101 ways to use a pressure cooker...

[Annpan]

Ina, I have wasted so many beans and chickpeas by doing the overnight soak thing. My day turns out differently and I don't get around to cooking them, I try to keep them another day, then something else happens, or we are out for dinner that day, etc, etc, etc... anyway cooked or soaked chick peas end up being put in the compost because things just don't go as planned.

Maybe if life was a bit more organised for me, but I just can't seem to make it work.

[pumpy]

Hi Annpan, i only speak from experience, but i always use my p.s. for allsorts of cooking, but the one-time i made a milk pudding,then the sealing ring & relief valve/were seriously clogged with gunge & took some serious cleaning!

[snapdragon]

casserole/stew (much less fuel than an electric oven)
rice / rice pudding
soups
baby food
curry
cooks tougher (cheaper)meats tender
pulses
fruit cake (my mum used to do this but I haven't yet)
bottling
hambone pea soup

[Green Aura]

You don't even need to pre-soak pulses, Ann.

Last night - and purely in response to this thread which made me realise how little I use mine, I cooked a kilo of chickpeas and then used the pan to make dinner - a spanish pork and rice affair. I was a bit scared, but I'm pleased to say it worked out perfectly and in about half the time it takes to make in a pan.

[Annpan]

GA - The instructions on mine says to presoak for an hour, but that is good to know.

The instructions also says that the pressure makes the temperature rise to 120 C. Has anyone used one to cook jam? as I always struggle reaching setting temperature.... or actually, maybe it would just burn?

[Odsox]

The instructions also says that the pressure makes the temperature rise to 120 C. Has anyone used one to cook jam? as I always struggle reaching setting temperature.... or actually, maybe it would just burn?

120 C is WAY too high for jam making Ann.
Between 104 C & 105 C is the correct temperature, 104 for a light set 105 for a firm set or 104.5 C for just about everything really.
Above 105 strange things happen, either it sets like concrete or it loses it's ability to set at all (probably destroys the pectin)

[KatHernan]

The pressure cooker can be your mystery weapon for since a long-cooked beans, rice, braised meats, and numerous other kitchen staples.
http://www.allkitchenfind.com/Electric-Pressure-Cooker/

[bonniethomas06]

How lovely to see an old thread revisited and hi and welcome Kat

[diggernotdreamer]

I agree with you Kat, my old pressure cooker needed a spare part and I had to wait 6 months so I had to buy another pressure cooker to use in the meantime because I can't live without one, I use them almost daily.

[fruitfly]

Soaked chickpeas and beans could be kept on as bean sprouts, or at the right time of year they can be planted out for some unusual plants. The pressure cooker has been around since the middle ages so it's been a very handy item to have in the kitchen for a very long time! Whole chickens, steamed puddings (whole or small in teacups arranged around the trivet), joints of meat for pot roasting are a few ways of using one.

[fruitfly]

According to yesterday's episode of Further Back in Time, the Easiwork was referred to as a health cooker and was the latest must-have gadget for the 30's housewife

[Faustina Bollinger]

For recipe ideas I use YouTube. lately I've cooked chicken breast. It was so juicy and not dry at all! It's easy to compare zojirushi rice cookers here.