Pressure Cooker - Issaquah,WA

my mom has asked for an electric one for xmas, which we are getting her. i don't know anything about them other than "hearing" they explode if you don't do it right. I don't know if that's true or not. Good luck!

I LOVE my pressure cooker. I cook everything in it (beans, rice). I got a good cookbook that explained and outlined everything. I can go from a frozen hunk of meat to dinner in less than an hour. For beans and rice you just need to add a little oil (a good cookbook will explain the whys...I like "Under Pressure"). I make delicious risotto (4 minutes!), cook brown rice (20 minutes), make stew in (20 minutes), potato soup (4 minutes), lentil stew, black bean soup, pot roast, glazed carrots...it's the best for someone like me who likes to think about dinner at about 4:30. I got mine off amazon.com...I don't think there's much need to worry about the modern ones exploding. You can do canning in them, but I think the size you'd want for cooking is probably smaller than you'd want for canning. I think mine was about $50. I can't believe everything I can cook in it. Once you get the hang of it it's like second nature and you can kind of guess how long to cook things for. Basically pick a recipe and google "pressure cooker" and you'll likely get good suggestions. My MIL got mine for a Christmas present and frankly I thought it was an odd gift, but I have learned to LOVE it...in fact, I'm getting my sister one for Christmas (per her request after visiting and seeing the wonder that is my pressure cooker!)

My hubby uses his for canning, but we haven't cooked in it. He wants a newer one for Christmas and I did discover in my research that not every pressure cooker can be used on a smooth top stove. So if you have a smooth top, make sure that the cooker specifically says it can be used on a smooth top stove. If it's not mentioned, most likely you cannot use it on that type of stove. My neighbors cook with a pressure cooker all the time. They recently bought a quisinart electric cooker (from Costco) and they absolutely love it, fast and it doesn't take up burners on the stove (you cannot can with the electric kind).

You can cook chicken, beef, almost anything in a pressure cooker. Just make sure there's a bit of liquid in there before you tighten the lid on and start cooking. I have an older one so I don't know what the new ones are like.

I have one and I could cook things fast. But mine says not to cook rice or beans in it or it will explode... Just double check yours before buying it. I've canned with it too. Good luck!

We're having pot roast cooked in the pressure cooker tonight!

We started with an electric pressure cooker, mostly for beef stew and bean soup(it couldn't be used for canning). It was great one to start with, because it had a built in timer and non-stick coating. Almost as easy to use as a crockpot. After several years the coating became scratched and we stopped using it.

Now we have a stovetop one, I think it's from JC Penney. I do have to watch it more closely than than I did the electric one. Once I learned the right temperature, how long to set the timer, and how not to stick food on the bottom, it's been great. I've found more recipes to use it with, especially brown rice. I sometimes wash the pot in the dishwasher if I'm lazy.

I've heard that newer pressure cookers are less likely to explode, because they have safety valves. If you overfill them, they could leak out the top. Both of the ones I've had have a button to release the steam quickly or you can just wait and the dish will keep on cooking even after you turn it off.

Pressure cooker is great for hard to cook beans. It also tenderizes meat real well (oxtail, beef, etc) You will enjoy it, just do not lift the cover off before it's done!

I used to cook in my pressure cooker all the time. It's a Mirror brand and came with a great booklet explaining how to use it and with great recipes and ideas for use. After reading your responses,I'm getting mine out again.

My mother gave me her pressure cooker canner. It is much too large for everyday cooking. It holds quart and 2 quart jars. I have canned using pint jars in my regular cooker.

My aunt had a pressure cooker "explode," meaning the food shot up to the ceiling, when she tried to take the lid off before the pressure was reduced enough. It's imperative to let the pressure go down over time or to run cold water over it to reduce the pressure quickly.

I have a small one and I use it every week. I don't can in it, and I don't use it for rice, I use a rice cooker for that, and it only takes 20 minutes, so I never tried it, but I do cook beans, and it only takes an hour or so. You have to watch the water and make sure that you do not burn things, and for a pot of beans sometimes I have to let the presure off, put in more water, and bring it to cooking again, but it still takes a bunch less time than cooking them on the stove or in the slow cooker. I cook pot roasts, to fork tender, in about 45 minutes. I love it.

Mine has never exploded!

M.

Yes they do explode. Not often if you use it correctly.
If you get one make sure it is stainless steel.