Pressure cooker questions

Hi, all,

I haven't been around for quite a while, but I'm still keeping low-carb
to control my diabetes, and doing quite well at that, although my weight
keeps moving around. (Note that if it was going down consistently, I
would have put that a different way. ;-) )

I just got a pressure cooker and I'm wondering if there are any here who
would be willing to answer some questions? I've looked at websites like
missvickie but I'm not getting the answers I need.

Thanks,

Chak

--
I like the scientific spirit - the holding off, the being sure but not
too sure, the willingness to surrender ideas when the evidence is against
them: This is ultimately fine - it always keeps the way open.
--Walt Whitman

I used to use a pressure cooker when my kids were little but for just two
people it doesn't seem worthwhile. Anything I would cook in it I just
simmer a few hours instead. What do you want to know? I remember one of
the things I would make was Swiss steak, haven't made that in years. I had
a gap in my cooking endeavors for a few years.


| Chakolate wrote:
|| Hi, all,
||
|| I haven't been around for quite a while, but I'm still keeping
|| low-carb to control my diabetes, and doing quite well at that,
|| although my weight keeps moving around. (Note that if it was going
|| down consistently, I would have put that a different way. ;-) )
||
|| I just got a pressure cooker and I'm wondering if there are any here
|| who would be willing to answer some questions? I've looked at
|| websites like missvickie but I'm not getting the answers I need.

"FOB" wrote in
:

I used to use a pressure cooker when my kids were little but for just
two people it doesn't seem worthwhile. Anything I would cook in it I
just simmer a few hours instead. What do you want to know? I
remember one of the things I would make was Swiss steak, haven't made
that in years. I had a gap in my cooking endeavors for a few years.

There are just a bunch of questions I can't seem to find the answers to.
Like whether PC cooking will tenderize meat more than stove cooking.
Whether you can thaw stuff in the PC. (The owner's manual mentions
thawing but then doesn't say a thing about how to do it.) Is it supposed
to leak around the seal? I boiled some water in mine (it was a giveaway
from freecycle, only used once) and got a bit of drip down the side.

Can I cook a whole chicken in it or do I have to cut it up first? Does
it work better with meat that's been cut into smaller pieces or does that
not matter?

Any answers you have will be appreciated.

Chak

--
I like the scientific spirit - the holding off, the being sure but not
too sure, the willingness to surrender ideas when the evidence is against
them: This is ultimately fine - it always keeps the way open.
--Walt Whitman

No, it shouldn't leak around the seal, you can usually buy new seals for
them, but maybe the seal just didn't seat quite right when you put the lid
on, try opening and reclosing it when it is hot, but don't open it if there
is pressure inside, they are great fun when you take the weight off while it
is pressurized, run cold water over the pan to cool it down quickly. Did
the drip continue after pressure built up? Usually a leak will emit steam
when you get pressure going.

You can cook things from the frozen state, you would have to adjust the time
for that. It tenderizes more quickly because it cooks more quickly, really
that is the difference between pressure cooking and simmering--speed.
Because of the pressure the temperature is higher but since there is
moisture also contained there is no danger of burning the outside as there
would be with high temperatures in the oven.

You could cook a whole chicken with no problem, it doesn't matter whether
meat is cut up or whole. You have to use it a bit to get your timing just
right for various stuff, things like meat can stand a bit of overcooking,
they will just get more tender. Things like potatoes (I know, just an
example) will disintegrate if you cook them too long.

Chakolate wrote:
|
| There are just a bunch of questions I can't seem to find the answers
| to. Like whether PC cooking will tenderize meat more than stove
| cooking. Whether you can thaw stuff in the PC. (The owner's manual
| mentions thawing but then doesn't say a thing about how to do it.)
| Is it supposed to leak around the seal? I boiled some water in mine
| (it was a giveaway from freecycle, only used once) and got a bit of
| drip down the side.
|
| Can I cook a whole chicken in it or do I have to cut it up first?
| Does it work better with meat that's been cut into smaller pieces or
| does that not matter?
|
| Any answers you have will be appreciated.
|
| Chak

Thanks for all that - it's quite helpful. I'm not sure about what
happened with the leak, so I'm going to try again just boiling water.
The seal looks just fine, no wear or cracks or anything, but you can't
always tell by looking, right?

I'm not at all sure I got the pressure high enough. There was some noise
but not much through the whole procedure.

More when I make a new test, I guess.

Thanks again!

Chak


"FOB" wrote in
:

No, it shouldn't leak around the seal, you can usually buy new seals
for them, but maybe the seal just didn't seat quite right when you put
the lid on, try opening and reclosing it when it is hot, but don't
open it if there is pressure inside, they are great fun when you take
the weight off while it is pressurized, run cold water over the pan to
cool it down quickly. Did the drip continue after pressure built up?
Usually a leak will emit steam when you get pressure going.

You can cook things from the frozen state, you would have to adjust
the time for that. It tenderizes more quickly because it cooks more
quickly, really that is the difference between pressure cooking and
simmering--speed. Because of the pressure the temperature is higher
but since there is moisture also contained there is no danger of
burning the outside as there would be with high temperatures in the
oven.

You could cook a whole chicken with no problem, it doesn't matter
whether meat is cut up or whole. You have to use it a bit to get your
timing just right for various stuff, things like meat can stand a bit
of overcooking, they will just get more tender. Things like potatoes
(I know, just an example) will disintegrate if you cook them too long.

Chakolate wrote:
|
| There are just a bunch of questions I can't seem to find the answers
| to. Like whether PC cooking will tenderize meat more than stove
| cooking. Whether you can thaw stuff in the PC. (The owner's manual
| mentions thawing but then doesn't say a thing about how to do it.)
| Is it supposed to leak around the seal? I boiled some water in mine
| (it was a giveaway from freecycle, only used once) and got a bit of
| drip down the side.
|
| Can I cook a whole chicken in it or do I have to cut it up first?
| Does it work better with meat that's been cut into smaller pieces or
| does that not matter?
|
| Any answers you have will be appreciated.
|
| Chak






--
I like the scientific spirit - the holding off, the being sure but not
too sure, the willingness to surrender ideas when the evidence is against
them: This is ultimately fine - it always keeps the way open.
--Walt Whitman

It is normal for steam to leak around the seal until the pressure has built
up to seat the seal. Then there should be no leakage except from the
pressure relief device. The idea is to adjust the heat so there is a very
small amount of steam escaping.

As a general rule a pressure cooker will cook three times as fast as an
ordinary pot. This is great for tenderizing meat.

What is the size and brand of your pressure cooker?

Bob in 92026
====================

"Chakolate" wrote in message
7.102...
Thanks for all that - it's quite helpful. I'm not sure about what
happened with the leak, so I'm going to try again just boiling water.
The seal looks just fine, no wear or cracks or anything, but you can't
always tell by looking, right?

I'm not at all sure I got the pressure high enough. There was some noise
but not much through the whole procedure.

More when I make a new test, I guess.

Thanks again!

Chak


"FOB" wrote in
:

No, it shouldn't leak around the seal, you can usually buy new seals
for them, but maybe the seal just didn't seat quite right when you put
the lid on, try opening and reclosing it when it is hot, but don't
open it if there is pressure inside, they are great fun when you take
the weight off while it is pressurized, run cold water over the pan to
cool it down quickly. Did the drip continue after pressure built up?
Usually a leak will emit steam when you get pressure going.

You can cook things from the frozen state, you would have to adjust
the time for that. It tenderizes more quickly because it cooks more
quickly, really that is the difference between pressure cooking and
simmering--speed. Because of the pressure the temperature is higher
but since there is moisture also contained there is no danger of
burning the outside as there would be with high temperatures in the
oven.

You could cook a whole chicken with no problem, it doesn't matter
whether meat is cut up or whole. You have to use it a bit to get your
timing just right for various stuff, things like meat can stand a bit
of overcooking, they will just get more tender. Things like potatoes
(I know, just an example) will disintegrate if you cook them too long.

Chakolate wrote:
|
| There are just a bunch of questions I can't seem to find the answers
| to. Like whether PC cooking will tenderize meat more than stove
| cooking. Whether you can thaw stuff in the PC. (The owner's manual
| mentions thawing but then doesn't say a thing about how to do it.)
| Is it supposed to leak around the seal? I boiled some water in mine
| (it was a giveaway from freecycle, only used once) and got a bit of
| drip down the side.
|
| Can I cook a whole chicken in it or do I have to cut it up first?
| Does it work better with meat that's been cut into smaller pieces or
| does that not matter?
|
| Any answers you have will be appreciated.
|
| Chak






--
I like the scientific spirit - the holding off, the being sure but not
too sure, the willingness to surrender ideas when the evidence is against
them: This is ultimately fine - it always keeps the way open.
--Walt Whitman

"Bob D." wrote:

It is normal for steam to leak around the seal until the pressure has built
up to seat the seal. Then there should be no leakage except from the
pressure relief device. The idea is to adjust the heat so there is a very
small amount of steam escaping.

Quoting only Bob D but really replying to Chakolate.

It does sound like the rubber gasaket needs to be replaced.
Or maybe it just wasn't brought up to tempterature yet.
Only cooking water? I've never tried that. I experiment
with food - The worst that's ever happened is I went to pick
up a pizza and tossed the experiment. But I get that down
side every so often experimenting with any cooking style so
it's sure not unique to the pressure cooker.

A pressure cooker will make a little bit of steam before it
comes to temperature but then its vent will start a rythmic
hiss-hiss-hiss cycle and it will stay like that until the heat
is turned off. The same hiss-hiss cycle happens with the
weighted tops that I prefer and with the spring loaded ones
I've used.

As a general rule a pressure cooker will cook three times as fast as an
ordinary pot. This is great for tenderizing meat.

For ease a pressure cooker works about the same as a
crock pot. For time a pressure cooker works so much faster
than a crock pot. After using a crock pot a lot most of the
recipes in it start to seem alike so switching to the pressure
cooker is a nice change for the different flavor.

Both crock pot and pressure cooker are nice in that I can
put in a frozen roast and have good things happen for a
meal. It works for birds too as long as the giblet packet
was removed before freezing. Thawing first is always better.
With a crock pot I'll remove from the freezer at night, put
inot the crock in the morning, eat after work. But if I forget
at night it still works to take out of the freezer in the
morning and drop straight into the crock pot. With a
pressure cooker out of the freezer in the morning into the
pressure cooker when I get home from work. But if I forget
both it still works somewhat okay to use the pressure cooker.