Mamta's Kitchen - A Family Cookbook





Use of pressure cookers

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On 26/11/2007 03:11am, FelafelBoy wrote:

I'm sure this topic has been discussed before but the "search" function on this message board seemed to apply for words that are imbedded in recipes vs. in forum message subjects.

I'm looking at buying a pressure cooker so I can use fresh beans instead of canned beans and being able to cook them in a shorter period of time.

I have been introduced to some recommended brands from other websites and message boards, but thought with the tradition and experience of Indian cooks that frequent this site, that someone might shed more light on this topic.

I want to reduce the amount of steam being emitted from the pc, and have read that pressure cookers that use a spring valve or weighted valve tend to retain steam inside the pc moreso than those that use the "jiggler" valve.

Is it traditional practice to always use a metal bowl insert in the pc when cooking beans such as red kidney beans or chick peas, and for other times when other ingredients are used such as subjis and other mixtures of foods to let them rest on the bottom of the pc?

In short, when should a metal bowl be used and for which foods is a bowl not necessary? My main reason for considering a pc is to shorten the time needed to cook beans, and to attempt to do some Indian dishes in the traditional way. (I am not of south Asian background, and my experience with Indian cuisine is limited to what I have had at various restaurants and temples which do authentic Indian cuisine.)

(PS ... The recommended pressure cooker brands recommended that are most available in stores in the United States include the Fagor brand, offering the best value for the dollar vs. the more expensive Kuhn Rikkon brand. I don't know if the Presto and Mirro brands use the same technology as the Fagor brand. I have seen the Manttra brand sold at Indian grocery stores I have been to. I have also read that a brand of pc sold in India is, I think, is "Hawkins."

On 26/11/2007 10:11pm, Mamta wrote:

Hi

I have one Prestige; www.bsbazaar.com/appliances/pd.aspx?sku=TTK030620053, one Hawkins pressure cooker with an inner lid, like this one; http://cgi.ebay.in/Diwali-Spl-Premier-Aluminium-Inner-Lid-Pressure-Cooker_W0QQitemZ280177039363QQihZ018QQcategoryZ20672QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and one Hawkins Futura like this one; http://cgi.ebay.in/Hawkins-Futura-pressure-cooker-7-liter_W0QQitemZ250191783646QQihZ015QQcategoryZ20672QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I also have a prestige pan cooker for smaller amounts.

All are good and do the job well. I don?t often use an inner bowl, cooking most things directly in the cooker itself. If cooking things with no liquid, as in dry bhajies/sabjies, it is better to use a bowl resting on a trivet. This stops them from catching.

It certainly reduces cooking times for beans and chickpeas etc, as well as allowing you to cook cheaper cuts of meats in little time. Even things like rice pudding cook very fast. Most, almost all, Indian homes have pressure cookers, used every single day.

I am not familiar with American brands, so can?t comment on them. You can cook many Western dishes in them too.

I would suggest that you have a look at all of them in a store and get the simplest one for your first pressure cooker.

Good luck

Mamta

On 27/11/2007 06:11am, FelafelBoy wrote:

I really have no sense of the appropriate size for cooking I would do - mostly the cooking of chick peas, red kidney beans, and some other beans used in Indian dishes.

Do cooks in India who are cooking for one or two people (that is, a one to two serving dish) use a 4 qt/liter or a larger size cooker? I can't visualize how using a 6 qt. cooker just for one or two meals is efficient, or wouldn't take more time to heat up to do a small meal. I also see how a smaller size cooker would make it more difficult to put a bowl inside to contain food that should not be in touch with the bottom surface of the cooker. (I use an electric stove, and now I understand the principal behind creating a distance between the food and the contact with the burner of the electric stove that is making direct contact with the bottom of the cooker, whose heat is transfered directly to the food resting on the other side of the cooker. (Though I still wonder how much direct contact would result in "burning" in a well-constructed unit as made by a company such as Fagor vs. cookers that have a thinner aluminum only material.

I measured that for the Fagor brand, the vertical distance from bottom to top of the interior of the 4 qt cooker is about 4 1/2 inches, while the 6 qt cooker has a distance of about 6 inches.

I am going to have to educate myself how Indian cooks are able to combine the freshly cooked beans with rice in a masala mix with vegetables, all in a pressure cooker ... my guess is that more than one pc is used for each purpose, and when all ingredients are ready to be assembled, the final pc is used, which can be a small one for the meal, and within a short time, the meal is produced. (Just a fantasy on my part of how this is done!!)

For making soups, I have read through some of my cookbooks in my library (such as "Laurel's Kitchen"), and read how some recipes take hours, some involve several steps including removing the cover of the pot after a period of cooking, and then adding ingredients and then recovering. I wonder if a cook using a pressure cooker can adapt such recipes for a pressure cooker, simply by adding a bit more liquid and simply cutting down the time required. Maybe I am oversimplifying this process, but I do wonder if such recipes are easily modifiable.

On 27/11/2007 03:11pm, Mamta wrote:

If you have a large cooker, you can cook small amount in it. It doesn?t involve wastage of energy, because you cook it in less water, which takes less time to heat/produce steam than the cooker that was filled to the capacity.

If you are going to have only one, err on the side of large. Also, buy a heavy bottomed one, much, much better than the lighter, cheaper versions. It will do all jobs required of it well.

Smaller cookers are not for putting bowls inside. In this age of microwave cooking, not many people use PC for making bhajies (sookhi Sabji) in bowls.

I don?t like electric hobs because they are not suitable for Indian cooking. I have never had one and I am not able to comment how they are with pressure.

Bean and vegetable rice pilaf/pulao: You will find that most beans are boiled first and kept aside. Then the masala mix with vegetables is prepared, beans added and lastly rice. Then you give them a pressure of 1 minute/1 whistle or so, according to your recipe. The rice will be done. Some dals may not be precooked and added along with the rice, if their cooking time is similar to that of rice.

I usually make fat free soup, putting main vegetable like tomatoes/red pepper/carrots/potatoes add onion/ginger/garlic etc and cook under pressure for 2 minutes or so. Cool, open lid and blend with hand blender. Sieve to remove skins/pips/seeds etc. season with stock powder/cube/salt/pepper and you are away! For more special soups, you can fry the vegetables in the open pressure cooker first and then cook them under pressure. Most PCs will have a guide recipe book with them.

Once you have bought it and used it a few times, you will be fine.

On 28/11/2007 05:11am, FelafelBoy wrote:

Thank you for the reply.

I skimmed through an interesting small cookbook designed for pressure cooking that was placed near the pressure cookers for sale at a local department store. The book included quite a few Indian type dishes, including a chick pea dish, as well as a lentil dish.

The basic pattern I learned for technique, is that chopped onions and garlic and/or chopped ginger are added to heated oil, sauteed for a few minutes, then some spices are added, sauteed briefly, and then the rest of the ingredients are added, including at times stock such as vegetable stock. The pc is brought to high pressure (15 psi) for 3 to 8 minutes depending on the dish, the pc is allowed to cool through the quick release, and the meal is ready.

Sometimes, additional ingredients such as chopped tomatoes and some other tender greens are added when the lid is removed, and stirred into the dish (such as the chick pea dish), and cooked for few minutes amidst the heat.

Most of the soup recipes I skimmed used a technique of sauteeing the onions and garlic and/or ginger in the heated oil, stirring in the spices, and then added the vegetable stock and/or water as well as the vegetables for the particular soup. After being brought to high pressure (except for a cauliflower soup which called for low pressure of 8 psi), cooking continued for 3 to 8 minutes, after which time after the lid was removed after cooling, a blender was used to puree some of the solids in the soup.

The book said that adapting from regular recipes involved cutting cooking time by 1/3 in general and to keep in mind that there would not be the evaporation of liquid that occurs when food is allowed to cook for hours in a liquid medium in a more conventional non-pressure cooker container.

The tricky part of these recipes for me was in learning that sometimes various ingredients get added at different times of the cooking. It seemed to me that the rule of thumb was that more fragile food gets added after the initial pressure cooking and when added, simmering of the food should be allowed to continue as though one is cooking in a conventional pot.

Most of the recipes I read for the soups referred to servings for four and called for roughly 6 to 8 cups of liquid. If solids are added, that would probably take the height of the contents to the 2/3 level of a 4 qt pressure cooker. A chart I found said that a 4 qt pc can take up to 8 cups of liquid to the 1/2 height level, 10 2/3 cups for food up to the 2/3 level vs. for a 6 qt pc, amounts of 12 cups for liquid, and 16 cups for solids. If I was making soup, the 4 qt size would just about do the job with no room to spare, if I was making soup for 4 servings. (I eat amounts that are the equivalent of 2 servings!)

My neighbor from India, who has alot of experience with using pressure cookers told me that the 4 qt size would b adequate for my needs, whereas other people have told me to err on the side of the larger unit, allowing me more flexibility.

I did take measurements of the interior space of these units, and I was surprised that the bottom tapered down, so whereas the top opening indicates a diameter size of about 8 1/4+ inches, the bottom width is only 7 7/8 inches. (I had thought the tall and large steamer basket that came with my large 6 qt soup pot would fit in the pc, but not even close.) The heights of the 4 qt and 6 qt interior will take bowls and steamer baskets no higher than a height of

4 1/4 and 6 1/4 inches, respectively. I was surprised to see that one of my steamer baskets that spreads out to the sides out to beyond 9 inches would not have full extension space in either the 4 or 6 qt cooker.

As with all cooks and cooking, I will have to learn to adapt and adjust accordingly! (The thought of making that chick pea dish after assembly of ingredients, with uncooked chick peas, in under ten minutes sound miraculous to me!!)

On 28/11/2007 06:11am, Mamta wrote:

The book you read was good, you have got it! Only one exception/difference for me, I will boil chickpeas/kidney beans first, keep them aside, then prepare the masala and add boil chickpeas to them, perhaps giving them another quick pressure. I boil dals with turmeric and salt and keep aside. Then prepare 'tarka' and add to the dal.

I too would err on the side of large.

Have fun with your PC :-)!

Mamta

On 28/11/2007 08:11pm, FelafelBoy wrote:

I had thought of cooking the beans first, too, and then adding them to the dish.

I wonder, though, if it would be alright to slightly undercook beans such as chickpeas, and then finish off the cooking when adding them to the rest of the dish. For example, if chickpeas take, hypothetically, 13 minutes to cook, and the dish is supposed to take 6 minutes to cook, to stop the chickpea initial cooking at, let's say 10 minutes, remove them, do the sauteeing of the other ingredients, and then add the chick peas, and go back to full pressure to complete the cooking.

This question would apply to uncooked rice, too. If all ingredients are to be added, I'd think each ingredient would require separate cooking times, i.e. the rice, chickpeas, vegetables, etc. Yet, for some recipes I've read, the instruction is to put all ingredients together, once the onions and other first ingredients have been sauteed.

Have you ever heard of this? Some beans when cooked in a pc are supposed to froth, so adding a bit of oil to them is recommended. Another technique is to add the beans to boiling water (assuming the beans were in the cold water to begin with), and when froth results, spoon out the froth, THEN PUT THE COVER ON THE PC AND BRING TO FULL PRESSURE. In other words, for this technique, the cook is to remove the froth BEFORE the pressure cooking process begins. This might be more time consuming and more labor intensive, but would cut down on the need for more oil, which may be unwanted.

(Have you had any experience with beets staining your pc?)

For recipes that call for lower pressure (8 to 10 psi) for more delicate foods, if a person has a pc that just works on 15 psi high pressure, couldn't one just adjust the cooking time, or let out some steam (assuming the pressure cooker one has allows for the release of some steam, as is the case with the Fagor and Casa Essentials line of pressure cookers)?

On 28/11/2007 08:11pm, FelafelBoy wrote:

mamta - When you say that you boil dals with turmeric and set aside, I want to make sure I understand you. Do you mean to say that you pressure cook the beans with some turmeric seasoning, and after cooking, then add that to the rest of the masala mixture consisting of other spices and foods? I ask this question, because I have read that some people recommend NOT using a pressure cooker for certain beans.

When beans are boiled in the conventional way in a bit pot of boiling water, I have heard that kombu or some sea vegetable should be added to help tenderize the beans, but the process of pressure cooking would probably eliminate the need for such a tenderizer, since the steam itself is tenderizing the bean, as well as the inclusion of a small bit of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) which you discussed in an earlier thread with keeping the bean structure together.

On 29/11/2007 05:11am, FelafelBoy wrote:

One very important timing aspect of using pressure cookers is overlooked.

I came across it today, and wanted to share it with those who, like myself,

are inexperienced cooks.

For every 4 minutes of high pressure cooking, 10 minutes are needed to release the lid/cover using the natural release method. I came across this reference in an excellent book that was displayed next to pressure cookers in a large department store.

This means that although the cooking time for chick peas is about 10 to 13 minutes, the time needed to wait using the natural release method results in another 25 minutes of time, not including time needed to await for pressure to build up at the beginning of the cooking. If your experience is different than this, please correct my misunderstanding. I didn't realize that there was considerable extra time needed. I guess during the cooling down period, cooking is continuing, all part of the process - not just that food is done as soon as the indicated cooking time is completed, with the exception of more fragile and tender foods.

A few of the pictures in the book of a pressure cooker looked like the Fagor model was used. The book didn't seem to be sponsored by that company, but recipes seemed designed for that kind of a pressure cooker.

The book, called "Beyond Pressure Cooker", contained recipes for various types of food, my favorites included ones for "ceci bean stew", "moroccan lentil stew", and a few different kinds of soup, including a basic recipe for tomato soup.

I was incorrect in my previous post by saying that the chick peas were added to the rest of the ingredients for the ceci bean stew at the same time. In fact, they were pressure cooked first, removed, then the rest of the dish was started and the chick peas put back in.

One recipe for a turkey (or chicken) chili dish included canned red kidney beans. I didn't see any other recipe in that book that called for canned red kidney beans. I couldn't figure out why canned were listed.

Some recipes called for 1/2 cup of liquid. In a large pressure cooker with a width of almost 8 inches across, the level of the water that spreads out across the bottom surface is very thin. I wonder how many minutes of steaming time this would last for. I read that one cup of liquid should be used for every 10 minutes of pressure cooking, so I guess this small amount would last for five minutes.

On 29/11/2007 05:11pm, Mamta wrote:

That is a long post, where to begin!

  1. There is no need to undercook beans. After adding your masala mix to well boiled beans/chickpeas, all you need to do is pressure cook for 1 minute or simply boil briskly for a few minutes. That is all.

  1. If cooking in pressure cooker, chicken pieces will cook through in the time rice cooks, because they are cooking under pressure. However, I tend not to make my Biryani in a pressure cooker. I have better control on it in a pan.

  1. Removing Froth? Yes I have heard and seen people removing froth after first boiling. To be honest, I don?t bother with it and it has never caused problems for me.

  1. ?Have you had any experience with beets staining your pc?? No, I generally cook beet in a microwave. Place 3-4 beets in a microwave steamer and cook on full for 3-5 minutes. They are done!

  1. ?For recipes that call for lower pressure (8 to 10 psi) for more delicate foods, if a person has a pc that just works on 15 psi high pressure, couldn't one just adjust the cooking time?? Yes.

  1. ?When you say that you boil dals with turmeric and set aside, I want to make sure I understand you. Do you mean to say that you pressure cook the beans with some turmeric seasoning, and after cooking, then add that to the rest of the masala mixture consisting of other spices and foods? ? Yes

  1. Cooling time: You may be right about this. However, you can cool it faster if you dunk it in a sink full of cold water. NEVER try to open the lid when it is still full of pressure.

  1. Canned Beans; People often use them to reduce cooking time. I do too, sometimes.

  1. Amount of water: depends on what you are cooking. You will get used to adjusting it when you have used your PC for a while. Follow the instructions initially.

  1. Hope I have covered all your questions?

Have fun with your pressure cooker ;-)!

Mamta

On 30/11/2007 05:11am, FelafelBoy wrote:

Mamta - thank you for being patient with all my questions!

I was surprised to read that even you, sometimes use canned beans!! I guess if you have other fresh ingredients going on, just to add some canned beans cuts down on one additional step (having cooked the beans beforehand).

I was also surprised to read that you use a microwave!! I try not to use it, just reserving it for short warming of foods, if I have to. I do believe it is possible that the live enzymes in food may be reduced in their activity, and therefore, microwaved food supplies us with less "live energy" from the food than that cooked in other ways.

I asked about beets, because they have a reputation for staining, and it is one food that I would like to eat more of due to its nutritional quality. Because of my reluctance to even deal with it (!!), I only eat it from a salad bar (yes, from canned beets!!), but the thought of being able to pressure cook a beet quickly might help me get more of it into my diet.

I assume it would be placed in a bowl filled with water and then pressure cooked versus placed in a bowl NOT filled with water, or placed directly into the pressure cooker filled with perhaps a cup of water per whole beet. Have you attempted to cook a beet in a pressure cooker and how did the cooking turn out?

Most of the recipes listed in the book, "Beyond Pressure Cooker", which I referred to in prior posts in this thread, listed vegetable stock for the liquid which was added to the other ingredients to serve as the liquid medium to be steamed for pressure as well as flavoring the rest of the dish. Two dishes that used vegetable stock were the recipes for "ceci bean stew" and the "morrocan lentil bean stew" both of which contained cubed squash and a few other ingredients used with the chickpeas and lentils, respectively.

As far as canned products go, I would use canned (or liquid in an antiseptic box) vegetable broth. The other option would be make vegetable broth in the pressure cooker (water, carrots, celery, onions, parsely, a few other ingredients, and some seasoning) and store the result in an ice cube tray and take out the cubes as needed. I'm not sure, though what each cube would equate to, i.e. how many cubes would be needed to equate to a half cup.

Then again, I suppose the cook could just use water instead of vegetable broth in these recipes and perhaps make up for the absence of the vegetable flavoring from the broth by adding some other vegetables or seasonings.

You mentioned submerging the pressure cooker in the sink water. I was told by a company manufacturer representative that subjecting a bottom of a stainless steam pressure cooker that is hot to cold water might (she wasn't sure) affect, over time, the chemical bonding of the material of the base to the rest of the cooker. She recommended pouring cold water over the cooker cover.

Have you placed the bottom of a stainless steel pressure cooker that is hot, such as a model like Fagor that has a thick and well-constructed bottom (three layers of different kinds of material, I believe) in contact with cold water and not been concerned with shortening the life span of that seal that bonds the bottom to the rest of the cooker?

On 30/11/2007 06:11am, Mamta wrote:

Hi falafel boy

  1. Yes I do use tinned chickpeas/kidney beans, tomatoes, spinach etc. occasionally, when I am in a hurry or when unexpected guests come. I also use s few other tinned things and pre-cooked food fro M & S/Sainsbury?s/Tescos. I don?t think there is anything wrong in it, as long as you don?t eat them exclusively. Remember, I am not a chef/professional cook, just a housewife (now that I am retired) and I make use of many convenience foods.

  1. I don?t use microwave for cooking dishes, simply because I don?t like the taste as much. I do use it to boil/steam vegetables, heat food etc. Boiling/steaming beets comes under the same heading.

  1. If it is an aluminum PC, beets will probably stain it. Personally, I will place them in a stainless bowl, place it on a trivet and then cook. Stainless steel doesn?t stain, as the name suggests. Also, beets do not ?bleed? if you do not cut off the root or top before you boil them. They do cook so much more easily in the microwave, give it a try. Cooking them in pressure cooker takes much longer, about 20 minutes. Remember to use leaves cooked as spinach or in salad, they are tasty and nutritious. You can also cook them in an oven, if you are using it for something else anyway.

  1. Vegetable broth: A long time ago, a chef in North Carolina told me how he made his stock, vegetable or otherwise. He had a large pot simmering on a low heat all day, to this he added all his vegetable peelings (well washed), including onion skins, meat/sea-food trimmings, bones. The resulting ?stock? was delicious. If vegetarian, omit meat/fish. I sometimes do this, if cooking a lot of vegetables in one day, say for a party. I just cook it in a pressure cooker, along with a little ginger/garlic/herb of choice/ (even herb stalks)/ anything else you want for 2-3 minutes, under full pressure. Strain and you have a rich vegetable stock. You can freeze it in plastic bottles, if you don?t want to use it straight away.

  1. I don?t submerge the whole pressure cooker in water, roughly half of it. It hasn?t ruined them yet! When pouring cold water over the top, be very, very careful to not pour it over the ?weight? or the ?steam vent?. Personally, I will not recommend it, until you are very familiar user. Pressure cooker cause severe burn if used carelessly.

Do not worry so much, just start using it, you will lern along the way.

Good luck!

Mamta

On 01/12/2007 04:12am, FelafelBoy wrote:

Mamta - thank you for your thorough reply.

TWENTY minutes to pressure cook a beet?!!!! Now I know why some recipes call for cutting up a raw beet into cubes! The cooking time is much more reduced for obvious reasons. I will find somewhere on the internet the microwave cooking time for boiling a beet. If I go with pressure cooking a beet, I will attempt the cubed route first, and see what happens.

Odd that after all these years, the meaning of the word "stainless" in stainless steel was made understandable to me! I had no reason to think of any stain being left in pots and pans made of that material because I haven't dealt with foods that stain, but now, come to think of it, turmeric doesn't leave a trace either when I have used it in pots using that material.

I examined some pressure cookers made from other companies this evening and was surprised to learn that one brand sold in a major department store, both names I will leave out here, described in its instruction material information about its two pressure settings. As I had read elsewhere before, some brands do not get up to 15 psi. This was the case with this product! It stated that its full pressure was 12.5 stating that it did increase the boiling temperature to 250 degrees.

The pc was made of stainless steel, had some features of the Fagor, but negatives were the short handles on both sides, and one of the safety release valves didn't impress me as being as good as that of the Fagor brand.

Positives about this brand, as well as the Presto brand is that they at least include an insert steamer tray and a trivet.

Your description of the chef who made the delicious vegetable broth from including various "scraps" and all parts of various foods by slowly cooking the concoction over time would allow the broth to have various flavors mature and blend into each other. My vision is to do something similar in a pc and similarly strain the solids out. The use of an immersion blender would seem to make pureeing a soup made from various vegetables an easy way to produce a thick and rich soup.

On 01/12/2007 06:12am, Mamta wrote:

If you chop the beet before boiling, it will 'bleed' out all the colour, and probably goodness. Beets are boiled without removing top or tail (root and stalk end).

Mamta

On 01/12/2007 11:12am, AskCy wrote:

quote - "7. Cooling time: You may be right about this. However, you can cool it faster if you dunk it in a sink full of cold water. NEVER try to open the lid when it is still full of pressure" - endquote

This has always been the method my family have used to cool the pan back from steaming (placing in a sink of cold water).

I did once however accidently knock the weight off when it was in the sink cooling and was treated to a meat and potato geezer !! luckily it had already cooled a little and wasn't at full force ! However it still needed wiping off the ceiling.

Steve

On 11/12/2007 07:12am, FelafelBoy wrote:

Mamta,

I finally got around to viewing the pictures of the pressure cookers you provided a hyperlink for to view them in a previous post in this thread.

The Hawkins Futura is a beautifully designed pc. Very attractive looking. Very sleek. The Prestige pc puzzled me. It looks much taller and is advertised as being smaller in volume than the pictured Hawkins Futura. The Futura actually looked wider than the Prestige. Yes?

Looks like the Futura may have a spring pressure valve vs. the "rocker" type valve from the Prestige.

I still plan on getting the stainless steel Fagor, just haven't made up my mind yet as to which size. If I was just going to use it for cooking beans or making meals for a one or two serving amount, I'd go for the 4 qt. size as its lower height makes it easier to get into for mixing foods around.

I have made measurements for adding contents, such as for soup, and a liquid height of half way up for the 4 qt pc is 4 1/4 inches, meaning nothing more than 2 1/8 inches added in before pressure cooking as far as liquids. If I am adding some solids, such as potatoes, squash, beans, carrots, and other vegetables, and even some chicken, I'd think the liquid level would rise above the limit making this size pc suitable for a one or two serving amount of soup.

I may be able to live with that given that the entire cooking and cooling down time would be under 45 minutes.

I calculated that for a pot that is a bit narrower than the Fagor pc, 7 1/4 inches wide vs. 7 7/8'' for the Fagor, 4 cups of liquid will bring the liquid level up to almost 1 1/2 inches (for the Fagor that would mean probably less than 1 1/4 inches. For each stalk of celery and carrot, add another 1/4 inches.

Large potato, add 1/4 to 1/2 inches. 1 1/2 cup of uncooked beans, another 1/4 to 1/2 inches. I don't know if additional liquid would be needed given that it is being used to cook the beans as well as being used for a soup liquid. I'd guess that in a second generation pc model, maybe one half cup of liquid disappears for each 4 to 5 minutes of cooking.

I wonder if anyone can give me an estimate as to how many ingredients could be added to make soup in a 4 qt pc. The basic soup recipes I'd start out with would use the basic ingredients - water, carrots, celery, onions, carrots, various kinds of beans (such as lentils or kidney beans). Variations would include squash, a few pieces of browned chicken pieces.

I read a recipe for carrot ginger soup. A 4 qt pc I'd think could easily be used for that as the ingredients just consisted of chicken stock, carrots, ginger, and a few spices. But for soups that call for beans, I'd think the height level of the liquid would rise due to the expansion of the beans, perhaps bringing the level up past the "caution zone" (for solids no higher than 2/3 full, for liquids, no higher than 1/2 full).

On 11/12/2007 09:12am, Mamta wrote:

Goodness Felfel boy, you have done some research into it! I have bought many pressure cookers over the years, but never looked that closely at them. The best thing is to get a medium sized one, if you are cooking for one or two people only most of the time. You can cook less in a large one but not the other way around. So, just go and get one as soon as Christmas sales start, now that you have waited so long. You can make a nice soup from X-mas leftovers :-)!

Mamta

On 22/12/2007 08:12am, Felafelboy wrote:

Mamta - everything you said made sense, including "going with your gut, on the choice." The larger cooker size made sense for being able to do the most with one cooker.

I just felt more comfortable using a smaller sized one, as I familiarize myself with its (and my) capability. Sort of like getting on a bike with "training wheels!"

My main inspiration was to have a very convenient piece of cooking equipment where I could easily cook a small amount of beans and make small dishes of Indian food, like dahls. I found the 4 qt size (given that Fagor doesn't make a 5 qt size, and the other manufacturers of a stainless steel material don't use the same pressure valve mechanism that Fagor does, i.e. Presto and Manttra) to be more suitable for my smaller needs.

I read through the manual and was surprised to read that they do have recipes for soup as well as chicken which they say should not be any larger than 3 lbs.

When I did my trial run and research in my kitchen, I discovered that the container could take 6 cups of water, 3 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, and one whole potato before it reached the "half full" level. So, there is room to make soup, at least, on a smaller scale. If things work out and I find that I am able to use the cooker with ease, and want to expand, I will definitely get a larger cooker.

The initial trial run of bringing water to pressure went well and I was very impressed with the quietness of the cooker and the relatively small amount of steam and water that was emitted during the twenty minute cooking.

The quick release experiment went ok, too. Next time, I will grab the cooker with both handles. By using just the one long lift handle, I think the pressure I put on the handles, caused some steam to come out that wouldn't have happened if I had handled the cooker with the shorter support handle as well. I had no idea how long it would take for pressure to come down with the cold water running on the cooker, but to my surprise, the yellow pressure button dropped in 30 seconds.

As per the manual's instructions, I will make an effort to coat the gasket with canola oil after use so that it doesn't dry out. I believe these gaskets for this brand are made of silicone vs. rubber that some other brands may use. Even so, Fagor says to replace them every 12 months.

The manual says not to cook oats and some other legume (whose name I cannot recall) in the cooker as their nature may clog the valve, but from what I hear from others, maybe that's being overcautious. They recommend adding a small amount of oil to the beans to keep them from frothing. I forgot to ask you before what the purpose of adding turmeric is, other than to give flavor to the beans. I do intend to include a bay leaf, or perhaps the sea vegetable kombu, which macrobiotics thought says helps to tenderize beans.

On 22/12/2007 08:12am, Felafelboy wrote:

I forgot to add, that I did find that my electric stove's burners did require occassional attention, in that on my first attempt, I wasn't sure if the "warm" setting would be sufficient to hold the pressure from the initial "high" setting to get the cooker to pressure. After about five minutes of being at the "low" (hotter than "warm") setting, I noticed that water and steam started spurting out, so I had to reduce the temperature and to my surprise, the "warm" setting was able to keep the cooker at pressure for the next 15 minutes, a sign, I guess, of the effective seal of the gasket.

My unsophisticated view is that a stainless steel pressure cooker with a quality bottom such as that made by Fagor, may be less likely to burn food than a cooker made of lesser quality material, thinner material, such as aluminum, by other brands. If you are operating with a gas stove, then you would have more control over the heat. I wonder if you find that this perception is true.

What I know, is that the Fagor cooker, even the 4 qt size, is heavy!! And when it is filled up with liquids and food, you have to pay attention when moving it! I sure hope the handles never come apart!! I wonder if you have ever had problems with your pressure cooker handles ever coming separated from the cooker. The Fagor manual has an order form for such parts if the need should arise.

On 22/12/2007 09:12am, Mamta wrote:

I am so glad you are enjoying you PC Felafel boy. You have worked out most of the things about it quickly.

I add turmeric to dals and some beans, because that is how my mum, and everyone else I grew up with, always cooked dal. Traditionally, dal is boiled with salt and turmeric first and then a ?tarka? of choice is added. I suspect it is to make sure that turmeric is cooked fully and does not leave a ?raw?, uncooked turmeric taste.

Yes, heavier bottomed pressure cookers are much better than the cheap lighter version. This is true of most cooking pans. They keep heat evenly distributed and better controlled.

I have a gas cooker, so control is never a problem,. I sometimes say to people who have electric cookers, turn another hob on at a lower temperature and move your pan to it, rather than turning the one you are using down, because many electric cookers a while before heart is reduced. Fortunately, this is less of a problem with newer cookers.

Oats do froth a lot and block bets, but you can always clean it with a brush afterwards. A thought just occurred, add a drop of oil to porridge, that may keep the froth down!

Long may you enjoy your pressure cooker :-)! Cheers

On 03/01/2008 05:01am, Felafelboy wrote:

So far, so good with my use of the pressure cooker.

I have used it so far, just to steam kale (can't believe how tender the greens come out), potato slices, and tonight to cook kidney beans for the first time, from scratch (fresh vs. canned). Even with the cooking of kidney beans that have been sitting in my cupboard for years, the beans cooked perfectly. When I first looked at them (after allowing the cooker to cool naturally, after 15 minutes of cooking pressure cooked beans for five minutes, in lieu of hours of pre-soaking), the beans looked and felt overly soft and mushy, yet when I added them to my stock pot of turkey chili (canned, with freshly sauteed vegetables) the beans took on a sturdier consistency, which turned them into perfectly textured beans (slightly resistant to the bite but soft on the inside. I had cooked the beans with a little bit of turmeric, a clove of garlic, and a bay leaf. (Yes, I had little idea of what I was doing, but just put together bits and pieces of food that I have read are helpful in flavoring the beans.

I now know why some people have at least two pressure cookers!! I am happy with the choice I made as for my smaller cooking adventures, the 4 qt size is easy to use and handle. I will, in time, move onto more complicated dishes, where the entire dish is cooked inside the cooker, as well as attempting soup on a smaller scale.

The Fagor brand I bought is very quiet, and I understand now why some people prefer the Prestige or Hawkins models from India, as the whistling gives the cook more audible cues to help them with the cooking. With the Fagor and the spring valve type pressure cookers, you need to rely more on visible cues. The fact that it is so quiet tells me that the gasket is sealing very well and that the cooker is well designed and constructed.

I look forward to cooking other beans from scratch. I will not have to concern myself with the sodium and other additives that come with beans in cans. From what I read the only other legumes that don't require pre-soaking are split peas and lentils.

Kidney beans take about 25 minutes to pressure cook if not presoaked. A fast pressure cook presoaking for five minutes and ten minutes for cooling doesn't save much time from just cooking for 25 minutes. I'd rather presoak for hours to cut down on energy, but if I forget to pre-soak, 25 minutes is not a long time to cook fresh kidney beans vs. taking them out of a can.

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