PRESSURE COOKING 101 – Part 2

Foods that normally take hours to prepare using conventional methods take only
a third of the time to cook. That adds up to both time and energy savings.

Tips for Electric Stove Use:
Electric burners are notoriously slow to respond to temperature control changes, so here are a few tips for making the cooking process smoother. Both of these methods work on ceramic & electric cook tops equally well.

When the pressure cooker has reached the desired pressure remove it from the heat and let the burner cool down for a few minutes. Unless the pot is removed from the heat it will continue to insulate the burner & inhibit its ability to cool on its own. The pot should have no problem maintaining pressure even while off the heat. When the heat has come down, place the cooker back on the low heat to complete the cooking process.

If you have two burners available, turn the second burner on low at the time you begin cooking. Simply move the cooker over onto the second burner once desired pressure has been reached to complete the cooking process.

How Much Pressure
Most pressure cooker recipes are made to cook at a standard of 15psi. This setting is the standard as determined by the USDA way back in 1917, and until the arrival of the new and improved 2nd generation pressure cooker with multiple pressure settings, all pressure cooker had just that one 15psi setting. That pressure setting still remains as the standard today. Many pressure cookers will provide only one pressure setting, this is especially true of older pressure cookers with the jiggle top regulator weights. Generally this single pressure setting is HIGH or 15psi, which is just fine because the majority of recipes call for cooking at that setting.

Almost all recipes designed for the pressure cooker are made to be cooked at 15psi for a specific time, in fact this setting is so common that most recipes don't even need to mention it. If no pressure setting is stated cook at high, or 15psi pressure for the stated time.

If a recipe calls for a lower pressure setting that will be stated in the recipes. Recipes that are designed for the new cookers may have recipes that require LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH pressure, or on the first or second red ring, which corresponds to the medium and high pressure settings. Some pressure cookers may have more rings and a wider range of pressure setting, others come with selection switch and canners have a pressure gauge. Some pressure cookers offer variations of the original 'jiggle-top' weights and use a stationary weight that doesn't rock, it just hisses, others have a dual or triple weighted pressure regulator allowing you to set different pressure.

Coming Attrations:

Pressure Cooker 101 - Part3: Selecting a pressure cooker, pressure cooker care and cleaning, pressure cooker safety.

Pressure Cooker 101 - Part 4: Common mistakes, pressure cooker hints and tips, how a pressure cooker works.

TYPE OF VEGETABLE	AMT. OF LIQUID TO USE	COOKING TIME
Asparagus, thick whole (fresh or frozen)	1/2 cup	1 to 2 minutes
Beans, green or wax, (fresh or frozen)	1/2 cup	2 to 3 minutes
Beet greens, whole	1/2 cup	1 to 4 minutes
Beets, small whole	1 1/2 cups	12 minutes
Beets, large whole	2 cups	20 minutes
Beets, 1/4inch slices	1/4 cup	4 minutes
Broccoli, florets (fresh or frozen)	1/2 cup	2 - 3 minutes
Broccoli, spears	1/2 cup	3 minutes
Brussels sprouts, whole (fresh or frozen)	3/4 cup	2 - 3 minutes
Cabbage, red or green, 1/4-inch shreds	1/2 cup	2 - 3 minutes
Cabbage, red or green, quartered	1 1/4 cup	3 to 4 minutes
Carrots, whole	1 cup	3 to 5 minute
Carrots, 1-inch chunks	3/4 cup	4 minutes
Carrots, 1/4-inch slices	1/2 cup	1 minute
Cauliflower, florets	1/2 cup	2 to 3 minutes
Cauliflower, whole	1/2 cup	6 to 8 minutes
Celery, sliced pieces	1/2 cup	3 to 5 minute
Collard greens, coarsely chopped	I cup	5 minutes
Corn, kernels (fresh or frozen)	1/2 cup	1 minute
Corn on the cob (fresh or frozen)	1/2 cup	3 minutes
Eggplant, sliced 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices	1/2 cup	2 to 3 minutes
Eggplant, 1/2-inch chunks	1/2 cup	3 minutes
Escarole, coarsely chopped	1/2 cup	1 to 2 minutes
Kale, coarsely chopped	1/2 cup	1 to 2 minutes
Kohlrabi, cut in pieces	3/4 cup	3 to 4 minutes
Mixed Vegetables, frozen	1/2 cup	2 minutes
Okra, small pods	1/2 cup	2 to 3 minutes
Onions, whole	1 cup	7 - 9 minutes
Onions, quartered	1/2 cup	3 minutes
Parsnips, 1-inch chunks	1/2 cup	3 minutes
Parsnips, 1/4-inch slices	1/2 cup	1 minute
Peas, shelled (fresh or frozen)	1/2 cup	1 minute
Pepper, whole sweet Bell (green, red, yellow)	1 cup	3 minutes
Potatoes, 1 1/2-inch chunks	1 cup	6 minutes
Potatoes, new, small whole	1 cup	5 minutes
Potatoes, russet or baking, whole (1 pound)	2 cups	25-30 minutes
Potatoes, russet or baking, peeled & quartered	1 cup	10 - 12 minutes
Potatoes, whole	I cup	12 - 15 minutes
Pumpkin, 2-inch chunks	3/4 cup	3 to 4 minutes
Rutabaga, 1-inch chunks	3/4 cup	4 minutes
Spinach, (fresh or frozen), coarsely chopped	1/2 cup	1 minute
Spinach, fresh, whole leaves	1/2 cup	3 minutes
Squash, acorn, halved	1 cup	7 minutes
Squash, Hubbard 1-inch chunks	1 cup	8 - 10 minutes
Squash, butternut, 1-inch chunks	3/4 cup	4 minutes
Squash, pattypan, 2 pounds whole	1 1/2 cups	11 minutes
Squash, summer, zucchini or yellow, 1/2-inch slices	1/2 cup	2 minutes
Sweet potato, 1 1/2-inch chunks	1 cup	5 minutes
Swiss chard, coarsely chopped	1/2 cup	2 minutes
Tomatoes, quartered	1/2 cup	2 minutes
Tomatoes, whole	1 cup	3 minutes
Turnip greens, whole leaves	1 cup	4 minutes
Turnips, small, quartered	1/2 cup	3 minutes
Turnips, 1 1/2-inch chunks	1/2 cup	3 minutes

-- Karen (mountains_mama2@hotmail.com), May 06, 2002

Answers

I'm looking forward to all of this - we've been discussing getting a new pressure cooker and I have no idea how to use one!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), May 07, 2002.

Great!! my husband bought 4 at a auction last year for $1.00 each. I didn't know how to cook with them.Thanks!

-- Joanie (ber-gust@prodigy.net), May 09, 2002.