Pressure Cookery
Just bought our first pressure cooker! While I'm excited, I *do* have a gripe - and then two questions.
First, the gripe: The bulk of the recipes listed, require the use of a metal rack - but the thing doesn't come w/ a metal rack! I called the company - Mirro - thinking the rack hadn't been placed in the box but nope, you have to buy one separately! So I asked - where to get one? And the answer came - and I swear, this is verbatim - "Try Aubuchon, or Ace Hardware." Can you believe that? (BTW, neither my local WalMart, nor my local Lowe's, carries anything suitable.) The helpful person on the phone also suggested, "You could also try a metal trivet." So... we're cooking foods here using pressurized steam, and I should go out willy-nilly and just get a round rack or a metal trivet?
All of this leads to Question #1: Anyone know where I can find a *food-grade* rack that's about 7" in diameter? Or do I need to buy a smallish rectangular rack and then cut it to the size I need - keeping the center spine intact, of course?
And then we come to Question #2: Searching the SE Recipes area, I found only four pressure-cooker recipes. Anyone out there in SE Land have any tasty recipes for pressure cookers?
Much thanks to all!
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12 Comments:
How odd. Mine came with a rack and a steamer basket sort of thing, like what you see in a pasta pot. I don't think I've ever used the rack. The basket is handy the way the pasta thing is handy -- it lets you drain out whatever's cooking.
I think one of the best things pressure cooked is corned beef. It doesn't seem to shrink quite as much and it's very tender without being stringy at all.
Other than that, it's useful for cooking dried beans when I don't have time to wait -- I live at high altitude and anything cooked in water takes longer than it should.
I also like it for cooking oxtails.
As for a replacement rack, get one of those steamer things -- you know, the ones that sort of fold up like a flower? Basically, the rack is there to keep things off the bottom of the pot where they could conceivably stick and burn.
Mostly, I use the cookbook to check on how long things need to cook, but there are plenty of pressure cooker cookbooks around. The one I have is called Cooking Under Pressure. Not sure if it came with the pot, or if I bought that elsewhere.
dbcurrie at 10:31PM on 10/23/08
That's just wrong that it wasn't included. And apparently a sign of the times, unfortunately.
I think I have a Mirro, and the rack doesn't look like a trivet. It's more of a formed, light-weight aluminum, upside down pie pan kinda thing with holes in it. Don't use a trivet that is for tabletop use. It will probably disintegrate in the pot and spew who-knows-what into your food. dbcurrie's suggestion of the steamer basket is a good alternative.
My favorite use is chicken meatballs. Brown in olive oil, do 5 minutes after pressure. I add extra liquid to the pressure cooker, drain, cool, scrape off fat, make gravy.
zucchini at 4:16AM on 10/24/08
Robbo, I use my pressure cooker often but have never bothered to use the rack (which sounds exactly like the one zucchine described). Mostly, I use the thing to cook dried beans or meats when I don't have a lot of time. Did your cooker come with a manual that gives times for various foods? Mine did, and instead of following a specific pressure cooker recipe, I adapt regular, usually long-cooking recipes using the time charts in the manual. This works really well for quick pulled pork, hoppin' john, chicken stews, etc.
Melinda at 9:26AM on 10/24/08
I've used a pressure cooker for a spicy oxtail stew. It came out deeelicious!
niquejwuchef09 at 6:55PM on 10/24/08
I use my PC A LOT. Stocks, soups, stews, risotto, etc. Once you get the hang of using it, you will realize that most things cook in generally 1/3 of the time. Takes a little practice.
Check out missvickie dot com for tips, techniques and recipes.
jdmcdonald at 7:14PM on 10/24/08
@dbcurrie and zucchini - I've done some research since my question. Apparently Mirro doesn't pack the rack @ the unit any longer. And Mirro's apparently still using an "old-fashioned" design (in aluminum, an cooking @ only 10-12 psi), which needs the rack for many things or the items have a tendency to burn @ their bottom side. I *do* have that fear @ using a non-food-certified trivet/rack/whatever. I'll try the meatball recipe - I assume you do them right @ the bottom of the cooker, then?
@Melinnda - The *good* news is that Yes, the cooker did come w/ a manual that includes times for different foods. I'll try adapting crockpot recipes (I assume that's what you meant by long-cooking). Is your p/c aluminum? And things don't tend to burn @ the bottom?
@jdmcdonald - I have looked @ missvickie.com - thanks for the tip - and that's where I learned the info @ different designs. (BTW, my 4-qt p/c cost a little over $20 - the "good ones" @ the missvickie site start at $60-$70!!)
Robbo at 2:13PM on 10/25/08
my mother in law tosses any vegetables she has in the fridge, chicken stock- and presto- a different soup every night and a bowl full of veggies that the kids will eat. its fool proof.
souplover at 10:24AM on 10/26/08
Oh yeah, soup stock is at in the pressure cooker. If it's a cold Sunday and I've got all day to putter around in the kitchen, having a simmering pot of stock on the stove is a nice thing. But if I want stock done faster, the pressure cooker is the way to go.
dbcurrie at 3:53PM on 10/26/08
Robbo, I've never had anything burn. Maybe stick a little if I skimped on the liquid, but not burn. I was not thinking so much of crock pot recipes as braising or stewing ones.
Melinda at 10:41AM on 10/27/08
we use ours for fried chicken.
dearrie at 6:43PM on 11/07/08
@Robbo, if you haven't been able to find a food safe rack yet, try your local Asian super mart if you can. I have seen exactly what you are looking for in the cookware sections of several Asian markets.
wookie at 7:23PM on 11/07/08
To all - Just reporting that we found one of those "flower petal" type steamer trays. Since the "petals" open, it fits itself into the pressure cooker easily. We've just been doing veggies so far - things such as acorn squash, pie pumpkins, etc. Next week we're going to try the meatball method up above. Thankd to all!
Robbo at 9:57PM on 11/10/08