 What is so special about pressure cooking?
While the pressure cooker is certainly not a new concept, there has been a very recent surge in the popularity of this trusted kitchen time machine! The pressure cooker has become the answer to our current time crisis - dual income households and extra curricular activities have limited our meal preparation time, so occassionaly we have to compromise meal quality or nutrition.
Many younger cooks are bewildered by the concept of pressure cooking. "A pressure cooker is simply a pot with an airtight lid that builds steam internally to temperatures higher than the boiling point, therefore allowing foods to cook in one-third to one-tenth the time of conventional cooking methods". Today’s pressure cookers are completely safe and much easier to use than ever before.
Flavorful recipes featuring meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, rice, and legumes cook to perfection in minutes. The pressure cooker even makes delightful desserts in far less time than normal methods.
This month, I will be blogging about the advantages of pressure cooking, how to buy a pressure cooker that is right for you and some favourite recipes.
So, how can pressure cooking help you?
Saves Time: Foods cook three to ten times faster than ordinary cooking methods. Whole meals can be cooked in one pot -- without having flavors intermingle -- saving cooking and cleaning time. Some foods can even be precooked in the pressure cooker and then finished using a conventional method, if desired…still saving time and getting a wonderful meal on the table fast.
Saves Money: Super fast cooking translates to lower energy bills. For example, using one burner for 30 minutes versus heating up the oven for 3 hours saves money! The pressure cooker turns budget cuts of meat into tender, tasty meals saving you money at the supermarket.
Retains Nutrients and Flavors: Because foods cook quickly with a small amount of liquid in an almost airless environment, vitamins and minerals that are normally boiled away in the cooking process condense in the pot and absorb back into the food retaining the precious nutrients naturally found in our food.
Offers Safety Features: Today’s modern pressure cookers offer multiple safety devices. A locking cover handle prevents the cover from being opened until the pressure inside the cooker has safely dropped. Most newer pressure cookers feature a visual indicator showing if there is pressure inside the cooker. In addition, secondary pressure relief mechanisms have been designed to allow steam to escape in the rare occurrence the vent pipe should become blocked.
BBQ Chicken (30 minutes)2 chickens, quartered
1/2 cup water or white wine
Your favorite barbecue sauce
Marinade Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
2 Tbs. finely chopped green onions or shallots
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tsp. chopped fresh herbs - rosemary is good with chicken
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Combine the marinade ingredients and mix well. Place the chicken and the marinade in a large plastic food storage bag. Press the air out and seal. Massage the bag gently to distribute the marinade and set the bag in a large bowl or plate and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. In a 5 liter or larger pressure cooker, place the water or wine in the cooker, place the trivet inside, and add the chicken pieces. Bring the pressure to the second red ring over high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain pressure at the second red ring and cook for 6 minutes. Use Fingertip Release Method. Take chicken out of the pressure cooker and grill for 3 minutes on a side, slightly longer for the leg and thigh sections. You can brush with your favorite barbecue sauce, or grill as-is.
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What is so special about pressure cooking?
