Chances are pretty good that you’ve been hearing a lot about pressure cooking these days. The rise in popularity of the Instant Pot (read 5 reasons why we love the Instant Pot here) has revitalized home cooking in a pressure cooker. If you’re brand new to pressure cooking or looking to brush up on your skills, we’re here to help you get you started cooking with your pressure cooker in no time.
What’s Pressure Cooking?
A pressure cooker has a lid that locks into place preventing steam from escaping. The steam builds pressure inside the cooker to about 12-15 pounds per square inch (psi). Water boils at 212 degrees before it is converted into steam. With the 15 psi of steam, in the cooker water will boil at 250 degrees before converting into steam.
So what does that mean exactly? Basically, a pressure cooker will cook food in about a third of the time it traditionally would. It will also turn an inexpensive, tough cut of meat into a fork-tender meat.
Pressure cookers are much safer now than they used to be. Gone are the days when you’d hear about a pressure cooker exploding on the stove. Nowadays, there are time and temperature monitors built into the machines.
Once the food is cooked, it’s important to carefully release the pressure from the machine. There are two ways to do this, naturally and quick-release.
To naturally release the pressure, simply turn off the machine. Let it sit and the temperature will slowly decrease until it’s safe to open the lid. This may take as much as 15 minutes. Use the natural release method when cooking most meat. The slow release of pressure will make it even more tender.
For food that may burst, is delicate, or becomes mushy, quick-release is the way to release steam. All pressure cookers have a valve on top of the lid. Using a towel or kitchen mitt, tap the valve to release the seal. Once the steam stops, it’s safe to open the lid.
How Can I Convert my Stove Top Recipes?
For most recipes, to convert a stovetop recipe to a pressure cooker recipe, look at the length of time it takes to cook the recipe. Then, divide by 3.
So if a recipe takes 30 minutes to cook on the stove, it would take 10 minutes in the pressure cooker. Every recipe is different and times may vary slightly, but this is a good starting point.
How Can I Convert my Slow Cooker/Crock Pot Recipes?
There’s a little more math when converting a slow cooker recipe, but it’s still simple. Look at the recipe and see how many hours it takes to cook on high. Convert those hours into minutes. Then divide by 10.
If the recipe takes 6 hours on high, multiply 6 x 60 (360). Divide 360 by 10 (36). It would take 36 minutes to cook the recipe in the pressure cooker.
Do I Cook on High Pressure or Low Pressure?
The majority of recipes are timed based on high pressure. If you’re cooking eggs, delicate fish, or lightly steaming vegetables, then you’d use low pressure.
How Long to Pressure Cook…
Creating a recipe from scratch for the pressure cooker can be intimidating. We’ve put together an easy pressure cooker cooking time chart (find it here) to help in the kitchen. It gives guidelines for pressure cooking meat, seafood, vegetables, beans, and legumes. Timing does not take into account the machine coming to pressure, so make sure to allot that time when preparing dinner.
Tips for Pressure Cooking
Water is a Must: Water has to be added to create steam within the pressure cooker. Every machine is different, but typically no less than 1 cup can be added. If preparing rice, additional water will be required. Ratios should be mentioned in the machine’s user guide.
Don’t Overfill the Machine: Never fill the machine more than 2/3 full. If preparing rice or other food that expands, fill no more than halfway.
Brown the Meat: Meats cooked in a pressure cooker do not brown. When preparing stew meat or skin-on chicken, it’s best to brown the meat before cooking. To do this, sear each side in a separate pan (making sure not to coat in any flour beforehand, more on the reason why below). Or, most pressure cookers have a saute function that’s perfect for the job. By using the saute function, the fond (aka bits of brown goodness) remain in the pan and will add additional flavor to the recipe.
Stay Away From Adding Dairy or Thickeners to the Pressure Cooker: This is a no-no during the cooking process. Cooking cheese in the pressure cooker will cause it to lump together rather than smoothly melt. Instead, once the recipe is finished cooking stir in the cheese.
Similar to cheese thickeners, like flour, arrowroot powder or cornstarch, should be added after the cooking process. If added before cooking, the starch will thicken the liquid and prevent the pressure cooker from functioning properly. If a sauce needs to be thickened, once the recipe is finished cooking and everything is hot create a slurry (mixing liquid and the thickener together). Add that to the pressure cooker and stir. If needed, the saute function can be used too.
Avoid Alcohol and Wine in a Pressure Cooker: Avoid cooking with any type of alcohol when using the pressure cooker. The alcohol vapors do not evaporate and become dispersed into the steam which makes the steam flammable. Cooking with wine is OK, however, the amount should be cut in half. It needs to be simmered and reduced using the saute function the cooking process begins. Without reducing the wine, you’ll be left with a very tart flavor.
Cooking From Frozen is Fine: Meat/meals can be cooked from frozen in the pressure cooker. If cooking from frozen, increase cooking time by 5 minutes (for smaller cuts of meats and veggies) or 10 minutes (for larger cuts of meat).
Adjust Adding Dried Herbs and Seasoning: Flavors intensify when cooking in a pressure cooker. When adding dried herbs and spices and converting a recipe, cut back slightly on the quantity so the flavor does not overpower the dish.