The pressure cooker is a kitchen staple elsewhere in the world because it cooks food more quickly and economically, making short work of tougher (and cheaper) cuts of meat or from-scratch beans. Many Americans still see them as dangerous, but NPR says pressure cookers may be poised for a comeback.
Pressure cookers gained popularity during World War Two, as women joined the workforce and looked for ways to quickly get dinner on the table after a long day on the job. But the early technology was far from foolproof, resulting in exploding meals that colored people's perceptions of pressure cookers to this day, though modern versions are safe and easy to use.
An economical, time-saving, and energy-efficient kitchen tool does sound like something cooks these days should be embracing. With the approach of summer, the idea of turning on the stove for as little time as possible also has definite appeal.
• Read more: Move Over, Microwave: A Pressure Cooker Comeback? at NPR
Do you own a pressure cooker? Or has its dangerous reputation kept you from buying one?
More on pressure cookers:
• Scary-Cool Pressure Cooking: Fast, Healthy, & Less Heat!
• What Can I Do With a Pressure Cooker?
• Food Science: How Pressure Cookers Work
(Images: Cornell University Library; Flickr member FotoosVanRobin licensed under Creative Commons)
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I know I love mine.
So labour and energy efficient - meltingly soft carrots in 5 mins, new potatoes in 8 mins, stews in half an hour. Flavours stay intense and fresh, too.
OK so what is the difference between what a pressure cooker does and what a slow cooker does...is it the time that it takes to cook?
Poised for a comeback! "Cooking Under Pressure" (Lorna Sass) now has a 20th anniversary edition--I think they have been back for a while!
Pressure cookers and slow cookers are essentially opposites. Pressure cookers drastically shorten the time it takes to cook by doing so at a high temperature and pressure, while slow cookers extend the time it takes to cook by doing so at a low temperature and regular pressure.
I've been using my pressure cooker for years, but I'm a vegetarian so no 30-minute pulled pork, etc. for me. It would be awesome to have a pressure cooker recipe collection or week to get some new ideas beyond beans!
It took me a while to appreciate mine, but with with current heat wave, it's been a cooking staple.
To waywardmedic, they have the same end, they just do it in different ways. The slow cooker maintains a constant temperature for a long period of time in a safe way, allowing the cook to leave it unattended. The pressure cooker maintains a constant pressure, which combined with the heat, cooks meals much faster. You do have to keep an eye on it.
If you have one, and are pleased with it, there's not much reason to get the other.
To kdeeley, I love my slow cooker but we haven't gotten the knack of planning ahead so I think a pressure cooker would be an excellent addition to my kitchen!
I couldn't live without mine. I eat dal several times a week, and that would take hours without the pressure cooker.
i was a devout slow cooker UNTIL i made my first batch of beans in a pressure cooker. the less time that you need to have something actually heating up the kitchen, the better.
I absolutely love mine. My mom brought it back for me from India, and I avoided using it for years because I thought it was confusing and scary. But now, I use it a few times a week. It's great for making rice and dal in under 10 minutes and for beans and grains that generally take forever to cook!
I have an electric one, and I love it. It took a bit of getting used to, but it's definitely easier than roasting something in the oven on a work night when I want to throw something in and not have to stand there stirring constantly.
We buy dried beans now (huge cost savings over canned beans) -- so our pressure cooker is invaluable in making them soft and tender. It's not just preventing the kitchen from heating up, but also uses less energy.
I would love to see more recipes on here for pressure cookers!
I'm happy with the results every time I use mine, but don't have a lot of ideas on how to use it. Still, last night I steamed artichokes in 10 minutes, which was awesome.
I love mine! Dried beans in 35, dal in 10, beets in 15, soup in 20! Cannot beat it.
We use our pressure cooker for the following dishes:
1. Brown rice
2. Lentil soup
3. braised short ribs
4. chicken stew
Great tool and it should be in everyone's kitchen...
Funny, I just decided this morning that I was going to buy one. I live at a high elevation (+7,500 feet) and it's IMPOSSIBLE sometimes to make beans. The ones I made today took 5 hours in the slow cooker, and I had to hover over the pot to skim off any scum and make sure they had enough liquid. Plus I've cooked an entire chicken in a pressure cooker and it turned out fantastically. Moist and healthy (with tons of chicken broth to freeze) in 40 minutes. I'm going to buy one tomorrow.
i adore my pressure cooker. i live in a vegetarian co-op and it has drastically upped our bean consumption (vs tofu, seitan, tempeh)--so it has paid for itself through that, already. quick brown rice! awesome soups in 25 minutes! i would also love some more pressure cooker recipes on here--right now, i mostly use it for ingredients (e.g., white beans to saute later, barley for a side dish, etc) or redbeans&rice or something, and would love more whole dish ideas in the magical pressure cooker!
I'm pricing pressure cookers as we type. My mom used one for years with no explosions, but she pretty much only made pot roast.
Here in the Arizona heat, turning on the oven to bake food is a mistake from mid-June to mid-September, and one-person-sized slow cookers can't be left on all day the way a full-sized one can (I refuse to make six-person batches of things). Pressure cooker may be the answer.
As a vegetarian I LOVE my electric pressure cooker for beans. that is really the reason that I bought it though I do use it for other things on occasion though I haven't played around with it much. I love that I just tell it how long I want it to cook for and walk away without doing anything else except manually letting out the pressure if I need to do that. I would love to use if for making actual meals but I tend to add things and add things until i run out of room and with a pressure cooker you can't exceed a certain limit... If anyone out there has good veggie recipes let me know though and I will try to measure things out for a change!
A kitchen without a pressure cooker is incomplete in my opinion. I'd much rather live without a slow cooker, than without the pressure cooker. In fact, I had to get rid of my faulty slow cooker last Xmas, and i've only missed it when making stock. While I don't use the pressure cooker often, it's a nice fall back when I'm guilty of poor planning. Love my pressure cooker, would not want to run my kitchen without one.
@kristab - I second that! Love my Lorna Sass "Cooking Under Pressure" cookbook...I also have her "Complete Vegetarian Kitchen" book and she includes modifications for cooking recipes in a pressure cooker.
My coworkers got us a Swiss made Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker for our wedding. It's a second generation type. Very not scary, and as someone who forgets to pre-soak, I can still have black beans from Goya bag to table in about 30 minutes. My husband is a vegetarian (and I am at home), so it's a godsend. Also great for making paellas.
@jrossi1217, @kdeeley thanks for your input. I have a slow cooker and was wondering if I should do the switch. Does anyone know if one uses less energy than the other?
I got mine over a year ago and barely used it two weeks ago. What was I waiting for? I love cooking beans in less than 20 min.
We absolutely love our pressure cooker! We bought a Kuhn Rikon and have talked many relatives into buying the same model.
I don't really know, but my estimate is that a slow cooker uses much more energy as it's continually siphoning electricity to run, and over hours and hours. My pressure cooker is rarely on the stove more than 30 minutes total, and only requires the lowest gas setting after being brought to correct pressure.
My mom made the best pork chop, potato and onion dinner in her pressure cooker. I still have hers in addition to mine and use them both. Pressure cookers for canners are a great time saver.
I didn't know so many people used these! They always seemed scary to me. This has really changed my mind
@jrossi1217 and @Astur, look for Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure, by Lorna Sass--I checked it out of the library repeatedly years ago when I was doing much more cooking than I do now.
Love my pressure cooker--my favorite is chicken curry--less than an hour from start to finish.
Another vote for a pressure cooker week. Here in France it is THE appliance gifted to all young adults leaving the nest. Everyone loves them here and I am getting to love the one my belle lère gave to my partner and that he never touched! ^^ Definitely great for beans and stock - I've also had delicious meat dishes cooked just from the recipe book that came with the cooker!
@DCarl1 - pass along your dal recipe? Sounds delicious!!
Love, love love my pressure cooker(s)!!
I own 3 !! :)
I make dal, rice, pulao, kichdi, biryani ,soups, baby food, curries(like chana masala, rajma) and just about anything.
And when I run out of clean pots (once in a while) I use the pressure cooker/pan- minus the lid- as a regular cooking pot.
I lugged my cookers all the way from India.(Pressure cookers are extremely popular in India, most households who can afford one, have one.)
LOVE mine. thick golden gelatinous stock in an hour.
Yes please! My mom gave me an AMC cooker that I flew over the country to my new apartment. Moroccan Lamb Stew, Oxtail Stew, soups, wonderful!