Beth Hensperger - So fast, so easy pressure cooker cookbook: more than 500 fresh, delicious recipes ready in minutes

Acknowledgments

T hank you for the culinary insights, generosity, and encouragement of the editors, designers, and recipe contributors used in the production of this book: fellow food writers and cookbook authors, home cooks, restaurateurs, cooking teachers, and virtual foodie friends. They are each acknowledged in their respective headnotes but we'd like to extend our thanks again here: Ac. Anaghananada, Annabelle Blake and MiniMo, Valerie Bushell, Mary and Carlo Cantori, Ying Compestine, Peggy Fallon, Ned Hearn, Carolyn Jung, the late Dolores Kostelni, Leslie Mansfield, Oscar Mariscal, Aunt Rose Newman, Trudy Paul, Diane Phillips, Rick Rodgers, Gilda Senter, Phoebe Spires, Laura Stec, Peggy Tank, Judith Thomas, and Victoria Wise.

Recipes were tested in a variety of stovetop brands and the Cuisinart and Instant Pot 6-quart electric pressure cookers.

Pressure Cooker Manufacturer Contact Information

The following is a list of the major pressure cooker manufacturers to contact for customer service and product information.

Calphalon (manufactured in China)

888-626-9112

www.calphalon.com

Cuisinart (manufactured in Costa Rica)

800-726-0190

www.cuisinart.com

Elite Platinum/Maxi-Matic USA (manufactured in China)

800-365-6133, ext. 120

www.maxi-matic.com

Fagor America, Inc. (manufactured in Spain)

800-207-0806

www.fagoramerica.com

Fissler Pressure Cooker (manufactured in Germany)

704-545-2287

www.fisslerstore.com

Hawkins Futura (manufactured in India)

91-22-2218 6607 (Mumbai, India)

www.hawkinscookers.com

Kuhn Rikon Corporation (Switzerland)

415-461-3927

www.kuhnrikon.com

Magafesa (Spain)

888-787-9991

www.e-magafesa.com

Manttra (India)

877-962-6887

www.manttra.com

Mirro Consumer Center (WearEver Cookwear-USA)

800-527-7727

www.mirro.com

Nordic Ware (USA)

877-466-7342

www.nordicware.com

Prestige (Royal Prestige India)

800-279-3373

www.royalprestige.com

Presto (USA)

800-877-0441

www.presto.net.com

Salton/Farberware (USA)

800-233-9054

www.salton-maxim.com

Sitram America (France)

805-383-4165

www.sitram.fr

T-Fal/Wearever (France)

800-395-8325

www.t-falusa.com

WMF Americas Group Inc. (manufactured in Germany)

704-882-3998/800-966-3009

www.wmfamericas.com

Metric Equivalents

WEIGHTS

1 ounce = 28 grams

4 ounces ( pound) = 113 grams

8 ounces ( pound) = 227 grams

16 ounces (1 pound) = 454 grams

VOLUME MEASURES

teaspoon = 1.25 ml

teaspoon = 2.5 ml

1 teaspoon = 5 ml

1 tablespoon = fluid ounce = 15 ml

2 tablespoons = 1 fluid ounce = 30 ml

cup = 2 fluid ounces = 60ml

1/3 cup = 3 fluid ounces = 80 ml

cup = 4 fluid ounces = 120ml

2/3 cup = 6 fluid ounces = 160ml

cup = 6 fluid ounces = 180ml

1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = 235 ml

1 pint = 16 fluid ounces = 475 ml

1 quart = 32 fluid ounces = 945 ml

1 gallon = 128 fluid ounces = 3,755 ml (3 liters)

LENGTH MEASURES

1 inch = 2.5 cm

1 foot = 30.5 cm

TEMPERATURE EQUIVALENTS

Pressure Cooker 101

T he pressure cooker is a stainless steel or heavy-duty aluminum cook pot with a lid fitted with a rubber gasket that can be locked closed. The sealed pressure cooker, when placed over a heat source, builds up pressure as the liquid inside boils and converts to steam. As the pressure builds, the pot expands slightly, causing the rubber gasket to create an airtight seal, keeping any steam from escaping and allowing the pressure and heat to continue to build in the pot.

This method of cooking with moist heat within a pressurized environment has a lot of pluses. Nutrients are conserved because of the closed environment. Flavors are more concentrated for the same reason. The significantly reduced cook times make the pressure cooker a much more energy-efficient way to prepare food. Cooking under pressure requires less fat and salt compared to other cooking methods, making it a more health-conscious way to prepare food.

Long-cooking dishes like stews and braises, soups, and stocks, and ingredients like dried beans and lentils, grains, and firm vegetables like potatoes and winter squash work particularly well in the pressure cooker, yielding deliciously tender results. Artichokes and risotto come out perfect.

WHAT A PRESSURE COOKER DOES

Steam

Stew

Braise

Pot-roast

Boil

Poach

WHAT A PRESSURE COOKER DOES NOT

Saut (except as a preliminary step with the lid off)

Roast

Deep-fry

Grill

Broil

Bake

THE IMPORTANCE OF PSI

The pressure in the pot is measured in PSI, or pounds per square inch. At a PSI of 13 to 15, the temperature in the pot will exceed the boiling point of water (212 F) and can go as high as 250 F. It is this super-heated, pressurized environment that allows the food inside to cook at an incredibly rapid rate, in half or even a third of the time compared to other methods. For a stovetop pressure cooker, HIGH pressure is 15 PSI, MEDIUM pressure is 9 PSI. For the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker, HIGH pressure is 10.2 to 11.6 PSI, and other models can max out at 8 PSI; LOW pressure for electrics is 5 to 7.2 PSI. Most all of the recipes in this book are cooked at HIGH pressure.

CHOOSING A PRESSURE COOKER

Whether you are buying a pressure cooker for the first time or replacing an older cooker, here are some tips on choosing a cooker that will work for you and your family.

Size

One of your first decisions will be how large a cooker you want, which will depend on how many people you cook for, what type of foods you prepare most, and if you want leftovers. The most popular stovetop pressure cooker sizes are 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-quart liquid capacities. Electric pressure cookers are usually 6 or 8 quart. Here is a general rundown:

4- to 5-quart: The size to prepare a whole meal for a one- or two-person household or to make one side dish for a family, such as potatoes. Any pressure cooker that holds less than 5 quarts will not be big enough to cook a meal for an average size family, or soups, dried beans, or large foods like a roast or turkey breast. This size is nice to have as a second auxiliary pressure cooker.

6-quart: This is the most popular size for families of two to six or if you want leftovers. It can accommodate most foods and our pressure cooker recipes, and most books and recipes on the internet, are developed for a 6-quart pressure cooker. Pressure cooker accessories, like the trivet and steamer basket, are designed for this size cooker.

8-quart: This size is perfect for families four to eight and if you regularly make stock in large quantity or cook whole roasts or chickens, turkey breasts, ribs, and/or brisket. If you are cooking for a small family, you still might prefer this size for leftovers.