Get dinner on the table quickly without a lot of fuss and muss by using a pressure cooker, which is the complete opposite of a slow cooker–it’s a fast cooker!
If you aren’t already part of the initiated who use a pressure cooker, you probably think pressure cookers are unsafe and are only for the pros.
Am I right? I thought so.
That’s because that’s what I thought before I decided to take up the challenge to use a pressure cooker as part of my regular cooking routine. I got acquainted with the idea of pressure cooking after reading a few specialty recipe books for various anti-inflammatory diets (that’s a subject for another post). I started following some Facebook groups devoted to pressure cooking and even downloaded a couple of cookbooks exclusively filled with pressure cooker recipes before jumping in.
A point of clarification about pressure cooking is needed. Mainly, the pressure cookers of today are nothing like the ones your grandmother used and about which she filled you full of horror stories about the red sauce on the ceiling. Today’s cookers are third-generation cookers and include enhanced safety and programmable features that make them not only super easy to use but completely safe when used in coordination with the directions. Third-generation cookers are electric plug-in devices that look very similar to a crockpot–but instead of taking all day to cook a meal, can cook one in as little as ten minutes!
These cookers are fitted with a microprocessor to control for accurate pressure and temperature readings from pressure and temperature sensors are just about magical, as far as I am concerned.
The beauty of pressure cooking is that it’s possible to make a wholesome meal in the evenings without spending three hours in the kitchen. For example, if you wanted to make a whole chicken, instead of the normal rule of thirty minutes per pound, it would be possible to cook by pressure cooking in 15-25 minutes depending on the size. Cook soaked black beans in ten minutes flat. Make lentil soup in 15 minutes and rice in only four (FOUR!) minutes. If you can use a microwave, then you can use a third-generation pressure cooker.
Here are a few pressure cooker recipes to get you started.
Pressure Cooker Recipes for Beginners
1. Fall Off the Bone Whole Chicken
9. Chili Mac
I do highly recommend the 7-in-1 InstantPot, which is not only a pressure cooker but also functions as a slow cooker and can be used to saute foods before slow or pressure cooking. It can also be used as a rice cooker and to make homemade yogurt and more. If you are going to add another appliance to your kitchen, this is the one to add.
Pressure cookers are great for both meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. The one downside is that it is yet another appliance cluttering up the kitchen and they are somewhat pricey–most are on the other side of $100. In my experience, though, it’s money well spent. Look at it this way, if you can cook dinner in 15 minutes there is no excuse for ordering take-out!
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Korean Style Beef Tacos Image from SkinnyTaste