Where have I been all this time.. I only recently found out about the pressure cooker and would like to know a couple things. How much should a quality pressure cooker cost? What can or can’t be cooked using a pressure cooker?
Also, can I cook multiple things at once. For instance pasta and ground beef cooking at one time?
Rol;
Pressure cookers are great. They are used for cooking cuts of meat that require braising, that is, long time, in a liquid and covered.
You could add vegetables like potatoes, carrots, celery and onions to make a stew, but I wouldn’t try to cook pasta there.
A good pressure cooker costs $30-$50, and is a long-term investment. The only maintence required is with the seals.
If you buy one there will be a recipe book included, if not check the internet for instructions and ideas.
Chicken
Ribs
Roast beef or any other meat thats hard to chew! or not tender!
Cornbeef
potatos
vegtables Cabbage
Cost $45 to $50
you dont want to cook pasta in a pressure cooker!
I have a pressure pan and have used it for years. It is not for everything however.
When cooking a chuck roast it is excellent. It cooks the roast in 1/3 of the regular time required and the meat is really tender. I also use mine for cooking soup beans. It takes one hour to cook them instead of the normal three hours. A whole chicken can be cooked in 20 minutes. A pork roast cooked in a pressure pan can be pulled apart with a fork and used for BQ pork sandwiches. Yummm.
I do not like my vegetables cooked in the pressure pan. By the time the pressure is up they would be pretty much cooked. I think vegetables are much better steamed. You cannot cook anything which would need to be stirred while cooking as you can’t remove the lid once the pressure is up. Meats need to be browned first before cooking under pressure, ground beef is cooked by the time it is browned.
The chicken “fried” under pressure, as mentioned in another answer, is a different kind of pressure cooker. You cannot deep fry under pressure with a regular pressure pan. They used to sell one called, “Chicken Bucket” which was made for that. I had one..
I would plan to use the pressure pan for anything which is going to take at least an hour to cook or that is a very tough cut of meat.
Things requiring different cooking times cannot be cooked together because it takes a lot of time to bring the pressure up and back down. It is not practical to do this in the middle of a cooking process.
I love my pressure pan….but not for everything.
anything but pasta can essentially be cooked in a pressure cooker however it does not mean it will taste better then other cooking methods it is however a little bit healthier for you