The Galley Guru
Pressure Cooking A Pleasure

By Corinne Kanter
Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2005

 

Don't miss Corinne's lecture "How to become a Galley Guru" at the Strictly Sail St. Pete and Strictly Sail Miami boat shows. Corinne will also be appearing at the Multihull Demo Days in Annapolis, MD, IBEX and the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show in October, and the Seven Seas Cruising Association GAM in Melbourne, FL in November. For more info, visit her website.

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Related info:
Corinne's KISS Cookbook Website

Out of the past and into the future. Today's busy, nutrition-conscious cooks find pressure cookers convenient and fast.

Pressure cookers are best used with foods that usually require moist heat, such as stews or soups. As steam builds up in the tightly sealed pot, the pressure rises and the boiling point increases from the usual 212 degrees to about 250 degrees. This is why foods can cook in one-third of the usual time. Pressure cooking also produces tender, fuller-flavored foods. The pressure cooker is great for cooking soups, grains, beans, quick stews, corned beef and cabbage, whole chicken and great pot roast dishes. This pot can also double as a steamer and spaghetti pot when you don't lock the lid and use the pressure value.

A good rule of thumb to follow is to decrease the length of cooking time for a conventional recipe by two thirds. The amount of liquid used may also have to be adjusted because there is very little evaporation from the pressure cooker. Remember, however, there must always be water or some liquid in the pressurer cooker to form the necessary steam. To avoid overcooking, release pressure after the minimum recommended time.

My pressure cooker experience dates back at least twenty years. Previously, I used a conventional type locking cooker made by Presto. These cookers are very adequate cookers but need a little extra skill and understanding to avoid the legendary pressure cooker explosion, the reason so many folks were afraid to use them.

Actually, that fear is seriously overrated. Most problems came from people opening them too soon before the pressure was completely down. Only occasionally did a valve plug and leave enough pressure to scare someone when they opened it.

Now modern technology has ended that dilemna. Iam presently using a 6 quart stainless steel FAGOR Pressure Cooker. This cooker can be opened without letting the pressure come down of its own accord. In other woirds, never again do you have worry about your meal winding up on the ceiling!

Other important features of this technolgy are, two short handles on opposites sides to lift pot with ease, the ability to add foods which require less cooking during cooking and the ability to deep fry under pressure.

If you already have a pressure cooker, try the new recipes below. If you don't have a pressure cooker I urge you to buy one. If not the FAGOR, there are plenty of very adequate standard models. The reasons for having a presure cooker are many. For instance, You preserve flavor, (soups or beans made in a pressure cooker usually are better flavored than the same recipe cooked in conventional ways)save time, save fuel, produce less heat in the cabin and gives a versatility of uses. One can always check the local flea market and yard sales. Query neightbors friends or relatives. If they have one and do not use it, I'll bet you can finese it from them. Especially if you promise to give them samples of your latest recipe.

[FAGOR cooker can be purchased at major boat shows or send for ordering information to; Show-Me Products 2705 61st Street #B448, Galveston, TX. 77551, 409/986-5154.]

PRESCRIBED PRESSURE POINTERS

Read the manufacturers instructions for your model pressure cooker. After each cleaning, check valves and gaskets. Make sure the vent pipe is clear before using.

Never store your pressure cooker with the top locked on. Keep rack,booklet and pressure regulator inside and the lid upside down.. Cooking pearl barley, split peas, cranberries, rhubarb are some manufacturer's NO, NO. They say the foam will clog the vent.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil when cooking barley or peas. Do not fill your cooker over 2/3 full to allow for food expansion during cooking. Trial and error. In a few recipes if you need a little more cooking time, no problem. If the food is only slightly undercooked, finish it off by simmering, covered but not locked under pressure, over low heat. If more cooking is required, secure cover and place in locked position, return to high pressure for another few minutes. It takes practice and patience. Experience is the best teacher and practice makes perfect.

Molds; Fill molds up to 2/3 full to allow for expansion of food during cooking. Use 4 or 6 ounce size, metal or little eartherware souffle dishes. Molds and custard cups can be covered with aluminum foil or several layers of waxed paper securely tied with clean white string.Glass, metal and earthenware molds can be used in the pressure cooker. Place water up to rack and molds on rack cook as directed.

Searing meat well seals in the juices. To prevent meat from sticking, preheat pan, add a small amount of shortening or oil, then sear meat.

When using the pressure cooker as an oven for bread, coat sides and bottom lightly with oil, sprinkle cornmeal evenly. Place dough in pressure cooker for second rise, then bake. Remove rubber ring, place cover in place. DO NOT PUT PRESSURE REGULATOR ON. Bake and check anytime for browness on sides.

Then flip out bread, return to pressure cooker and bake 5 more mintues to brown bottom. If you have a pressure cooker you can not open until pressure comes down of its own accord, or by dousing with cold water, shorten the prescibed cooking time between 5-8 minutes. This saves on fuel as well. Remove from heat, allow the pressure to come down on its own accord. You can use sea water to bring pressure down quickly rather than using your fresh water supply.

If the recipe directions say: COOK 0 MINUTES, this means to cook food only until cooking pressure, 15 pounds is reached, then remove cooker from heat and cool according to recipe.

To let pressure drop of its own accord, set cooker aside to cool. This usually takes 2-4 minutes. This additional time allows cooking without any heat on. To cool cooker at once, place in sink run cold water on carefully not to get into vent pipe or placing it in a pan of cold or sea water until no steam escapes. Remove pressure regulator once pressure has completely been reduced.

When quick cooking vegetables set the timer from the moment the lid is locked into place. If the recipe states 2 minutes total cooking time, this means you should release any pressure that has built up, whether or not high pressure has been reached, after 2 minutes have elapsed. Release the pressure and remove the lid immediately.

Under high pressure, cooking time begins from the moment that high pressure is reached.

.Aid of a aluminum foil strip: To move a heatproof casserole both in and out of the pressure cooker, cut an aluminum foil strip measuring 2 feet long by 1 foot wide, double it twice lengthwise. Center the casserole dish on the strip and gently lower it into the cooker on top of the rack. Loosely fold the ends of the aluminum strip over the top of the casserole. After cooking and removal of casserole, air-dry and save the aluminum strip for future use.

Don't throw away any of those vegetable peels, and trimmings, such as corncobs, carrots, celery sticks,diced parsnips, turnips, half used onions. They still have good flavor, and make a great basic vegetable stock. .To add additional flavor, diviide the herbs and cook half with the soup under pressure, once pressure is down, stir in remainder, now stir, recover and let sit in residual steam in the pot for a few minutes.

If a soup is too thick, thin it with water or stock. If it is too thin, puree a cup or two of the solid ingredients and stir them back in.