Pressure Cookers

[sandybay]

Not sure if this should be here or on eco-living thread.

Do you use a pressure cooker ? Would you recommend it ?

With energy prices so high a pressure cooker seems a good idea for soups, pasta sauces and pulses. I had one when first married and was always a bit scared of it so didn't use it.

Do they really cut the cooking time down and does the food taste the same.
Would like some views before shelling out money for it !

Thanks

[Primrose]

I too had one and was scared of it!

My Aunt used to use one a lot and if I think of it I will ask her next time I see her.

Did Microwaves take over? Also did I read about a Steam Cooker that looked like a Microwave?

Good luck with getting this answered as it is an interesting idea as a way to save money.

Gilly

[Oola]

I'd be interested in an answer too because I do a lot of one pot cooking and Mum has suggested a few times about a pressure cooker, but I'd like to know more.

[keepersdaughter]

My Mum had a pressure cooker and I remember we always cooked the veg. in it as well as steamed puddings - they came out lovely and light at a fraction of the time. I think I recall her cooking gammon joints in it too. If I recall correctly, you can cook meat say on the bottom, veg on top, one pot cooking. I know when she first got one was worried out it exploding as was apparently a fairly common ptractise in [I]her[I]mother's generation of pressure cookers. i would love to get one and really wished I got one of the swish modern ones when I was back home. The ones over here look like they've been around since the 30s, just used for canning over here I think.

[franbee]

I've recently acquired a second-hand Remoska cooker. We are currently experimenting with different meals, and so far it's been really good. If anyone is interested, I'll put a report on a thread.

[Katelb]

I have had a pressure cooker for the last 30 odd years and although I only use it occasionally these days,I am a great fan of them. A friend of mine has a more modern one than mine! and she doesn't really like it ..because she finds it is not so simple to use as mine which is a high dome Prestige.
Pressure cooked food is very tasty and all of the goodness is maintained,it is quick,you can cook a meal in around 12mins , depending upon what it is, there is a seperater for cooking two or three different veg at a time,and yes,steam puddings are great! also bacon joints etc. The only time it's fiddly is when you want to do potatos,and maybe a couple of other veg and all the cooking times are different,but an easy solution is to steam the veg seperately. They usually come with a helpful instruction/recipe booklet and quite honestly,if I can do it,then it can't be difficult!!

[sandybay]

Thanks Kate, it really does sound worth trying. Have found some cheaper ones advertised on the internet. My mum was saying to me yesterday I ought to make my OH a good steamed sponge. She thinks it's the secret to a happy marriage.

What's a remoska , sounds intriguing.

[lily]

We were given a pressure cooker for a wedding present, it terrified me- even reduced me to tears on one occasion when our entire dinner was stuck inside. However, older and braver I still use it, useful for beetroot which take a week or more on the hob. Also chutneys. Must say I'm not so keen on stews cooked in it, prefer long slow cook. Could you borrow one to try before investing?

[sandybay]

It's odd but one of Franbee's posts has gone fromhere.
When I looked last night she replied about the remerska oven but it appeared on a page two to this. Lost in cyberpspace ?

[annie fenbug]

My mother had a pressure cooker for years and relied heavily on it - I was terrified of it and convinced it was going to blow up any minute (it did make very sinister noises). Then a couple of years ago I was given a modern, medium capacity p-c with idiot(/Annie)-proof controls and used it quite a bit to start with. Great for things like casseroles and curries which I tend to batch cook and re-heat later anyway, and felt very smug about the savings in cooking times. It was also brilliant for pulses, which like beetroot can take an age to cook on the hob, so useful for vegetarian dishes as well.

The reason I lost enthusiasm was really the lack of recipes; my p-c came with a pretty limited recipe book and the few I could find on a**z*n were US publications which relied on a number of ingredients we don't use much in the UK. I did find one with a really good Lamb Hotpot, but there's a limit to how often I was going to eat that, and I've never been that keen on steamed puds! So I never really gained the confidence to play around with recipes myself, but I've recently heard of a book, which is apparently really good: Miss Vickie's Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes. I've got that on order & will let you know what it's like. I expect it's in US cups & spoon measures, but you can easily get those in the UK now. Miss Vickie also has a website - missvickie.com - devoted to pressure cooking which looks helpful (as I say I've only just found out about it so haven't really explored it yet). Hope that helps!

Annie

[sandybay]

Thanks for the website tips AnnieFenbug. I believe you can cook pulses like kidney beans or chickpeas without soaking them which would be an advantage.
We have such a tiny kitchen that any appliance or pan has to really earn its keep so don't want to buy if not going to use it.

Have you seen DeliaOnline - that looks very good too.

[dragonfly]

I have had a pressure cooker for 30+ years and as I hate cooking I don't do anything that doesn't go in a pressure cooker or casserole dish. It is quick, tasty and retains all the goodness. I love it.
I do soups, stews, chicken, bacon joint, boiled ham but never thought of doing puddings, will try it. I will look on Miss Vickies site for more recipies Anne fenbug thanks.
As I said, I hate cooking so used to burn everything. I would put the saucepans on to boil then forget about them and do something else. Someone told my oh that you can't burn anything in a pressure cooker so he bought me one. I refused to use it so he did the first meal and it was so tasty that I have used it every week since. I am on my 3rd.
Just a point, you can burn things in a pressure cooker, I forgot to put water in once.

[sandybay]

Will remember Dragonfly - water in before putting on the lid.
My OH gets concerned since I've been coming to RM as I walk away from the kitchen to look at the computer. Nearly had burnt stuffed aubergine last night.

[dragonfly]

Sandy I think it would be good for you in a small kitchen as you only need the p c not 3 or 4 saucepans boiling away and it is so quick you don't get bored like when boiling. I do a whole meal in 5 mins (excluding meat) although it does take about 10 mins to come to steaming point. It is also a clean way of cooking as there are no boil overs or mess to clean up and only one pot to wash. I can't believe people still have pots boiling away for hours.

[sandybay]

Yes Dragonfly that is another advantage you've pointed out. As I've mentioned before we have to use a de-humidifer in the winter as we're near a stream. Less steam in the kitchen will mean less condensation problems.

[TIGGYWINKLE]

Katelb, I have just resurrected my pressure cooker from the wash house, after reading this thread. It sounds the same as yours- a tall upright prestidge. It came from home and must be 50 years old. You'd never guess I am a bit of a hoarder! I used to use it for beetroot, Lentil soup, artichokes, beef stock from lovely marrow bones from the butcher, when you could get such things. I used to be afraid of it, but never had any problems. I used to do vegs, and stews. Must give it a twirl again, as they are great, and so time saving. This site has me so motivated to do things I haven't done for years!

[annie fenbug]

Hallo again - hope everyone's having a good Bank Holiday. Can recommend the Miss Vickie book, which arrived on Friday - lots of practical advice, simply and clearly written (not always the case with cookbooks!) and not too many US-only ingredients. The comments on different types of pressure cooker are fairly universal, not just about American brands. Certainly plenty of recipes! The measurements are in cups, but as cup measures are quite widely available in the UK now that shouldn't be a problem, you just need to remember that US tablespoons and teaspoons are slightly different to the UK ones (if in doubt, I use metric-conversions.org, which does distinguish between the two).

Mild criticisms would be, some recipes feel as if they're pushing the Use Your Pressure Cooker For Absolutely Everything a bit too far (hard-boiled eggs in 5 minutes -well ....) but on the other hand if space or resources limit the amount of kitchen kit you can have, that could be quite useful. She also mentions Boston Brown Bread can be made in the p-c, but doesn't give any bread recipes other than a banana bread, which is a bit frustrating. On the whole, I reckon it's worth it - it's certainly given me the confidence to get the p-c out again (of course, the cooker's gas bottle ran out on Sun morning so I've got to wait till Thursday before I make further progress!).

[franbee]

I wrote about the remoska on a different thread if anyone wants to know.

[jazzactivist]

I would like to know more about the Remoska, franbee, so will look it up. I have seen them for sale in the Lakeland catalogue, and the original Lakeland shop is now just up the road from where I live (too tempting!). My friend from Turkey uses a Remoska which she brought over with her as, for some reason which she laughs about now, she thought that people in the UK mainly cooked on open fires! It looks really good, and quick.

My mum had a pressure cooker in the mid-60s and also used to cook potatoes and ham joints in it. I think that the pressure cap blew off one day never to be seen again and the pot part ended up as one of the dogs' dishes. I am finding the Aga that I have in this house quite quick so far, not that I have cooked much in it, but definatly quicker for roasting veg etc than a conventional oven. And tastes lovely too.

[Katelb]

Hi Tiggywinkle,sorry not to have acknowledged your post sooner but have been away.I'm pleased you have unearthed your pressure cooker,they are great for doing so many things in.Enjoy your new/old toy!