[kbell]

I don't believe the gasket is dishwasher safe. I've still been using it, I just would like to clean it well at least once a month for odors. I still cook 3 times a week but just not with the pressure cooker. I use that once or twice a week.

[churros]

So the consensus is still that pressure cookers are better than slow cookers. I have a few concerns though.

Is the slow cooker really better for meat? For example, could you cook pulled pork in a pressure cooker?

Secondly, is the flavour really better in a slow cooker? I would expect the higher temperature in pressure cooking to denature the food.

Thoughts on this?

[Hannibal]

I love my pressure cooker. It's a kuhn rikon duromatic 7 quart, bought it last year.



I can cook a giant stew in fifteen minutes (on the highest pressure setting), enough to last me two or three days. It takes me more time to chop up all the meat and potatoes than it does to cook it.

Making enough rice to last four or five days is fucking easy too, 1 cup rice for every 1.5 cups water, cook until you hit the highest pressure setting then take it off the stove and let the pressure drop naturally. A 20 lb bag of rice costs me $8 and provides me with a very cheap source of easy carbs.

Pressure cooking also makes certain foods much healthier.

For example, pressure cooking is the only way to destroy lectins and phytates. These, over time, will cause all kinds of health problems. Lectins also mess with your leptin levels (ie you'll become leptin resistant), which will cause you to overeat and become fat as shit.

The Bulletproof Executive Wrote:

Autoimmune conditions and associated inflammation are tied to IBS, colitis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (I fixed mine by avoiding grains, molds, and many lectins), Chrohn’s, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome, in addition to different forms of arthritis. There is even a link to autism and its little brothers, Asperger syndrome and ADHD.5 It’s no wonder that people with ADHD love the Bulletproof Diet.

So the moral of the story is, if you like to eat rice, lentils, potatoes, or other foods laden with antinutrients, pressure cooking it will greatly reduce these poisons in a way that boiling will not. These forms of food (generally plants) don't like to be eaten; the antinutrients are meant as a defense against herbivores so that they can reproduce.

Pressure cooking is not the greatest method for cooking meat, but it'll do it quickly and easily. Sear it at the bottom of the pan first if you want any flavor. I can cook 5-10lbs of chicken in just over 10 minutes on the highest pressure setting (this does not include building up the pressure). I recommend cubing the meat first. If you try to cook one large chunk of meat, a ham for example, it will never get done.

The Kuhn Rikon was easily the best $225 I ever spent with respect to kitchen ware. It has paid for itself already.

[thoughtgypsy]

I've been using a slow cooker for years, and this thread made me wonder if I should switch to pressure cookers. I have a couple questions if you guys wouldn't mind:

- Vegetable nutrients: I read that slow cookers are better for simmering vegetables, because the lower temperatures involved mean that a lot of the vitamins don't get broken down like they would in high heat cooking. Do pressure cookers break them down more rapidly? If not, how is that possible with the lower cooking times involved?

- Lectins, phytates: I'm not as worried about phytates since I soak overnight then rinse, which should eliminate the vast majority. As for Lectins, I tend to get beans with lower lectin content and if I get something with high content (kidney beans), I boil them for 10 minutes to break down the lectins, rinse again, then cook. Is this still not sufficient?

Also, if PCs break down lectins/phytates but not vitamins/minerals in veggies, how is possible to reconcile the two? Not trying to be a pain, I'm genuinely curious.

[Hannibal]

Pressure cookers don't boil off water. Although they cook things hotter, the nutrients are trapped in the steam. Once the unit cools down, they go back into the cooking water.



You definitely want to use a stopwatch, if you cook it for too long you'll be drinking your food.

I'm not sure how the science works. I'm guessing that what "destroys nutrients" is letting them boil off into steam. Since a pressure cooker contains steam, the nutrients are not lost, but lectins and phytates are destroyed because you're going up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. If anyone wants to correct me here, feel free.

Soaking beans overnight (with some baking soda, apparently), rinsing them the next day and then boiling them eliminates the majority of the lectins. Pressure cooking is probably just a bit better at the last part.

[Hannibal]

Pressure cookers are also better than slow cookers for preparing bone broth. The higher heat helps break down collagen faster.

It is likely comparable to just using a regular stockpot on the stove, but it only takes an hour at high pressure.

The Food Lab Wrote:

Not only does the higher pressure achieved inside a pressure cooker allow you to heat water to a higher temperature (up to around 250°F, or 120°C), but it also prevents the water from boiling, leading to less agitation. The end result? Rapid body and flavor and great clarity.

In the Food Lab experiment, the stovetop method lost 30% of it's water. It looks like pressure cooking is more efficient with respect to energy, time, and food used.

[MuyTallguy]

Only use a pressure cooker for braising meats. You won't get quite the same richness as a slow cooker but it's a lot faster. Those meals also make great leftovers. Make sure to brown the meat on all sides before to help lock in the flavor.

[churros]

So if I understand correct: if you cook veg in this thing, you are basically steaming it, rather than hyper-boiling it? So you just use a bit of water?

Hannibal, that one you bought looks cool. Do it have a steaming rack?

[Hannibal]

Yeah, the water is under pressure, so it turns into steam, it does not boil. If you're going to steam something with it, most of the time you only need a cup of water on the bottom, as it will use the food's own moisture to cook it, too.

Most vegetables can be steamed very, very fast.

As far as steamer baskets.

It doesn't come with one, but you can surely buy one for it.



There are others, I'm sure. The pressure cooker is a Kuhn Rikon Duromatic.

http://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-2025-5-...B00D097PEC

[Quintus Curtius]

What's great about pressure cookers is that you can cook huge batches of beans, then freeze them for different recipes.

[joost]

I love mine too.

Get
-2 pounds of roast beef
-2-3 big onions
-garlic
-some BBQ sauce.
Cook it for 50min and the onion will become the tastiest sauce and the meet will melt in your mouth.

Buy some fries and put it on the oven (instead of frying).

Chicks get impressed.

[churros]

[AboveAverageJoe]

Once you buy a pressure cooker you will never go back to other methods. As others have said, sear meat before placing it in the PC. It cooks everything better and all meats cooked in it literally fall of the bone. Best $100 investment I ever made. Great for cooking large meals and storing for later. Kal Bi ribs and Shoyu Chicken are my two favorite dishes made in the PC. I use a digital one since I don't have a gas stove.

[Hell_Is_Like_Newark]

Right now I do one dish with a pressure cooker: Pork chops, veggies, with Maidera wine. I got one of those electric ones with a timer. Pretty easy once you get all the ingredients into the cook.. set the timer and let it go. Good for night I am really busy and have less time to cook.

I find a slow cooker though is better for beef ribs and other meats that are normally 'tough'.

[Hypno]

(09-26-2016 08:06 PM)churros Wrote:  

not sure that one is big enough for my polish sausage; its going to be a tight fit but i'm willing to try.

[churros]

^Haha. Been meaning to write an update, so I'm happy this thread was bumped.

Ended up purchasing a high-quality pressure cooker for $150. Absolutely worth it. It has now replaced my slow cooker. I make broths, curries, stews, and beans in it.

[Hypno]

I just ordered one. paid up for 8 quarts and a stainless steel interior pot.

[jibj]

I have heard that many chefs switched from stainless steel cookware to glass and cast iron b/c research found that the chemicals in stainless steel leached off into the food. This would be definitely the case with pressure cookers. It is likely safer to go with slow food cookers.

[TheMost]

(01-05-2015 09:24 AM)Ringo Wrote:  

I know it's not ideal, but what do you guys think one of these multifunction Instant Pots? They have very good reviews on Amazon.

I don't have much space at home and I would like to avoid having both a stove pressure cooker and an electric slow cooker.

I use the Instant Pot every day. It has all the benefits of the slow cooker, with all the benefits of the pressure cooker. You set the time, then at the time you set, it cooks on the setting, for the length of time you set, and you get home and it is all cooked.

And yes, the pressure cooked rice is the best and most fragrant I've ever had, and yes, tender roast is ready in 45 minutes. Instant Pot. After the chef's knife, it is the one kitchen appliance I can't live without.

[Hypno]

Here is a tip - I got the one advertised on TV. I searched Amazon for stainless because I didn't want Teflon - my bad - the exterior is stainless, the interior pot that touches the food is Teflon.

Also, while these things work well, the cook times are misleading because it takes an uncertain amount of time for the thing to get up to pressure - anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. After that the timer counts down, so you are OK. It also takes 1-3 minutes to slowly depressurize once you are done. And then you take out steaming hot food to cook the next course, you have to re-pressurize which takes more time. They don't show the lead time to pressurize and depressurize on the TV commercials. Still, its a lot faster than a crock pot but for something like fish or steaming vegetables the oven or the stove top are probably faster.

[Drazen]

I have an Instant Pot, I love it. The first one broke but they sent me a new unit under warranty. Ribs turned out good, just put them in there with some water and cook. Rice, quinoa, etc is insanely easy as well.

Also, get a Sous Vide, totally worth it. Better precision cooking of beef, did a tri tip last night, turned out perfectly medium rare. Its the best way to cook chicken breasts as well.

[911]

Drazen, I'd worry about boiling stuff in a plastic pouch on a regular basis, given the problems with BPAs and other soft plastic compounds leaching into the food at high temps. Endocrine disruption, and other health issues...

thread-53611...pid1516325

For the same reasons, you should avoid microwaving food in plastic containers, use glass or ceramic instead.