Look under the sink, on the bottom shelf of the cupboard, in the garage or basement.
You're likely to rediscover your 1950-60 vintage pressure cooker.If yours looks like mine, the bottom half is well-worn by use for recipes suggesting the use of a "heavy saucepan." Half of my pressure cooker has tasted numerous batches of fondant, fudge or caramels; the gasket-lined lid has expired from starvation. The cracked, buckled rubber reminds me that I need not search the back corners of my cupboard for the elusive pressure regulator. Pressure cooking is impossible with my dated equipment.
Pressure cooking is possible, however, with a new, grown-up generation of streamlined pressure cookers.
According to Food and Wine magazine, "The pressure cooker has returned to the well-equipped kitchen not as a collectible but as a nutritionally sound, fast and efficient means of preparing food."
New technology has simplified the pressure cooker apparatus, making pressure cooking safe and easy. Today's cookers have three backup safety mechanisms. Fuses in the lid release excess pressure before a pressure cooker could blow up. Lid locks prevent the pan from being opened if there is pressure inside.
The New York Times suggests "that safety should not be a concern with pressure cookers if they are used according to manufacturer's directions and if basic guidelines are followed:
- Never fill the pot more than two-thirds full. Each manufacturer has determined a liquid minimum ranging from one-fourth to two cups. Remember to use a third of the liquid normally used in cooking because very little escapes during cooking. The exception is cooking grains, beans or soups.
- When you are ready to cook, close the cover, set the safety locks and valves and place the pressure cooker over high heat.
- When the pressure reaches its maximum level (each pressure cooker has its own way of letting you know when that point is reached), you should lower the heat to medium low and begin timing the recipe.
- When the cooking time is complete, turn off the heat. Bring down the pressure by the quick-release method - running the cooker under cold water for two to five minutes, or by letting the pressure drop naturally, which requires three to 20 minutes.
Understanding the basic principles of pressure cooking eliminates safety concerns.
When water or any other cooking liquid boils, it produces steam. A tightly sealed pressure cooker traps this steam, causing the pressure to build inside the cooker. Under pressure, cooking temperatures are significantly higher than under normal conditions. The super-heat steam and liquid created by the higher temperatures speed up the cooking process, shortening cooking times by a third or more.
Reduced cooking times, along with creation of nutritious, flavorful foods, make the pressure cooker a reliable kitchen component for the '90s.
A pot of chicken soup, ordinarily simmered for a day, can be prepared in 35 minutes. Stews or other recipes that use less tender cuts of meat can be table ready in one-third the normal cooking time.
Preparation in a pressure cooker does not sacrifice flavor or nutrition for speed.
According to Sass, "The less time heat is applied to food, the less nutrients are lost. The relatively short cooking time yanks the flavor out of food in record time so that you get three hours of flavor in 15 minutes. I like to say that my 20-minute tomato sauce has two hours of flavor."
Pressure cookers also keep a lid on fat. Even the leanest cuts of meat stay moist without the addition of oils, because pressure cooking holds in the natural juices of the meat.
Considering the pace of the lives we lead, discovering the pressure cooker may be a key to simplifying our daily commitments. With experimentation, you may decide that a pressure cooker is an extraordinary cooking tool, one that is safe, economical and creates a flavorful, nutritious meal in minutes.
- Note: Some information and recipes for this story were taken from Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna J. Sass, (William Morrow; $18.95; November 1989).
Photograph was set up with the cooperation of Spoons and Spice, 1150 East E. 2100 South, Salt Lake City.
Recipes listed:
Eggplant Ratatouille
Gingered Butternut Squash with Pineapple
Mushroom and Barley Soup
Chicken with Lentils and Spinach
Gingered Apple Pudding
An Unconventional Jambalaya