Pressure Cookers - who has them? - Who uses them? - what do you cook in them?

we have 2 Kuhn Rikon braisers, 2.5 and 5L... We're using the small one, never used the 5L yet, too big (that was the first one i bought, i didn't realized how big it was). Kinda pricey but is top self.



https://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/kuhn_rikon.aspx

Teppanyaki said:

How dangerous are the newer models? I keep hearing about stories where the lid blows off and almost kills someone, getting food on the ceiling.

Fast beans or brown rice sounds mighty appealing, though.

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Quite safe. The Kuhn Rikon for example has the main valve which will release pressure and a secondary valve that will release pressure if the main valve is clogged. It will also release pressure out the sides when pressure is high enough to push the gasket out of the way. Also, you can't open it until pressure has been safely released.

20 minute brown rice, 6 minute new potatoes with a few minutes to bring the cooker up to pressure.

I make soups in mine pressure cooker but most often use it for bone broth or pork and sauerkraut.

I've got two Mirro pressure cookers, a 6 quart and a 22 quart. These things get a bad rap because they still use a weight to control the pressure rather than a dial, but I've been using both of these for over 15 years. I cook and can in both of them. My family likes potted meat (chicken and beef) but I absolutely hate the expense, so I make my own. I also can soups and when we fund great sales, fruits and veggies (although they typically don't require the pressure canner.

BTW, the stories about lids blowing off and explosions tend to be of the "I heard from someone who knows someone..." variety. Even the Mirros that I use have multiple / redundant safety features that make over-pressure situations pretty hard to achieve.

Cheers,
Jerry

My big Mirro pressure canner has the weight deal. It's great.

If I ended up being seduced by the Kuhn Rikon top-turn pressure cookers, what size would you recommend? I'm thinking of the 3.5 quart so that I can cook from 1-4 people without getting a huge device.

It all depends on what you are cooking and how you deal with leftovers. I cooked corned beef and cabbage today and I must say it pretty much filled my 6 litre cooker . . . but clearly I made enough for 8 or 10 more meals for my wife and I. I make curried chicken in my 2.5 litre pressure frying pan and have enough for a couple more meals each. Then again you don't have to fill the cookers 3.5 will allow quite a bit of flexibility. (I still like 6 but that's me and the way I like to cook)

The thing to keep in mind is that the larger your cooker is, the longer it takes to get up to pressure.

I have used Fagor Duo pressure cookers for the last 5-6 years without any problems. I started out with a 6 qt and added a 10 quart.

I use them mostly to make soups and stews as well as cooking beans in a desire to move away from plastic lined canned beans. They are a super time saver, use less natural gas fuel (something I occasionally remind my strongly opinionated, non-cooking, environment loving young friends when they come for supper).

I bought a pressure cooker at Target in Fall 2013. I think it is 6 quart and I think the brand is TFal. It only develops 10 lbs of pressure. I was using it a lot for awhile. I would say it is good for dried beans and, say, tripe.

I am not sure I would not just simmer most stuff for a a longer time, at least if I had the time. But I am far from expert. It surely does cut the time, but i think simmering for hours produces a difference flavor. Maybe I am not that skilled.

Hirsute said:

7 qt Kuhn Rikin here. I use mine for everything--beans, brown rice (in 15 minutes!), caponata, pork shoulder, cheesecake, you name it! If you haven't already, check out Lorna Sass's books.

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hmm... tempting.

Will be using one today for the obligatory St. Patrick's Day corned beef!

Also remember there is a max fill like with pressure cookers--somewhere around 1/2 to 2/3 depending in the cooker and what you're cooking. Basically, you under fill it to keep food out of the pressure release valve on top.

Those of you with the new-fangled, high tech pressure cookers...Am I missing out on anything by sticking to my 20 year old Presto rocking-weight type? Is there a significant argument for upgrading?

In my house the rythmic tsssh-tsssh, tsssh-tsssh, tsssh-tsssh sound of a happy pressure cooker weight is THE sound of good old home cooked comfort food.

Oh. And this thread is severely lacking in recipes......

I have an electric pressure cooker (QVC's Cooks Essentials) that mainly gets used for con on the cob. I fill it and set the various timers such that the corn cooks and pressure releases without any further attention. I just have to worry about the rest of the meal.

My 16 quart mainly gets used as a canner, but I've done some stock in it as well.

I haven't found safety to be a problem with any pressure cooker canner made in the last few decades. My 16 quart was made in the 1970's. It has a weight to control pressur and a rubber plug that will blow out if it over pressurizes so explosions aren't going to be an issue. There could be some scalding if you try to speed up the pressure release by either removing the weight or depressing a piece that projects from the rubber safety plug.

langod said:

Those of you with the new-fangled, high tech pressure cookers...Am I missing out on anything by sticking to my 20 year old Presto rocking-weight type? Is there a significant argument for upgrading?

In my house the rythmic tsssh-tsssh, tsssh-tsssh, tsssh-tsssh sound of a happy pressure cooker weight is THE sound of good old home cooked comfort food.

Oh. And this thread is severely lacking in recipes......

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Timer, Slow cooking feature, and won't last as long.
That's about it.

langod said:

Those of you with the new-fangled, high tech pressure cookers...Am I missing out on anything by sticking to my 20 year old Presto rocking-weight type? Is there a significant argument for upgrading?

In my house the rythmic tsssh-tsssh, tsssh-tsssh, tsssh-tsssh sound of a happy pressure cooker weight is THE sound of good old home cooked comfort food.

Oh. And this thread is severely lacking in recipes......

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Cooks Illustrated had a pretty good review of all pressure cookers that I read before I bought mine. It did not much like the electric versions. Expensive, hard to handle, huge outside and not so big inside, most hard to brown in, could not release steam automatically at end of cooking cycle so timer not all that impressive, hearing elements not nearly as impressive as a regular stove.

Slow cooking features seemed interesting to me. Size and storage seemed like big draw back. I mean you automatically get a nice big heavy pot you can use for lots of things when you get a stove top pressure cooker. If I had things to do over, I might have gone for stainless steel over aluminum. Also, 15 lb over 10 lb pressure. I feel like they kind of fooled me there. I am not sure the latter really makes that much of a different. Pressure cooking no doubt speeds things up to an amazing degree. I think 6 quarts was big enough for me. I think KI preferred 8 quarts and the electric ones were not that large for the most part.

I've been pressuring cooking everything for over 30 years. And have tried all the usual stove top models, even the incredible All American style for large crowds or canning. Hard to justify the All American and the aluminum base may not be the best for food, although it does cook incredibly well and fast. My latest acquisition, after the 20 year old Presto lost the pressure sealing ability, is a Hawkins from India. I got the little 3-quart model, via amazon.com, for $29 delivered. What a great acquisition and check the reviews. The users love it and so far so do I.

Grains, beans, winter squash, meat, potatoes, you name it and you can cook it. And check out the Hawkins when you're in the search for a reliable inexpensive model.

I have the larger of the two that you show here, and it's a wonder. By coincidence we did a beef daube this evening and it takes about 20-25 minutes using the offcuts. The vegetables completely disintegrate into a thick and rich broth, full of flavor, and it tastes of something that's been in the over for 3-4 hours.
We've also done boston baked beans and they are magnificent, as is risotto.
A wonderful thing. Every home should have one.

langod said:

Those of you with the new-fangled, high tech pressure cookers...Am I missing out on anything by sticking to my 20 year old Presto rocking-weight type? Is there a significant argument for upgrading?

In my house the rythmic tsssh-tsssh, tsssh-tsssh, tsssh-tsssh sound of a happy pressure cooker weight is THE sound of good old home cooked comfort food.

Oh. And this thread is severely lacking in recipes......

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Hard to say on a purely economic basis. My mother inherited a blowy uppie 1920-1930 model . . which scared the heck out of her every time she used it. At some point she switched over to a Presto with the rocking weight on top. Fast forward from 1980 . . . to somewhere in the first decade of 2000. . . I get nostalgic about stew. Find a Miro for 30-40 bucks. Works well. Tssh tsssh etc. It is aluminium . . . thin bottom and I'm burning stuff sometimes more than I figure should happen. And then the cleanup.

There is no way I'd wear out the Miro . . . I'm a scrubbing and maintaining nut. And they are quite common in the world. This is important as you will in time need a replacement gasket or some other part.

So in the background . . . over the years I've worked my way through a couple of sets of Teflon clad aluminium pots and a terrible number of frying pans . . . yeah I'm moving to stainless and cast iron.

I'm not a kid or ancient . . . and decided to buy a Kuhn Ricon. Not inexpensive at all . . .but thick bottom, stainless, gets to pressure quickly, far less heat required to keep pressure up. . . higher pressure than rocker so quicker cooking . . . very little steam release so quiet, heat better spread out so easier browning . . . In advertisement they claim little nutrient release . . . kinda makes sense but I doubt there is measurable difference.

I wish I had one earlier.