Do you need a time saving kitchen tool that will cook your meals in a third of the time? Turn to your trusty pressure cooker. It is a long time kitchen tool that older generations used almost all the time. Some people may think that your pressure cooker is just for canning. But this is not true… pressure-cooking makes it easy for even the busiest cooks to prepare meals from scratch which will be healthier for your family.
When purchasing a pressure cooker make sure you get a quality pan. I recommend starting with a new pressure cooker so that you will have the instruction booklet. Purchasing a pressure cooker at a garage sale is NOT recommended. Read and understand the instruction booklet for your cooker before you make your first meal. The newer pressure cookers are a lot safer than the older designs of our mother’s and grandmother’s time. A lot of people are scared away from pressure cooking because of stories about the pressure cooker exploding and food all over the ceiling. Chances of this happening today are less likely, because the newer cookers will not open if there is pressure inside them.
The two biggest concerns when using your pressure cooker are the gasket seal and the vent tube. These need to be working properly in order to cook food safely.
The gasket is the rubber seal on the inside of the cooker lid. Make sure this seal is flush against the lid to seal correctly.
The vent tube is equally as important. This is the tube in the center of the cooker lid that vents out the steam. The small weight that jiggles back and forth goes on top of the vent tube. If the vent tube gets clogged, you can have an explosion. This is why you must add a little oil to beans when pressure cooking them. Otherwise, the skins from the beans will clog the vent tube. You can prevent problems with your pressure cooker by neglecting to check the vent tube before you cook. Hold the lid up to the light and looking through the vent tube to make sure it is clear. You can check that gasket at the same time.
Most of the time, pressure cooking won’t be a problem, but you still need to use caution. Keeping your pressure cooker clean, particularly the lid, gasket and vent tube, will help prevent any problems.
Foods that normally take hours to prepare using conventional methods of cooking takes only a third of the time to cook in your pressure cooker. That adds up to both time and energy savings for you. With the newer pressure cookers very little steam escapes during the cooking process. This allows you to use smaller amounts of liquid and retain more vitamins and minerals in your food. Don’t be surprised if your pressure cooker ends up as your favorite cooking utensil.
Pressure Cooking is one of the healthiest ways to prepare your food it helps preserve the natural taste of your food, and is a faster way of cooking. Pressure Cooked meats are fork tender, and delicate fish or chicken are cooked to perfection in just minutes.
The pressurized steam which is produced by high temperatures inside a pressure cooker makes the food cook quickly and intensifies the natural flavors. This allows cooks to use less salt, sugar, and still get a better taste from their food. Pressure cooking creates an airless environment that retains more nutrients than other cooking methods. As the foods cook quickly with very little liquid, more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are preserved and not boiled away during cooking. Foods are cooked in a sealed steam atmosphere; which is a virtually fat-free cooking method. Rapid cooking techniques are better for retaining nutrients than slower methods.
So the next time you want to cook a brisket or tougher cut of meat, pull out your pressure cooker. You will be pleasantly surprised at how little of time it took you to cook a healthy meal for your family.
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About the Author:
Betty Lynch is the owner of My Country Kitchen and author of “Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen.” You may visit her website at www.mycountrykitchen.com
