Pressure Cookers - Love or Hate Them?

[norgeway]

Colonel Sanders!

Pressure fried chicken for years in Prestos,a good friend of mine was a store manager for KFC in the early 60s and 70s,he taught me the method, it works with no problems, use a large pressure cooker,fill 1/2 full of peanut oil,heat to 350 on a deep fry thermometer,put in breaded chicken,put on lid, when 15 lbs is reached, time it 12 minutes, remove from heat,put a heavy dish towell over weight, remove slowly so the steam does not burn you, when the pressure is down, remove lid and take out chicken, the last stovetop models KFC used were Mirro Matics, 16 quart, Ray said you could do 4 chickens at a time.

 

[rp2813]

Pressure Fried Chicken

We ate plenty of it at the Samoa Cookhouse! They'll keep bringing more of everything! They make chicken in huge quantities and use a big boxy cooker that had the same sort of sealing mechanism as on a submarine door.

http://www.samoacookhouse.net/

 

[launderess]

It's Called A Broaster

Used to "pressure fry" foods safely.

Thing about the Wearever and Presto "chicken buckets" is that the seals/gaskets and or other parts are still made. Neither company will have anything to do with those pressure cookers/fryers as well, so calling for information has lead many a consumer to fustrating circles.

Methinks there is and or was a liablity issue, certainly if the pressure fryers were that "hot" an item another manufacturer would have seen the market and stepped in by now. An electric Presto "Chicken Bucket" just sold on eBay for a bit less than $400 USD (yes, you read that correctly). Granted it was NIB, but still someone had a nice payday.

 

[whirlcool]

I worked at a Pizza parlor that had broasters for fried chicken, man was it good.
But I would never try to pressure cook chicken in oil in a pressure cooker. In fact, I think most PC manuals warn against it. If you didn't open it right and all the oil flew out under pressure, it'd be like a nuclear bomb in your kitchen.

Just think all that oil at 400F flying everywhere! Think of the burns one may end up with!

 

[austinado16]

Samoa Cookhouse!!!!!!

Man, that brings back some memories. I lived in Arcata from '74-'85 and have eaten there "just a few times."

Got my new gasket and air vent, and cook book from Presto the other day and tried out some blue potatoes in it last night. 10min, and bam, they were done. They made excellent purple mashed potatoes!

 

[joeekaitis]

Stock up on bratwurst, Italian sausage and other fresh sausage when it's on sale and squirrel it away in the freezer.

When you need some for a recipe, throw the rock-hard links into your 4 to 6 quart pressure cooker straight from the freezer with a half-cup of water. Lock on the lid, bring to pressure and maintain for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let the pressure drop naturally.

Pressure poaching drives out fats, draws in moisture and intensifies the flavor. The casing will be tender but not slimy. If the recipe calls for sausage squeezed from the casing and browned, pulse-chop the cooked links in a food processor. The intense flavor more than compensates for a lack of browning.

Works great with sausage from the fridge, too.

 

[norgeway]

Pressure cooking!

Or pressure frying is a wonderful method of cooking,but like everything else it requires common sense,a few rules of thumb that must be followed and you are ok.

 

[joeekaitis]

Now, about the gasket . . .

Every manufacturer says to wash the gasket after each use and then rub it with a little vegetable oil. Problem is, the oil becomes gummy by the next use. My solution is to wash the gasket but not oil it up until right before locking on the lid. I also wipe the rim of the pot with a damp dishcloth before putting on the lid to remove any food debris that might prevent an airtight seal. The heat and steam seem to "season" the gasket while the oil is still liquid.

A gasket has lasted nearly 2 years by using the method.

 

[rp2813]

Gaskets

I've never oiled mine and they have all lasted many years. I like the idea of oiling just prior to use instead of prior to storage, though. Also, that is a great tip for frozen sausage!

Several years ago I switched brands from Mirro to Presto because I couldn't find Mirro gaskets anywhere, and Presto gaskets and parts seemed to be carried by everybody.

The other day I was at Orchard Supply Hardware and came across Mirro gaskets, but only for the 6 and 8 quart sizes (I have a 4 quart), and there nothing at all for Presto. Good for future reference. Typical OSH. I don't know why I even set foot in there anymore. I walk out empty handed 9 times out of 10. And they used to be the place that carried absolutely everything.

 

[joeekaitis]

What, no recipes?!?!

OK, I'll go first.

Louisiana Lentils and Basmati Rice

1 lb. dried lentils (green, gold, black or red)

1 lb. Louisiana-style hot smoked sausage or Andouille sausage, cut lengthwise twice into spears then cut crosswise into quarter-circles

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 heaping teaspoon seasoned salt

1 heaping teaspoon Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere’s or Zatarain’s)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

8 cups water

------------------------------------------

2 cups (dry) Basmati rice

Water needed to cook rice depending on your textural preference

------------------------------------------

Combine lentils, sausage, onion soup mix, seasoned salt, Creole seasoning and olive oil and water in a 6-quart or bigger pressure cooker. Stir about 2 minutes to combine. Lock on the lid and bring to pressure. Maintain for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to drop naturally. Remove pressure lid and replace with conventional lid. Keep warm over a low burner or in an oven preheated to its lowest setting until serving time.

Prepare rice. Fluff with a fork.

For each serving, make a bed of rice in a deep bowl and ladle on the lentils.

Basmati rice and the creamy texture of the lentils adds a buttery flavor note, even though the recipe doesn't have a single molecule of butter. Cornbread rounds out this meal-in-a-bowl very nicely.

Have Red Beans and Rice met their match?

 

[launderess]

Hmmm, Sounds Yummy!

My PC won't arrive for a bit, but will have to take that recipe down for future use.

 

[joeekaitis]

Glossary for the benefit of novices

Bring to pressure: heat the cooker over high heat until steam begins to flow from the regulator (spring-loaded) or the weight begins to wobble (weighted regulator). Begin timing the recipe now.

Maintain pressure: lower the heat to the lowest possible setting while maintaining a steady hiss or wobble. Over time, you'll find your stove's sweet spot.

Let the pressure drop naturally: remove the cooker from the heat and wait for the locking pin or safety valve to open. Meats and legumes require a natural pressure drop.

Release pressure immediately: if so equipped, turn the regulator to the open position and wait for the locking pin or safety valve to open. Make sure no one is in the direct path of the steam, even though at a distance of about 6 inches and beyond it won't be hot enough to burn skin. On weighted models, carefully carry the cooker to the kitchen sink and run cold water over the lid until the locking pin or safety valve opens. NEVER REMOVE THE WEIGHT, EVEN IF THE INSTRUCTIONS TELL YOU TO. Vegetables require the immediate pressure release.

 

[austinado16]

Thanks for the useage tips! I'm definately a novice, so I read the book and look at the cooking time and amount of water recommended before I use it.

 

[austinado16]

Rice.....wow!

So I cooked some "real" rice in the Presto. Uuhmm, wow! 10min and it was perfect like I've never had before. Normally, it would take 45min and have to be babysat.

 

[thomasortega]

LOVE and HATE them!

I love pressure cookers because they can save lots of gas and time but, like many things in the kitchen, they can be really dangerous if the safety rules are ignored.

If you know how to use them, they can be your best friends in the kitchen. If don't, they will be your worst enemy, cause damages, hurt you or even kill you. but a kitchen knife can do that too and nobody stopped using knives, right?

I prefer the stovetop ones. I'd never buy or use one of these electric, specially if it's made in China.

If somebody want something "just a little" exagerated, i'd recommend this "tiny" model LOL. By the way, the recipe from this video looks horrible. I hate mexican food!

 

[austinado16]

If there's not a risk of injury or death, why even bother doing something?

 

[jetcone]

The Pro Selections website

sells a custom cooker made by Fagor which you can pressure fry in.
I have two of their models: 10 L and the 6L. My 10L is now almost 30 years old and I bought it at the Home Show, ProSelections does mainly Home Shows. I can't reccomend them highly enough, easy to get parts and their cooker is dynamite. I do have the Fagor pressure fry pan and love that too, it is for different cooking, fry or saute, finish with steam. And the Fagor fry pan has two steam settings about 5 pounds which doesn't kill all the aromatics or vegetables and 12 pounds for those really tough cuts of meat.

 

[jetcone]

Since I bought the big one I use it weekly

for soup stock! It has never quit on me in all that time and only needed two new gaskets in 30 years.

Did I say DYNANMITE??

 

[jetcone]

Here's their website

meant to put it up

http://www.pro-selections.com/

 

[joeekaitis]

With Thanksgiving coming up . . .

. . . it might be a good time to point out that 45 minutes under pressure is the equivalent of 3 hours of simmering when you make turkey stock from the carcass.

Cathy and I are taking some freezer bags with us to Thanksgiving dinner at a relative's house so we can bring home the bones for stock.