next week. BTW, I made vegetable beef soup in mine last night. Wow, it sure hit the spot! Will also keep my eyes peeled for a Lorna Sass pressure cooker cookbook. I've never seen one before!

Venus

 

[kenmore1978]

Lorna Sass

Hmm, looks like I may have her second book, it's called "The Pressured Cook". I'll have to look for her latest book and the first one, might as well have a compete set.

According to the book, the recipe instructions should dictate high vs low pressure or quick release vs natural release

 

[chachp]

Lorna Sass

I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the information. I bet I could get a lot more use out of my cooker with a complete PC cookbook. My cooker came with a book of only a few recipes and a chart of how to cook different foods.

 

[david]

Venus! Thanks!

Thanks for sharing the recipe with me and the gang. It looks to be tastier than the ones I've used before. But we love corned beef and cabbage. And I love my presto! So thanks a million. I will let you know how it turned out-David

 

[maytagbear]

Lorna Sass's books are at

Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and many public libraries.

I like to borrow from a library or a friend before investing in a new cookbook, but I find cookbooks hard to resist. My late Mother taught Home Ec, and I have cooked professionally. Therefore, I have a lot of cookbooks!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[kenmore1978]

Lorna Sass

A few E-Bay items

http://search.ebay.com/lorna-sass_W0QQfromZR40QQsojsZ1

 

[kenmore1978]

Presto Pressure cooker

So, Maytagbear, is your pressure cooker the type that is immersible once the controls are removed? That's the only way you'd be able to run cold water over it for instant cooldown.

Went to Presto's site, and noticed there are NO electric pressure cookers anymore, they are all aluminum or stainless steel stovetop units.

 

[maytagbear]

Yes, it is

immersible with the Control Master removed.

Presto made it only for a few years in the 60-70s.

They revived it in the 80s as the "Wee Cookerie" and the "Gran Cookerie."

I believe Farberware/Maxim/Salton make a non-immersible electric pressure cooker (with a removable liner).

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[kenmore1978]

Pressure cooking

Here's an interesting site

http://missvickie.com/