Why in the world is everyone so hot about pressure cooking?
Okay, yes… with pressure cooking, the food gets hotter than boiling inside due to built-up pressure. But what’s the big deal with that?
I’m glad you asked! From being healthy to tenderizing food like nothing else to being so fast… here are 8 reasons to LOVE pressure cooking.
Be sure to add yours in the comments!
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Video from Periscope
I recorded this podcast live on Periscope last week and here’s the video from that! It’s just like the audio file above, except you can see it, too. 🙂
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8 Reasons To Love Pressure Cooking
Here are my 8 reason to love pressure cooking (of course explained in more detail in the podcast and video above). What are yours? Add them in the comments!
1. Tenderizes meat.
The high pressure and the trapped moisture makes pressure cooking the #1 way to prepare grass-fed and cheaper cuts of meat so they’re butter-tender.
2. Fast, fast, fast.
You can cook grains, beans, meats, veggies, fruits in a fraction of the time with other cooking methods. You can even start with frozen and still get dinner on the table in time!
3. With traditional methods, even faster.
Pressure cooking is fast already, but if you use traditional methods like soaking grains/beans, they cook even faster in a pressure cooker! My soaked rice takes 12 minutes. 12 minutes!
Here’s my method for perfect soaked rice (or any grain) in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
4. It can be hands-free.
If your pressure cooker is one of the electric pressure cookers such as the Instant Pot, you can literally plug-n-play. Just program it with what you want and the appliance monitors pressure and time for you!
5. It’s efficient.
You can prepare meals in one pot. Like my chicken soup. Start with the whole chicken and cook it. Debone the chicken and put the bones back in. Make stock. Strain out the bones. Add veggies to the broth. Simmer. Add the chicken back, along with seasonings. Chicken soup! One pot, very little hands on time, hardly any mess… and a very happy family.
6. You can start with frozen!
Forgot to thaw your meat last night or this morning? Just add a bit more time (minutes, really) and you’re still serving dinner on time. The book Pressure Perfect includes instructions for how much time to add if your roast/steak/etc. is frozen!
7. It’s easy.
Yes, you may need to read your pressure cooker’s manual from cover to cover to get familiar with operating it, or at least confident enough to try. After that, you’re off to the races.
By the way, the new pressure cookers (stovetop and electric) are safer than they used to be. They are built to avoid explosions or any of those horror stories. If anything goes wrong, all you’ve got is a mess rather than a disaster.
8. It’s fun!
Fun is important, too, right? I believe we should LOVE what we do in the kitchen and savor the creativity and accomplishments. Pressure cooking allows you to do more with less. More in less time. More complicated dishes easily and with less mess. To produce beautiful foods for our families to enjoy.
And let’s face it — when our families are happy, we are happy!
Links Mentioned
- How To Use A Pressure Cooker 101
- Is Pressure Cooking Healthy?
- Recommended Instant Pot
- Pressure Cooking eCourse with Traditional Cooking School
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I got my Instant Pot for Christmas and am LOVING it! I can’t wait for your class!
I bought a pressure cooker a few years ago and used it twice. I decided that I would have to have someone come in my kitchen and use it so I can see how it’s supposed to be done, but the only people I know who have one didn’t catch my hint. I guess I’ll have to sign up for your course! I have zero time in April, though. Is this something I can watch in the future?
Hi Connie,
The eCourse will begin in April and will continue for several weeks while we work through each lesson. The lessons are self-paced so you could start your membership at any time, then catch up with the lessons that have already been released. You can learn more here: https://traditionalcookingschool.com/lp/member/#pressure
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
Soooo excited for your class – my Instant Pot is on it’s way 😀
So my question or concern rather is that my pressure cooker is aluminum. I use it canning, but I’ve understood thru the years that aluminum is not a good choice for cooking in or on. Do they sell stainless steel pressure cookers? Any ideas where to find one? THANKS
Hi Jessica,
They do! This article lists the 2 pressure cookers Wardee has: http://tradcookschool.com/pressure both are stainless steel.
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
Hi Wardee, Thanks for your help in many ways,and your healthy vegan recipes. I am vegan, and dreamed of having a stainless steel pressure Cooker, but in the Caribbean countries, Stainless steel Pressure Cooker are not imported. Next problem, is if I were to have one, when the time comes, and new rubbers are needed, there is none available in the Caribbean. Before I began eating healthy, I had one that was not stainless steel, and when the rubbers were due, I traveled a long distance searching many places and only found one place. I thought that was not good enough for me, and due to that existing problem when I need parts and could not get it to buy, that was it for me. God bless you and your family.
Hi Wardee! I was wondering if I can make yogurt in my Cuisinart pressure cooker. If so, how?
Hi Jan,
This is something that Wardee is working on. She usually does raw milk yogurt. She doesn’t have a definite answer yet. Sorry!
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
you can make it the Instant Pot but its multifunctional. you need a way to regulate the temp if you dont have a yogurt making function to do it for you. i always thot a crockpot should be able to do it but it just gets too hot.