FAST FLAVOUR
When cooking with a pressure cooker, you can create deliciously tender proteins and rich sauces that otherwise would only be achievable with long and laborious cooking methods. The pressure cookers of today – both stove-top and electric – are completely safe and easy to use; their pressure regulators are much more refined than those used on the cookers of yesteryear. Read the instruction manual carefully before you start. Like most appliances, they all have slightly different features.
WHY USE A PRESSURE COOKER?
Pressure cooking is economical in terms of the use of fuel, as cooking times are about two-thirds of conventionally-cooked food’s cooking times; this saves time, energy, money and, of course, keeps the kitchen cooler. The fact is, the food, the liquid and the resulting steam that are sealed within the pressure cooker during the cooking time reach a very high temperature – higher than normal – which softens the fibres in the food, resulting in flavoursome, tender comfort food. Pressure cookers work wonders with cheaper cuts of meat; tough meat is tenderised in no time at all. Ask the butcher what meat they have that’s suitable for stewing or braising – you’ll be surprised how inexpensive these cuts can be. Older chickens, often called “boilers”, are a bit hard to find these days, but they make full-flavoured soups and casseroles when they’re cooked in
