Pressure cooker - help!

[Rabbie]

Everyone seems to rave about pressure cookers afloat. I have just bought my first one and find the mechanical instructions easy but the cooking methods/recipes are not exactly easy to understand. Can anyone help a single-hander with simple tips/recipes for using this lethal looking object. Thanks in advance.
Rab.

<hr width=100% size=1>.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Great things for stews and soups and if not used as a pressures cooker it is a good sized cooking pot. Very economical on heat used, provided you want a one pot meal, Cook stew in under half an hour, try a "pressure cooker" search in say google. I got about 87 000 listings, I am sure there is something there that will be of use. Most new cookers come with a receipe book, a seach in the local library will produce plenty of cooking ideas. Remember to not overdo the use of water in the sealed cooking system and general cooking methods just like boiling but quicker. Potatoes take 10 minutes once pressure is reached etc. For a boat it is better than a microwave [a techno-electronic-gadget that landlubbers use]. Happy cooking.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[richardandtracy]

Stew:
Throw in meat (stewing steak, that sort of thing), pearl barley & other stuff to taste (caserole mix in supermarkets is good), carrots, onions, parsnip & swede.
Add water, OXO & herbs
Bring to pressure & simmer 5 minutes to cook off the meat.
Lower pressure slowly.
Add more water if necessary
Add potatoes
Bring to pressure & simmer 10 minutes
Eat.

Make 100 variations on that theme. Eat if edible.

Dumplings don't seem to rise in a pressure cooker.
For God's sake, don't do rice. It bubbled up on mine at home & out the weight, knocking it off. Got instant de-pressurisation, awful screaming noise & a horrible mess on the ceiling which splattered back down to floor level. Scared me witless.

To be honest, beyond stews & potatoes I think they're a bit limited. I now usually do the stew on the stove top, then I can have dumplings too.

Regards

Richard



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[AndrewB]

Who needs the recipe book!

The real joy of a pressure cooker is that you just bung everything in, fresh or tinned, and no matter how unpromising half an hour later its edible with the minimum usage of gas.

Great when you are the last to arrive at the village market and the only remaining produce is a grisly fly-blown gobbet of meat and some unidentifiably knobbly vegetables half covered in mould and withered shoots. Chop into pieces, cover with water, close and add the heaviest weight, and all will be safely zapped into sterility and edibility. Chuck in a tin of curry as well if you are seriously worried about the flavour.

Recipe book? All you need to remember is to put in a reasonable amount of water, and don't forget the trivet to prevent the bottom burning.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Gunfleet]

It's also very good for day sailing - cook the meal in the pressure cooker at home, let it cool. Take to boat. Reheat. No nasty germs get in if you don't depressurise in between and with the lid firmly clamped on you can tip it any way you want, it doesn't spill.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Evadne]

You can sometimes find pressure cooker recipe books in downmarket 2nd hand book shops and junk shops (or antique shops if you're in Surrey).

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Seafort]

Good for frozen stews etc too. Make extra at home and freeze in portions, take to the boat with you and it doesn't matter if still partialy frozen when you want it, juust add the lump and water (depending on size of your pc), 20 mins to ½ hour and there you go.

Dave.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Mirelle]

Dumplings

depressurise first, then add dumplings; they need about 30 minutes.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[polarity]

Devout singlehander and pressure cooker user.... (as requested!)

To cook rice: 1 scoop rice: 2 scoops water.
Yellow split peas (great!) 1:1
So, for a simple great curry, throw in meat of choice -if you want you can fry the onions and the meat lightly first in the bottom of the pan-, seasoning, vegetables etc. (the veggies will add extra water - you do not loose any when you pressure cook) Then if you want rice add in ratio above. Ditto split yellow peas or other pulses.
Put on the lid, close. Put down the weight (see your manual) Put up to high heat until steam starts to escape and little psstsing noises are heard from the weight. Reduce heat, let it sit on a v low heat for 8 mins. Turn off heat, leave for 2 mins. The Pressure should have gone down by then, if not you can run it under a tap or just leave it. DO NOT FORCE THE LID OFF!!... modern cookers have a safety gadget that stops you opening the lid when there is pressure.

Anyway open and eat and enjoy... or leave, it will keep hot for hours. Its all sealed up so a relocation to leeward during a crash gybe wont disturb it!

As mentioned above a major benefit is that as it cooks around 118 deg C noth nasty lives!

Moules (mussels) are great too. wash, chuck in with a spash of water/white wine, garlic and a little butter/olive oil. 1 min under pressure .. Yum!!

Ditto fish

Then there's bread...

Enjoy !!

(yes I have on one the boat and one at home!)

Paul




<hr width=100% size=1>Paul
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.polarity2.com/Clipper.htm>http://www.polarity2.com/Clipper.htm</A>

 

[polarity]

oops forgot to mention...

You can make the stew in the bottom, then place a bowl (any type will do) on top of it, add the rice and water to that. Cook as per mentioned.

Providing no crash gybes it will cook seperately to perfection!

Paul


<hr width=100% size=1>Paul
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.polarity2.com/Clipper.htm>http://www.polarity2.com/Clipper.htm</A>

 

[Mirelle]

1. As stated below, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT rice or pasta!

2. Vegetables cook extremely fast - raw cabbage turns into soggy blotting paper in about three minutes.

3. Fish bones will turn into fish glue if overdone.

4. Brilliant with tough meat

5. Take HW Tilman's advice, and try a duff or two. Real sea-food - proper belly timbering - you will be amazed at how much you will eat.

6. I have to show off - I once cooked a Christmas pudding, starting from raw materials, in mid-ocean.

7. As Andrew B says - remember enough water and remember the trivet. If you are thickening a stew or adding dumplings do so after depressurising.

8. Er, there's a recipe for bread made in a pressure cooker on the Cruising Association website!

9. Best little book was one Sainsburys brought out - worth hunting down.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Rabbie]

Absolutely brlliant everyone, I've copied the lot. Many thanx.
Rab.

<hr width=100% size=1>.

 

[heinzthedog57]

Dumps & babies heads always come out superstodgy when done under pressure.
As the former only take 20' its worth doing them normally-the extra minutes wont do your stew any harm either. Puddings really need steaming normally but you have to REALLY want one to justify having the range going for a couple of hours or more

<hr width=100% size=1>