Celtnet Pressure Cooker Recipes and Pressure Cooker Foods Home Page

Welcome to Celtnet's Pressure Cooker Recipes Page — The pressure cooker these days is found in almost all modern kitchens. Typically, however, it's used for rapidly making soups and stews or for tenderizing poorer cuts of meat. Many people are afraid of pressure cookers, partly because of the name and partly because of the steam thet escapes from the valve when the pressure exceeds the chosen settings. Many also have bad experiences, particularly when cooking vegetables, as the cooking time is much shorter than for conventional pans and you have to release the pressure quickly to prevent over-cooking. This is because pressure cookers cook differently from standard pans (the clue being in the name). Because a pressure cooker is a sealed vessel, when you heat the liquids inside they become steam. However, because of the increased pressure the temperature inside the vessel is higher than when water is boiled at room temperature. The valve in the top regulates the pressure, allowing steam to escape when the pressure inside the vessel increases above the level chosen. Most modern pressure cookers have maximum pressures of between 12 and 15 psi (pounds per square inch) or 107 kPa above existing atmospheric pressure. This means the pressure inside is almost two atmospheres, or double the normal sea-level pressure on earth. This means that the water inside boils at around 122°C (rather than the 100°C at which water boils at room temperature). This means that food inside a pressure cooker is cooked at a higher temperature than a conventional pan (in fact, at this pressure food will cook 1/3 faster than if you use conventional boiling). This means that meals can be prepared quicker, and cheaper (in terms of energy costs) than by conventional means. A pressure cooker can therefor be an useful piece of culinary equipment. As a result I have decided to collect together a range of pressure cooker based recipes on this page and to do a little experimenting on my own. This page will, over time, grow into a collection of foods and recipes that can be prepared in a pressure cooker with excellent results.

As a general guide, here are some basic principles to be observed when cooking food in a pressure cooker:

Place any food to be cooked in your pressure cooker and add a small amount of water (or any liquid, as required in the recipe). Close and lock the lid in place then choose the appropriate pressure setting. Place the pressure cooker on your stove and heat until the cooker reaches full pressure. At this point reduce the heat (enough to maintain constant pressure) and begin timing your recipe (f a weight is used in your pressure cooker then place this on the steam vent as soon as you see steam being released — this ensures that any air inside had been released beforehand).

When the pressure has reached the design gauge pressure then, in some models, a relief valve opens and in others the pressure regulator weight rises on its nozzle, allowing excess steam to escape and reducing the pressure.

During cooking, ensure that the heat source is not kept higher than the minimum needed to maintain pressure. Keeping the heat source too high both wastes energy and vents steam, producing a risk of the food boiling dry. Conversely, however, if the heat source is maintained at too low a setting the pressure inside the cooker may be too low and the food may emerge under-cooked.

For recipes that include a raising agent (typically puddings and cakes) you will need to pre-steam these gently (with no pressure) for about 15 minutes prior to cooking, as this activates the raising agents and ensures a light and fluffy texture. Suet-based puddings, such as Christmas pudding also require pre-steaming during the initial cooking process (but you do not need to pre-steam when re-heating). Just be careful to steam gently (the water does not need to boil hard), otherwise you may not have enough water for the pressure cooking stage and the pan may run the risk of boiling dry.

To Release the Pressure:
Once you have physically cooked the food, then you will need to vent the pressure to get acces to the food itself. There are various methods of doing this and which one you chose will depend on the type of food being cooked. For the most part, the correct method will be defined in the recipe your are using, but the guide below will also help you choose the correct method for the dish your are cooking.

Quick, Cold Water Release Method:
This is by far the fastest way of releasing the pressure inside a pressure cooker. When the food is cooked, you remove the pressure cooker from the heat and then place it under a cold tap. Allow the cold water to run all over the pressure cooker (be certain to avoid the steam vent or any other vents). It is most suitable for foods with short cooking times and takes only about 20 seconds to open the pressure cooker (Note that this method is not suitable for modern electric pressure cookers).

Manual Release (also known as Normal Release or Automatic Release)
Depending on the pressure cooker, this method involves venting the steam from the pressure cooker by lifting (or removing) the valve, pushing a button or turning a dial. It is most suitable for interrupted cooking when adding food later which cooks faster. For example, adding vegetables later when cooking meat (as the meat takes longer to cook than vegetables). It should be noted that, unlike the cold water method, this technique does not cool down the pressure cooker and care needs to be taken during the steam release process that you do not scald yourself). This release method is not suitable for foods which foam and froth during cooking, as the hot contents could spray outwards. Typically this release method takes about 2 minutes to open the pressure cooker.

Natural Release Method This is by far the simplest and safest method of releasing the pressure. The pressue cooker is taken off its heat source and it's placed aside to naturally cool to room temperature. As the cooker cools, the pressure inside naturally falls and typically it takes up to 15 minutes until the pressure has reduced to atmospheric and you can open the pressure cooker. This is the method typically recommended for foods that foam during cooking (eg rice, pasta and legumes). It is also the method recommended for steamed puddings with raising agents as it maintains the light texture of the pudding).