When the kids were young, a pressure cooker allowed me to get dinner on the table in quick order. They'd pull up little chairs and watch as the shiny pot rattled, sizzled and hissed on the stove. Opening the pot called for oohs and aahs. Soon tender stews, brothy soups and hearty chili graced the family table.
Truth be told, I was always a little nervous as the hot pressure rendered beef and pork into tender bits. Family stories of mashed potatoes plastered on the ceiling (when the pot was opened before the pressure dropped) didn't ease my mind. When the seal on the pot cracked, I pitched the whole thing.
This year a 6-quart Instant Pot joined the family. This multipurpose electric appliance proves far easier to use than my old stovetop pressure cooker. It could also replace my rice cooker and my slow cooker, but it's the tenderizing qualities of cooking under pressure that interest me. Suddenly, the relatively inexpensive, but long-cooking, pot roasts and stews beckoned.
How about a red wine pot roast to nourish us through the last days of winter? Then, my husband reminded me that we used to cook our St. Patrick's Day corned beef in the old pressure cooker. Perfectly tender beef ready in about 1 hour for serving thinly sliced with vegetables cooked in the delicious pot juices.
Cooking both the corned beef and the pot roast in the pressure cooker saves nearly 2 hours of time versus cooking in the oven. Even more if compared with a slow cooker. The results are equally delicious. The only limitation comes from the size of the pressure cooker _ the 6-quart version holds a 3 to 3 \ pound roast serving six.
When my daughter mentioned rice pudding, I immediately started experimenting on recipes for the Instant Pot. A batch takes a mere 10 minutes _ 3 of those under pressure _ and yields perfectly tender, not mushy grains of rice. Too good, really. My refrigerator now holds several containers of tempting pudding.
Cooking under pressure is not magic _ you still need to apply the rules of good cooking: First, read the owners manual and safety tips. Don't overfill the pot. Be careful that the cord is out of reach of small hands and the dog. Always check the steam release valve and the sealing ring to be sure they are in working order. Then, read the recipe through thoroughly before starting.
For deep flavor, such as for meats and onions, allow time to develop the browning. You can do this in your pot with a saute function or use a skillet on the stovetop.
The pressure cooker will not replace my beautiful gas range or my supply of heavy cast-iron pots and Dutch ovens. But, when the new grandbaby or the bicycle beckon, it's good to know a comforting one-pot meal is no pressure at all.
No pressure cooker? No problem! I'm including oven and stovetop directions, too.
