My attempt at lamb shanks in the pressure cooker:
Lots of parsley, onions, red wine, carrots, beef broth, fresh and canned tomatoes, cinnamon, and a few other spices I can't remember.
The sauce was great, but the lamb was so tendony, and fatty, I threw it away. What did I do wrong? Did I get a bad cut? I was hoping it would somewhat resemble my favorite Noon-O-Kabob lamb shank, but not even close.

Bella, that looks pretty good to me! I don't know what you can do about the tendons, other than remove them at some point (meaning either before or after the cooking.) I did discover one thing: when I recently made carnitas in the pressure cooker, after I decided it had cooked enough (this was after one failed attempt where I released the pressure, poked the meat, and found it was not falling off the bone or shredding the way it should, then putting it all back together and back up to pressure for another 10 min) I removed all the non-meat stuff, including most of the liquid, and allowed it to reduce and then sear in its own rendered fat.

This might help with the fattiness, though I think good trimming at the beginning is essential..

Hi,

My pressure canner/cooker's rubber gasket lost its grip. The last time it died, I went to my local hardware store for a quick replacement. Since this is a very low volume item, it is now a special order instead of off the hook.

I did a little calling around to find at least one hardware store stocks replacement rubber gaskets. Unfortunately not for canners, though for pressure cookers:

Do It Best Hardware http://www.myhardwarestore.com
1941 Cherry Lane,
Northbrook - (847) 272-8262

Do not drive out there until you have verified your model number with them to make sure it is on the shelf. I was assured they had everything last night, when I arrived they did not.

There is no reason to buy a rubber gasket until you need it. Otherwise it will be aging on your shelf and may be no good when you really need it.

Regards,

Well, I've succumbed to one more kitchen gadget and now own an electric pressure cooker. Now I have to figure out what to make in it.

I welcome your pressure-cooking tips and recipe suggestions.

I use my pressure cooker for beets, which it does perfectly and quickly. For soup stock, I prefer the slow-cooker, which (in my experience) provides more gentle boiling and therefore yields a clearer stock because the fat is not emulsified into the water phase. My pressure braises tend to be watery-- a Dutch oven in the oven is my preferred braising method.

So, I too look forward to suggestions and tried-and-true methods for the pressure cooker.

Cheers, Jen

I had an electric quite some time ago, and I used it alot. I got one for xmas last year and I finally cracked it open last month. If you are a meat eater, then stewy things are a good bet. I made a chuck beef stew with mine for the first trial and it would up being just fine. I tried to follow the recipe tips that came with the booklet, and it was just fine. Some suggestions:

You probably have a searing or browning setting. Nice, in theory, but depending on the size of the vessel, it might be annoying to have to brown 4 batches of meat. I can brown bigger batches stovetop, and generally do.

Figure out what the pressure cook times of whatever you are cooking are, or at least, give it serious consideration. If you add carrots, meat, potatoes and say, celery, all at once, the carrot and celery will be paste by the time the meat is tender. You can release the pressure and add ingredients as you go, depending on how long the ingredients need to cook.

Try to allow enough time to let any stewy thing you make cool completely before reheating and serving. I don't know the science, but I'm assuming it has something with letting the juices soak back into the meat. In my exp, with the pressure cooker, meats are far more tender after they cool off. (And also, same as any other stewy cuts, much better the next day.)

As a meat-eater, I'd suggest:
Short ribs
Beef stew
Nihari
Vindaloo with stewy cuts of lamb, pork, or chicken thighs.
Rogan josh, same deal.
Dals, and other pulses.
Shanks
I'd bet a big ol pot of neckbones would be good, but I've never done it.

Funny, I bought a big ol honkin chuck yesterday, and I am gonna pull the pressure cooker out today for it.

Once you figure out your cooktimes, it really is a time saver. A method for beef stew:

prep your meat (cube if needed, while geting pan hot for browning)
Brown it stovetop, set aside
While meat is browning, dice an onion, and however much garlic you think will be nice. After the meat is done, lower the heat, and add the onion. When almost translucent, add garlic and bay leaf - and any other spices you might like for your stew. I'll add flour at this point if I remember, but I generally always forget. Let the spices bloom, and deglaze with the liquid you plan to use. Transfer it all to the cooker, and go. Start prepping the veggies you want. When it makes sense, add the potato. When it makes sense, add the carrot, when it makes sense, add bigger pieces of onion, etc, etc. When it's all done is when I realize I forgot the flour, then whip up a very light cornstarch slurry and toss it in. Let it cool and reheat and eat. It's seriously like an hour for me, start to finish - minus cooling/reheat time. About enough time after picking up from pre-school, and giving jr a half hour drawing project, and an episode of Doc Mcstuffins, while I listen to Pandora's "Urban Comedy" for a quick chuckle after work while cooking.

Potatoes for mash potatoes, brown rice (in 14 min). Stock for sauces ( do not need to be clear)
Beets, artichokes any and all beans (even dry to cooked in 45 min)

I don't do a lot of meat dishes in the PC because it can be a lot of extra work to add stuff at the right time. I'd sooner just make it in the oven, low and slow

Lorna Sass!

http://pressurecookingwithlornasass.wordpress.com/

My wife does a really good corned beef we use for Ruebens. Not the exact recipe but something like this:

She usually gets aa corned beef from Costco if they have it.
Into the cooker with the spices fat side up.
Water to just cover.
~2.5 hours at a gentle rock (we have a stove top rocker style PC)
Remove the majority of fat and assemble the sandwiches.

Not sure how this will translate for an electric model.

She also makes pot roast but I prefer the dutch oven method for this.

Enjoy!

Beans! Actually, cooking beans is the best way to get to know the limits of your pressure cooker. If you screw them up, you're not wasting much $$$. Soups are great as well. Start with beans though.

I have Lorna Sass' Pressure Perfect cookbook and enjoy several recipes. I make a Chicken Mushroom Barley soup that is a variation of her Beef Mushroom barley soup. I also make a Potato/Kale/Sausage dish that's in her book.
Couple things I've noted that are contrary to all advice in Lorna's books:

Browning everything produces more flavor. She usually says you can saute onions until translucent but if you brown them, they hold texture better and provide more flavor.

Soy sauce is not a substitute for browning meat. Not.one.bit. Do NOT skip this step.

Mushrooms come out rubbery. Saute them separately and add to the dish after cooking.

Pasta dishes work well in the PC but see not about browning first.

I think seasoning suffers a bit in the PC. You really have to make the recipe as stated and then tweak. That's what I do and I've had great results! I used to have two copies of that cookbook and think I gave the extra one to my sister. If she still has it and is not using it, I'll PM you to see if you'd like it. I'm willing to give it to you....

My wife uses a regular, old fashioned stove top one, all the time. As was mentioned, broth/stock, beans, whole chickens...... pretty much anything that takes over an hour to cook can go through the pot.

She makes a batch of steel cut oats (aka pin oats), every Sunday, and we reheat a portion every morning for breakfast.

Tim

seebee wrote:You probably have a searing or browning setting. Nice, in theory, but depending on the size of the vessel, it might be annoying to have to brown 4 batches of meat. I can brown bigger batches stovetop, and generally do.

Do you deglaze so as to transfer the fond?

Also, do you need to thaw frozen meat first or can you brown from frozen and then pressure cook?

(Thawing was not something I used to worry about, but since I am currently without a microwave, I have to think about it. I do cold water thawing, but it's not as fast a microwave thawing so it requires thinking ahead.)

I deglaze, but after I do the onions, garlic,spice blooming. SO, after browning and removing the meat, in the same pan, I'll toss in some onion, get it softened, add my spices, and then deglaze once all of those are ready to go, and still in the pan. It makes a nice little brew. I let the brew come to a simmer while I'm scraping any good bits from the pan.

Never went from frozen to brown, so, I can't speak to that. I've been doing pretty good with remembering to thaw. I have never, ever, ever, (forever ever? forever ever) been a fan of microthawing. My new microwave is suppsed to be a thawing beast, but I haven't gotten the hang of it - mostly for a lack of trying.

My last beef stew came out surprisingly good the other day. I'm kinda wondering if it was because I sprang for the Whole Foods chuck instead of my normal sub 2 bucks a pound chuck from the Mexican grocers that I frequent. I'm gonna have to have a taste off soon. Maybe a nihari taste off with WF shanks vs $1.50/lb shanks from the jointz. IMO, nihari needs the beef to retain its flavor to really shine -yeesh - my mouth just started watering thinking about good nihari.

seebee wrote:Maybe a nihari taste off with WF shanks vs $1.50/lb shanks from the jointz. IMO, nihari needs the beef to retain its flavor to really shine -yeesh - my mouth just started watering thinking about good nihari.

Share your recipe?

Cook's Illustrated reviews pressure cookers, just got the issue today. I just glanced at it, noticed that they like the Emeril-brand electric one except that it's small, and can't brown. Top rated were a $279 and a $100-ish one, a $65 Presto was recommended with reservations (not as sturdy).

LAZ wrote:

seebee wrote:Maybe a nihari taste off with WF shanks vs $1.50/lb shanks from the jointz. IMO, nihari needs the beef to retain its flavor to really shine -yeesh - my mouth just started watering thinking about good nihari.

Share your recipe?

Sure.
Shan brand Nihari masala.
Just add fresh garlic, ginger, curry leaf, onion, and chilies (which I generally do with any of those masalas.)
Nothing out of the ordinary.

My wife gave me a pressure cooker as a gift recently. So far I've only made beans in it and I love how they turn out. I can go from dry beans to perfectly cooked ones in about 25 minutes. The consistency of the beans is excellent.

For whatever it matters:

Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking Derek, our favorite is the Kuhn Rikon.

Nathan Myrvold of Modernist Cuisine explains how pressure cookers work.

I've got a Kuhn Rikon.

I like doing rice and grains in my electric one. It has replaced my rice cooker (unless I am doing a huge batch of rice for a party. I do the method where you put some water in the cooker and then have your rice/grains and measured liquid inside a seperate metal bowl that sits on a rack or (or a ring made of tin foil if you don't have a rack).

I have also been doing risotto in the electric cooker for a while too.

I have been getting better at this, but Himself, who has borne patiently and often enthusiastically with all kinds of recipe testing and culinary experiments over the years, is now muttering darkly about "pressure-cooked food." There is definitely a learning curve to these things.

Risotto was my most successful dish so far, but it wasn't quite as good as the recipe we make in the microwave, and only slightly easier and faster.

LAZ wrote:I have been getting better at this, but Himself, who has borne patiently and often enthusiastically with all kinds of recipe testing and culinary experiments over the years, is now muttering darkly about "pressure-cooked food." There is definitely a learning curve to these things.

FWIW,America's Test Kitchen is coming out with a new pressure cooker cookbook on March 1st.

Pressure Cooker Perfection is more than a cookbook, it s a guide. The in-depth Pressure Cooker 101 informs home cooks about everything they need to know regarding buying, using, and caring for a pressure cooker. Beyond outlining each step of cooking under pressure, this section also demonstrates key test kitchen techniques discovered over the course of our recipe development. Our detailed testing of 12 models, both stovetop and electric, ensures home cooks know what to look for when they go to purchase a pressure cooker, while the safety and care section ensures users know how to keep their appliance working in top form, and working safely, for years to come.
Thorough charts give instructions for cooking rice, grains, beans, and vegetables, while 61 essential recipes cover stews and chilis, roasts, fancy dinners, barbecue classics, one-pot pastas, and side dishes. Every recipe is accompanied by troubleshooting tips, and most are also accompanied by full-color step photography that walks cooks through the test kitchen process.

Pressure Cooker Perfection

This Cook's Illustrated book may be worth getting, because they are perfectionists enough to want to get the right book out there.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:This Cook's Illustrated book may be worth getting, because they are perfectionists enough to want to get the right book out there.
Regards,

There's a video about it on QVC with one of ATK's cooks discussing it.
QVC Video

Artie wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:This Cook's Illustrated book may be worth getting, because they are perfectionists enough to want to get the right book out there.
Regards,

There's a video about it on QVC with one of ATK's cooks discussing it.
QVC Video

Geez, Christmas in early February with over 16,000 cookbooks sold during a less than 10 minute demo. I will be getting that cookbook, because understanding how to pressure cook reliably has interested me a long time. However, I am as impressed by how efficient QVC is for moving product, if you offer what people think they want.

Thanks for the link!

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Geez, Christmas in early February with over 16,000 cookbooks sold during a less than 10 minute demo. I will be getting that cookbook, because understanding how to pressure cook reliably has interested me a long time. However, I am as impressed by how efficient QVC is for moving product, if you offer what people think they want.

And yet it's $3 cheaper on Amazon

JoelF wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Geez, Christmas in early February with over 16,000 cookbooks sold during a less than 10 minute demo. I will be getting that cookbook, because understanding how to pressure cook reliably has interested me a long time. However, I am as impressed by how efficient QVC is for moving product, if you offer what people think they want.

And yet it's $3 cheaper on Amazon

Yeah,and shipping is cheaper at Amazon too.

Saw on WGN's lunchbox segment, a pressure cooking demo.

At this link are two pressure canning recipes: Pressure Cooker Chicken with Lemon and Olives and Pressure-Cooker Apple-Almond-Ricotta Upside Down Cake.

Regards,