#Save Time #Live Well #Eat Healthy: The Miracles of a Pressure Cooker

The best thing I did last year? Invest in a pressure cooker...and use it!!!

Funny thing: I thought that when my husband and I reached the status of Empty Nester, we would have all this free time. Logic supported this notion because after all, the biggest consumption of my time -- raising three active children and managing a household of five individuals plus one dog with an attitude-- would no longer be an issue. Ha!! What a misconception!!! We are just as busy now as when we had all that action going on. Just goes to show there will always be something to make days hectic and busy.

Because I am running ragged most days, I am always on the lookout for time savers and stress relievers without compromising my quality of life. So when I heard that pressure cookers were just the ticket to creating the healthiest of meals in a minimum amount of time, I leaped at the opportunity to learn more about this miracle kitchen appliance.

Pressure Cookers have been around hundreds of years and were valued as essential for meal preparation.

Then, in the 1940's, they got a bad rap. When World War II came and the need for iron and steel went towards the war effort, manufacturers had to scramble to find a way to produce their goods using inferior materials. Inferior workmanship led to disastrous accidents including explosions and really ugly kitchen catastrophes. Thus, a drop in their popularity and use.

Today's pressure cookers are a distant relative to the versions of the 1940's. They are more compact, better constructed, and easy to use. They come in two models -- stove-top and electric -- both using the same cooking principles. Simply speaking, when boiling water or other cooking liquid is contained in a sealed vessel, pressure builds from the internal steam, creating a cooking environment that transfers heat more rapidly. Thus, foods are cooked more quickly, retaining their nutrients, saving energy and your valuable time.

The cost for this wonderful varies according to the type and size of the pressure cooker, but generally they are priced from around $100 to $300. The first pressure cooker I bought was a stove-top version that I saw demonstrated at a cooking class in Gilbert, Arizona. It worked well on my gas stove. I only used it a few times because I only had a couple of recipes.

I wanted to expand my use of the appliance so I decided to take another class. This time, I went to Honeyville Grain in Rancho Cucamonga and Chef Brad used an electric pressure cooker which was actually a 3 in 1 appliance: pressure cooker, slow cooker, and rice cooker. Wow!!! Talk about versatility.

Honeyville Grain offered another pressure cooking class close to the holidays. Lisa Barker shared great ways to better incorporate pressure cooking in to my daily food routines. Lisa also explained how to convert almost any recipe to a pressure cooking recipe. Most things you cook in an oven will take only one-fourth of the time in a pressure cooker. I was hooked.

I now use my pressure cooker several times a week for everything from main dishes to side dishes and even desserts. I've also discovered a terrific on-line pressure cooker resource: PressureCookingToday.com written by the fabulous Barbara Bakes. By subscribing to her newsletter, I am able to stay up to date with great recipes and other ideas for my pressure cooker.

You can't beat the moist, flavorful dishes coming out of my pressure cooker. What recipes have amazed me so far?
Sweet and Sour Chicken on Rice -15 minutes Breakfast rice bowls (using brown rice) - 14 minutes Pork (90 minutes) and Beef (45 minutes) Roasts Hard boiled eggs - 3 minutes
Every day I learn some new recipe and find out more benefits to using a pressure cooker. but the very best part is the time saved. I can have a home cooked, healthy meal ready to go, from preparation to table, in just minutes. You can't beat that!!!

Is your New Year Resolution the "eat healthy -- live well -- save time" kind of resolution? If so, then you have to get a pressure cooker!!! There are lots to choose from but from experience, I highly recommend these brands: Fagor and Fissler.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about pressure cooking.
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