21 Ways To Save Time and Money Using A Pressure Cooker
When I think of pressure cookers, I imagine those rickety-looking pots with locking lids from my youth. The ones that always had me backing away from the kitchen when it was used, so I wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire should the whole thing decide to explode. So when I started noticing recently that pressure cookers and pressure cooker recipes seem to be making a resurgence, I was ready to respond with a firm “no thank you!” But that was before I started looking into the world of electric pressure cookers.
My fear of pressure cookers was more of a fear that I would mess something up during the cooking process, which would eventually lead to some kind of explosion (my anxiety at work – always jumping to the worst possible conclusion!) But with an electric pressure cooker, the possibility of operator error is greatly reduced, since you just have to place the lid on and push a couple of buttons. That didn’t sound so bad, I thought, so I began researching the pros and cons of owning a pressure cooker, as well as what kinds of things I’d be able to make.
It only took an hour or so of browsing for me to realize that I needed one of these electric pressure cookers STAT. For me, the greatest benefit of owning one would be the ability to cook things much quicker than using traditional methods. For instance, I learned that you can make long-grain white rice (a staple in our house because it’s gluten free) in about 10 minutes in pressure cooker, as opposed to one hour on the stove. Since I generally find myself trying to throw together dinner for my husband and boys at the last minute more often than not, the idea of having an appliance that could speed up the process was VERY attractive!
I also learned that pressure cooked foods actually retain more of their nutritional content than traditionally cooked foods, because there is far less evaporation happening inside the cooker. Soon the electric pressure cooker was sounding too good to resist, so I ended up picking up this Cuisinart model.
I found so many amazing recipes online that it would take me years to make them all to share them with you. So I thought I’d show one of the great recipes I came across, and then include the include links for more great recipes at the end of this post. So without further ado, here’s how to use a pressure cooker to turn a can of sweetened condensed milk into a can of rich, gooey Dulce de Leche.
Pressure Cooker Dulce de Leche
from Hip Pressure Cooking
1 12-14oz can sweetened condensed milk
steamer basket
water
Place the steamer basket into the pressure cooker. Remove the label from the can, and place the can into the steamer basket. The basket will keep the can from touching the sides or bottom of the pressure cooker, which is crucial because without it, the can could become too hot and explode (which we really don’t want.)
Add water to your pressure cooker until it covers the can, then lock the lid in place.
Allow the can to cook on high pressure for 15 to 20 minutes, then allow you cooker to depressurize using the Natural Release method. (You can generally engage a natural pressure release simply by unplugging the unit.)
It’s probably safest to let your cooker depressurize for several hours (with the lid locked and the can still inside), but we were impatient and engaged the Quick Release switch after about a half an hour. Then I removed the can from the cooker and placed it in an ice bath to cool for several minutes. Once the can was cool, I took it out of the bath and opened it.
Let me warn you though, this Dulce de Leche stuff is DANGEROUS. I could have eaten the whole can with a spoon! It’s sweet, creamy, and would taste good on just about anything. (We’ve put it on ice cream and toast so far, with delicious results!)
Place any leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
With such promising results from my first pressure cooker excursion, I’m looking forward to trying out the rest of these recipes I found! :-) Click on the name of the recipe to view full details and instructions.
from Dad Cooks Dinner
For great pressure cooker recipes, information, and conversion tips, I highly recommend visiting Hip Pressure Cooking. I referred to this website several times while writing this post, because it’s a great place to start for basic recipes for beginners. Hip Pressure Cooking also has tons of great recipe ideas for the more seasoned pressure cooker user! They even have an excellent Pressure Cooker Recipe Converter, though you’ll have to register on the site to access it.
What’s your favorite thing to make in your pressure cooker?
