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As an impulsive cook, I love my pressure cooker because I don't always have time to wait around for beans to soak or stews to simmer. My mom and grandmothers have used pressure cookers their entire lives, so I never had any fear of them. Just make sure you've got enough liquid in there, and you'll be fine.

I have this one and love it. Here are some recipes for the pressure cooker:
Pressure Cooker Beef Stew
Indian Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Cuban Ropa Vieja (Just the first step in the pressure cooker)

I use an electric pressure cooker, and I think it's great.

I've written a couple entries about my experiences with it on my blog. Here's one where I describe the pressure cooker
Here's one about a recipe for 1-hour chili (without soaking the beans).
And here's one for a really great grilled lamb and tuscan bean soup I came up with.

Finally, I even wrote an entry about why people seem to be afraid to use a pressure cooker.

I stand corrected! @lemonfair, what you said about using it to speed up stews makes sense and sounds delicious! @Dave, thanks sharing your posts. Very informative!

Great Info Dave. I too have heard horror stories of pressure cookers back in the day, so I have this wariness imbedded in my mind to avoid them. But I just might have buy a small electric one and start from there.

i agree... as a child i was taught they are scary. we were allowed to cook at a young age, but the pressure cooker (besides being too weak to twist it open) i was terrified of. it has a sharp whistle and lots of hot energy trying to escape. and while it never exploded, i was surprised.

I have heard that Bourdain is afraid of pressure cookers...anybody else heard that?

I so sympathize - my mom uses one regularly (in fact, she used one today to make lentil soup). But the thing scares the bejeezus out of me. It's a foreign model, where you hear this odd build-up whistling noise, then a sudden terrifyingly loud shriek. But I SO love the texture of the lentils...I've never seen one explode, but just know it could is enough for me.

I learned how wonderful pressure cookers are from my grandmother. They're not dangerous and really give you flexibility in the kitchen. Southern Living had a great recipe for barbecue sandwiches made in a pressure cooker from flank steak a few years ago that I make a lot. You can find it by searching for Shredded Flank Steak Mini-Sandwiches. I also like it because you can put any type of meat, including chicken in there and it will be cooked quickly and will be tender and flavorful. They use them on Top Chef often when they need to make things fast. Don't be afraid. I researched them when I needed to buy a new one and found that the Fagor one was rated very well and was not too expensive. That's the one I got and I've noticed it's also the one they use on Top Chef.

I never felt that I needed one until I moved to high altitude. Now, I;m surprised I lived without it that long. It's pretty handy for things like dried beans, and I absolutely love the way corned beef turns out in it.

I have had the 5 qt. Kuhn Rikon Duromatic for about 2 years now and absolutely love it! It is especially great in the winter for making soups and stews -- I would say that I use it at least twice a week for quick hearty meals once the weather gets chilly. It's also great for rice -- and I know that rice doesn't usually take that long, but 5 mins. for a batch of jasmine rice is pretty amazing.

I think the fear of pressure cookers is a rational one, but they are made differently now than they used to be. The main things is to always make sure that you have enough liquid in the pot.

Since I got into using mine, and sung it's virtues to my mother, she told me how she has always been a bit afraid of them. Modern designs are a lot safer, as long as you follow the instructions about not overfilling, and avoid certain foods that tend to bubble up and can clog the release valve.

My Indian friend got me a pressure cooker a few months ago. In various other parts of the world they are considered an essential, and he said his mom uses it to make rice, lentils, and lots of other things.

I find that if you include the time to bring the thing up to pressure and cool it down again (about 25 minutes total), it only makes sense for things that take longer than an hour to cook.

The time I (and a lot of other people) find it most useful is for cooking dried beans. I tried a '90-minute' dried-to-table bean recipe last week that called for cooking them in a 250-degree oven, and it took about 6 hours. The beans were perfect though. In a pressure cooker beans go dry-to-table in about 45 minutes (including pressurizing and depressurizing), and the lamb shoulder steak or ham hock or whatever else goes in the pot is then falling apart, and has thoroughly flavored the beans and pot liquor.

I've also made beef stew, bolognese sauce, and other things I would normally simmer for hours and they've turned out really well.

The only downside is not being able to check the cooking progress easily, so you risk overcooking the food, or wasting time cooling and reheating the pot if it's not ready yet. But if it's a dish you would normally simmer for 3-4 hours anyway, you have a bit of leeway there.

I used to find pressure cookers quite alarming. A friend had an old jiggle-top model she used all the time --she learned to use it in France, where it was quite common--and I would disappear around the corner. But when my son was born, we were given one of the new, safer pressure cookers (Fagor) and after circling it for a while I got Lorna Sass's books from the library and started using it several times a week. They are extremely useful, and allow a person to make good meals quickly without being impressively organized (or even somewhat organized). I know a lot of people use them for meat; we're vegetarians & I swear by it. And even the cats have grown accustomed to the steamy sounds of quick-pressure-release.

Pressure cookers are very practical in tropical climes like India and Houston. The steam is trapped, so you don't waste energy warming up the kitchen. When your AC is barely keeping up with 100° heat, that's a big deal. I use a Kuhn RIkon. Great for beans, chili, pozole and squash-chepil soup.

I grew up with my mother telling me to stand back and not come close to the kitchen when the pressure cooker was on. I also "witnessed" an explosion -- well, I got to see beans splattered all over the kitchen walls and ceiling. So I was afraid. About five years ago I bought my own, got over my fears reassuring myself that the technology is much better now. And it's been heaven. Beans and stews, that's all I do, but it's fast and tastes like it's been simmering for hours. Try lentil soup as the colder weather arrives. Any kind, really. Onions, garlic, tomato paste, lentils. If you like pancetta or chorizo, throw some in. It cooks in 5-8m after it starts making noise!

Thanks to everyone! Really seems I hit a nerve here. I am going to get one and start doing soups and stews this fall or sooner as it seems pretty autumn-like already in Michigan. My husband was taken seriously ill this year and we are awaiting organ transplant. I think the savings in time and boost in nutrition will be a big help to us.

My mom uses one all the time - makes a great chicken soup, and she cooks corn beef in it as well. I definitely have a healthy fear though - it exploded once with the chicken soup - our ceiling was yellow for a year before we repainted it. Thank god nobody was in the room at the time.

I am very, very prone to self-injury. I spent my last birthday in a burn ward. I have also exploded Pyrex and had little shards of glass bounce off my face. The last time I tried to parallel park in DC (granted, I was moving furniture and was blind out the back end), I backed into a cop car.

I think I should stay away from pressure cookers.

YUM! Corned beef in the preasure cooker. Cooked the right way, you will never want to eat any other way. Cook a 3 pounder for 45 min. add the potatoes & carrots and cook for an additional 15 min. Like I said YUMMY!

major phobia here.

i'm with italiangirl84...i like the process of cooking...and the 'not blowing up' part.

robincat, I'm sorry to hear about your husband. I hope he is better soon. Good luck with the cooking.

@robincat - I hope your husband is better soon.
@MikeV - this is the first I've been to your blog; it is now bookmarked.
Looks like some fun reading ahead! :)

Sure you can do without a pressure cooker. But you can save a lot of energy ($$!) and time by using one. It's environmentally friendly and economical!

In India pressure cookers are much the way of life, and I 'proudly' own 3. LOL. No day goes without the use of this wonderful contraption, and no, it doesn't explode. Just needs some TLC. Look for signs like less pressure build up, steam escaping from the sides etc. That's when you might need a gasket change. Otherwise it's the best green option for the Earth!

I consider my pressure cooker an essential part of my kitchen gear. The meat and bean dishes that come out of it are consistantly superior to preparing the same recipes with a regular braise method.

I love my Kuhn-Rikon pressure cooker-simply the best-made in Switzerland.

http://kuhnrikon.com/products/pressure_cookers/

European and Indian kitchens always have a pressure cooker for quick work on less tender cuts, beans, etc. Dangerous? Less of an issue than using a barbecue!

I have a Fagor pressure cooker/canner-a must for non-acidic canning. Pickles or tomato sauces are fine using BWB but not meats or fish and most other things. It is stainless and can be used as a saute pot or a pressure cooker.

My favourite cooking method is braising the old fashioned/French way in Staub cookware.

I recently for a 6 qt electric PC at the local thrift store. It is an older model, but looks very well cared for, so I purchased it. I've only used it a few times, and I was very pleased with the food. I am anxious to get more recipes for PC cooking. My better half is a workout fanatic, so we watch our meal menus very carefully.

ChelseaGuy52 - QVC has a 4 quart Cooks Essentials electronic one that has everyone talking!!! I have an 8 qt stove top model that works well, but really want this 4 quart one...

One of the first things my grandmother taught me to cook was a braised pot roast in a pressure cooker. I still use her recipe (and pressure cookers), 45 years later and was happy to be able to make it for her until she passed last year at 101.
I have four of varying sizes, from a four quart up to an antique giant for canning. I have never had any problems, not even a blown gasket.

Whole large artichokes take ten minutes.
Brown rice just needs to be heated to cooking pressure for a minute or two, then turn off the heat and let it come to room pressure and it's done!
I never soak legumes, and stews and soups are a spur-of-the-moment inspiration instead of a military campaign.
And they save energy costs!
My only caution is to avoid non-stick surfaces: they seem to separate and pit easily in pressure cookers.