Pressure cooker vs regular cooking?

**Peaches** · 12-31-2009, 02:01 AM

Originally Posted by KeithBC

I have heard that a lot of people are afraid of explosions, but I have never heard of anyone actually having one explode. I suspect it's one of those urban legends that got out of control.

My husband told me that as a teenager he arrived home one day to find his mother scraping beets off the kitchen ceiling. She opened the pressure cooker without depressurizing it properly and KABLOOEE!!!

**Peaches** · 12-31-2009, 02:02 AM

BTW, I have a Tower pressure cooker (not sure if they're available in the U.S.) and I LOVE IT! I was afraid of using one too (especially after the exploding beets story) but if you follow the instructions, you'll be fine.

**Grainlady** · 12-31-2009, 06:41 AM

Here's a good web site with lots of information and recipes that may be helpful....

http://www.missvickie.com/index.html

You can also check your library for Pressure Cooker Cookbooks for even more information.

BTW - Pressure COOKERS and pressure CANNERS are two different things. You shouldn't pressure can in a COOKER.

**Farmgirlc** · 04-25-2010, 01:16 AM

Thanks so much for this site! I've done a lot of cooking and canning over the years, but never could make my rice come out fluffy and light. This site showed me why. LOL

This is a wonderful

forum for learning.

**Liane** · 04-25-2010, 01:26 AM

This has been very, very helpful. When my Mom would cook in a pressure cooker when we were kids the food was not so great. I love her dearly but I think it was the cook and not the pressure cooker-lol. I was just looking at pressure cookers and this seals the deal, I am getting one. Does anyone have a digital pressure cooker?

**Early Bird** · 04-25-2010, 06:55 AM

Last year, my father-in-law decided to send me a pressure cooker! (Good pot roast is almost a religion in that family!)

That pressure cooker has earned it's place in my kitchen!

**Farmgirlc** · 04-25-2010, 09:19 AM

They're wonderful when making roasts for pulled pork or chicken! The sauce seems to just infuse into the meat, giving it a wonderful flavor, without all the time in the oven or crockpot.
Having a family of hunters, the wild game is so much more tender, moist and juicy.

**pryor208** · 05-20-2010, 10:55 PM

I recommend the "Pressure Cooking for Dummies" which explains the basics and gives lots of good recipes. I inherited my mom's pressure cooker and it's still going strong but I'm planning to buy a newer model in a couple of years. I only cook occasionally with it, but it's very handy.

**The Muse** · 05-21-2010, 02:31 AM

As a thrifty vegetarian, I use a pressure cooker to cook dried beans and for making veggie stock. I can cook 2 lbs of dried chickpeas in 8 minutes after the correct pressure is reached vs. an hour or more in a regular pot. Veggie stock is done in about 15 minutes vs. an hour or more.

I use a Fagor pressure cooker and have never had any problems. My grandmother had several explosions when I was a child, but my pressure cooker is not my grandmother's pressure cooker. Hers hissed and had a weight on top that toggled back and forth to indicate the pressure level. It was much lighter than mine and didn't have the same safety features.

If you have a Bed, Bath & Beyond near you, then should carry a Denmark brand pressure cooker for around $20. This is an example of an old style cooker that you probably don't want to use. Compare that to the $100 Fagor and you'll see the difference. I use mine weekly with complete confidence.

**mek42** · 05-21-2010, 08:37 AM

Do modern pressure cookers have an over-pressure relief valve to prevent damaging the cooker itself (i.e. explosion) when an over-pressure situation happens?

Thanks for bumping this thread!

**checkerkitty** · 05-21-2010, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by The Muse

As a thrifty vegetarian, I use a pressure cooker to cook dried beans and for making veggie stock. I can cook 2 lbs of dried chickpeas in 8 minutes after the correct pressure is reached vs. an hour or more in a regular pot. Veggie stock is done in about 15 minutes vs. an hour or more.

I use a Fagor pressure cooker and have never had any problems. My grandmother had several explosions when I was a child, but my pressure cooker is not my grandmother's pressure cooker. Hers hissed and had a weight on top that toggled back and forth to indicate the pressure level. It was much lighter than mine and didn't have the same safety features.

If you have a Bed, Bath & Beyond near you, then should carry a Denmark brand pressure cooker for around $20. This is an example of an old style cooker that you probably don't want to use. Compare that to the $100 Fagor and you'll see the difference. I use mine weekly with complete confidence.

I have a Fagor as well. I had two pressure cookers made in the old style. I sold them on Craigslist and bought a new Fagor. I love it! If someone is buying a cooker for the first time, buy a Fagor. It is so much easier to use than the ones with the "rocker top".

**Saule** · 05-26-2010, 10:36 PM

This is a really great website for info on pressure cookers and pressure cooking, Pressure Cooker Recipes

There is also a Pressure Cooking for Dummies that is good - look at it at your library.