Celebrating cooking under pressure

I have two stove top pressure cookers/canners which I use as others have reported for roasts, beans , etc, but I use mine also for pressure canning tomatoes, salsas, beef and chicken (bone) broth, green beans and so much more. I've canned chickens, salmon and elk meat for quick and easy luncheon meats. I also have an Instapot electric pressure cooker for smaller one pot meals.

I love my instant pot but nothing could ever take my All American canner from me! I love my stainless steel pressure cookers and I’m hoping that no one here is cooking in aluminum pots but I did for years before I learned better. I have been trying to remember where or how I got started with a pressure cooker as none of my forebears have ever used one and my mom was seriously afraid of them but, alas, my TBI likes to take things out of my memory storage just to mess with my mind. I do know that I’ve been using them for almost 30 years but I have never learned to cook pasta in the sauce, anyone care to teach me?

Lexie Smith wrote:I love my instant pot but nothing could ever take my All American canner from me! I love my stainless steel pressure cookers and I’m hoping that no one here is cooking in aluminum pots but I did for years before I learned better. I have been trying to remember where or how I got started with a pressure cooker as none of my forebears have ever used one and my mom was seriously afraid of them but, alas, my TBI likes to take things out of my memory storage just to mess with my mind. I do know that I’ve been using them for almost 30 years but I have never learned to cook pasta in the sauce, anyone care to teach me?

Same here! I think a friend gave me my first pressure cooker. Mom never used nor mentioned them...same with Eggplant (discovered when I tried Baba Ganoush for the first time!). Lol

Also, love Hip Pressure, and have found Amy + Jacky 's website interesting... they do a lot of testing and explain how they come up with best recipes - their cheesecake is famous

You can make amazing apple butter by precooking the apples in the instant pot. Once they are mashably soft, keep cooking on the stovetop with the spices till it tastes right. No sugar needed. I never had trouble with the apples expanding, maybe because the instant pot doesn’t release steam during cooking like a regular pressure cooker does.
I also do scrap stock - carrot ends, apple cores, onion ends, pepper cores, and herb stems go in the freezer. When I have enough, it goes in for 30 min. Much more flavorful than the stovetop.

Lina Joana wrote:You can make amazing apple butter by precooking the apples in the instant pot. Once they are mashably soft, keep cooking on the stovetop with the spices till it tastes right. No sugar needed. I never had trouble with the apples expanding, maybe because the instant pot doesn’t release steam during cooking like a regular pressure cooker does.
I also do scrap stock - carrot ends, apple cores, onion ends, pepper cores, and herb stems go in the freezer. When I have enough, it goes in for 30 min. Much more flavorful than the stovetop.

What do you do with "scrap stock"? Do you mean you make a broth? That sounds delightful! Also, I didn't know you could make Apple Butter in the instant pot! I LOVE Apple Butter! Thank you so much for my next "experiment".

Tina Wolf wrote:
What do you do with "scrap stock"? Do you mean you make a broth?

Yes - we used to call it “soup stock” growing up, to use as the base for soups and stews.

Wow! Thank you so much! I never thought to create vegetable stock like that! I've just been either using them to propogate another plant or composting them. I learn so much here!

Tina Wolf wrote:Wow! Thank you so much! I never thought to create vegetable stock like that! I've just been either using them to propogate another plant or composting them. I learn so much here!

You are so welcome! It is good to experiment, but I usually avoid cabbage family scraps to avoid the overcooked cabbage flavor. Potato peels will make it starchy, and any potato sprouts/green peels should be avoided. Sweet potato peels and squash innards are excellent, as are leek tops. Throwing a bay leaf and clove in adds depth.

Lina Joana wrote: You are so welcome! It is good to experiment, but I usually avoid cabbage family scraps to avoid the overcooked cabbage flavor. Potato peels will make it starchy, and any potato sprouts/green peels should be avoided. Sweet potato peels and squash innards are excellent, as are leek tops. Throwing a bay leaf and clove in adds depth.

I've never tried sweet potato peels. I'll have to start saving those for our next batch!

I usually will also toss in celery tops, a couple peppercorns, and whatever herbs need trimming (basil, oregano, sage, etc.).

If you are as lazy as I am, cost conscious and also concerned with the environment, it will only be a question of time before you fall in love with cooking all sorts of things with the pressure cooker for safe keeping.
Every 2-3 years, I change my older laying hens for baby chicks that will grow strong during the winter, sheltered from predators and start laying in the spring.
A 2 year old hen is a stewing hen, so she is the perfect candidate for chicken soup.
I do it in batches. I have a big pressure cooker, so I can pack 7-9 hens whole. [Gizzards, heart and feet are set aside during the butchering. I place the flat thing with holes first in the pressure cooker. I have never had one hen stuck to the bottom, but I'm not taking chances.
Then I add the whole chickens, a bit of water [no salt at this time: it will be added later] and pressure cook on high for 30-40 minutes.
I prefer to let the pressure go back to zero on its own, but depressurizing suddenly could suck the juice out of the chicken, but it isn't as important at this stage because the chicken meat is still marinating in the juice. So that is day one.
On day 2, I pick the meat from the bones. Don't throw away the juices! I usually have a large stainless steel bowl in which I place the meat. You can still keep the bones for broth, but that's another recipe. I discard the skin and fat [and give it to my chickens: I don't have a dog or a cat]
You will notice that I didn't add any veggies, onions or seasonings. That's because I may do different recipes, my choice, on day 2.
If I only want chicken in the jars [wide mouth pints, you will save yourself some grief!], I put salt and pepper in the scalded jars then ad the meat, any other spices I like, veggies if you want, and proceed to pack the meat. [a bit of wine will make the meat scrumptiously tender!] Tighten the lids.
Process, again with the pressure canner, and let it cool before you take the jars out. Sudden depressurization isn't good with jars in the canner: the juice goes out and you risk having half filled jars.
If I have too much juice, I will can an assortment of veggies along with the extra chicken juice, separately and if I took the time to break the chicken bones and roasted them a bit, I will filter the bone broth and add that bone broth to the veggies.
It is nice to have jars with just meat and jars with just veggies. We take one of each and do a monster soup when it's cold outside.
Every 4 years, I make sauerkraut the old fashioned way: Just add salt, carefully layered with shredded cabbage, in a big crock. You can go with a recipe, but a better idea is to taste the slaw once in a while. If it tastes right for coleslaw, it will make great sauerkraut. It is easier to cold pack the sauerkraut in jars than cook it first.  And there too: Wide mouth jars work best. I've done it both ways, but I was afraid to run out of juice in the evaporation by heating it before hot packing it.
Finally, when I found some good bacon, or some decent priced  ham, cubed, I made some Boston baked beans. It turned out pretty good: I only have to add one tablespoon of brown sugar as the following recipe needed to be 'adjusted' to my taste.. Then, it tasted just right.
The beans need to be cooked till tender first [Navy beans].
Doing them in the oven gives good results, but I preferred to do them in a very large slow cooker. I felt I had more control over the heat and the speed of cooking... this is the recipe I used:
https://www.seriouseats.com/boston-baked-beans-recipe

Can someone speak to the save vitamins part of this? I’ve always heard the opposite, and frankly it’s the reason I’ve avoided PCs for so long, is that they destroy more vitamins in the food given the higher heating point. Does it depend on the vitamin?

Our pressure cooker is a stainless steel Tefal that would be over 30 years old, it was purchased when we were living in the UK expressly for making marmalade.

I posted my marmalade recipe here https://permies.com/t/208836/Recipe-Making-Marmalade#1864682

The other main uses for the pressure cooker would be to cook chick peas and kidney beans that I prepare in bulk then freeze.

I’m a fan of slow cooked meals so seldom use the pressure cooker for stews etc, am more likely to use the slow cooker, casserole pot or romertopft for meat that needs to be tenderised.

Julie Baghaoui wrote:Can someone speak to the save vitamins part of this? I’ve always heard the opposite, and frankly it’s the reason I’ve avoided PCs for so long, is that they destroy more vitamins in the food given the higher heating point. Does it depend on the vitamin?

Nutritionfacts.org says that generally, pressure cooking is better from a nutritional standpoint, although it depends on the food being processed.
Because it uses less water than boiling and the cooking time is less, pressure cooking seems to preserve more of the vitamins, with Vitamin C being the most easily destroyed, so thanks for the question: I didn't know that and I had to look it up.
https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/are-nutrients-preserved-by-pressure-cooking/

I learned to respect the power/danger of pressure cookers when I was young and stupid. I'd obtained an old pressure cooker with a broken release valve. I believed that because it was broken, it wouldn't fully seal. I used the pot mostly for making pasta, and I was prudent enough to just set the lid on it, not lock it, while bringing the water to boil. However, when I was hosting a spaghetti dinner, a friend apparently locked it in place. Looking back, I should have run the whole thing under cold water. Instead I muscled it open, and pressurized hot water hit my forearm. I'm slightly less stupid today, and I now realize how dangerous what I'd done was and how lucky I am to have escaped with just a scar on my forearm.

Operator error with a pressure cooker can be dangerous because the contents will be very hot and under pressure. Do not operate with a missing or inoperative pressure relief valve,  a gasket that is cracked or ill fitting and do not overfill. In particular, it's not a good idea to try and fit 'just that one last jar' if it doesn't slip in normally.
The pressure relief valve is here to save us from our mistakes: It will blow through the hole left by the lead plug directly up. [It will prevent an explosion. It will mess up your ceiling, for sure, but there will be no shrapnel blowing in all directions].
Also, if you want to stop the cooking, turn off the heat but don't try to muscle it open. This could be deadly.
If you cook some beets [ask me how I know!] even if you know that you are well over the time needed, just get the pressure cooker outside and wait. Trying to depressurize by running cold water will suck the moisture contents out of your jars.
(Think of an airplane high in the sky getting hit and having sudden cabin depressurization, the passengers and the contents of the airplane flying out of the hole... Same principle).

I agree strongly! Pressure cookers are great tools, and I wouldn't cook without one, but you need to use them with care: check the valves, never force anything, and keep an eye on it. You can always turn it off if things get wild, and patience is a virtue.
Even though everyone here uses pressure cookers, most people have some story of someone they know who used a cooker with a jammed valve, overfilled the pot, or had a crappy gasket. Some people get really hurt.