Pressure cooking, anyone?

[tattercoats]

I don't mean as an analogy for the economy, btw!

I found a pressure cooker in the charity shop on theweekend, ?12.99, looks brand new, sadly no instructions. I've never used one, though my initial research indicates that it's a must for a low-energy household.

I'm hoping there are some afficionados out there who can tell me (a) that was a good price, (b) they're wonderful and (c) How noty to blow up my kitchen while using it... well, the last will be covered by the instruction booklet that the manufacturer is willing to send me (yay!) but I'd like to hear your pressure cooker advice too.

The only downside is that it won't fit on the Chilli Penguin in the parlour (did I mention I'm getting a stove? With an oven!)

[emordnilap]

Hi

I have one which we use regularly. They're a bit old hat these days but they may come back.

(a) Ours is stainless steel. I would not advise anyone to use an aluminium one.
(b) It's only good for certain things, notably dried beans and brown rice. Oh, mushy peas, yes! I'd be interested to hear what other people, if any, use them for.
(c) It's getting more difficult to get replacement parts but they are essential. The seals only last so long.
(d) Look after the seals by not letting them dry out. I put a little oil on an paper towel and rub them before storage.
(e) In a world of concentrated energy depletion, it may be difficult to get a heat source which is high enough to use a pressure cooker. Electric, yes, but when gas and oil run out, you won't be able to put them on a wood flame. So, ultimately, maybe not.

Good luck.

[tattercoats]

Heh, like the name...

Ooer, mine's aluminium. Why do you advise against this?

Noted, er the gaskets - if I think I'll be usign this much, I'll get in a store of them.

Ooer again - wouldn't a wood-fired stove get it hot enough to work?

And finally - I was reckoning that it would be most useful for cooking the carb part of the meal, and let's face in, in this country that's going to mean spuds (though I'd like to grow wheat, and of course pasta is fun to make from flour and eggs).

Will see how it goes...

T

[adam2]

Heh, like the name...

Ooer, mine's aluminium. Why do you advise against this?


T

Aluminium is now considered potentialy toxic if ingested, and it tends to dissolve in acidic foodstuffs such as stewed fruit.
There is some evidence linking aluminium in the diet with alzheimers disease.

In my personal view, it would be unwise to use an aluminium pan (whether a pressure cooker or a conventional pan) to cook stewed fruit, jam or similar foods. I would be less concerned about non acid foods like a beef stew.

Any hazard from aluminium is probably cumalative, so I would not worry about occaisional use of aluminium pans in an emergency, but for every day houshold use I would think twice.

[adam2]

Ooer again - wouldn't a wood-fired stove get it hot enough to work?

T

Depends of course on how hot the stove gets, but in most cases a wood burning room heater, with a limited cooking facility wont get hot enough.

If however the appliance is primarily intended for cooking, then it should be fine.

Suggest a simple practical test, fill the pressure cooker with plain water up to the correct level, assemble as per the instructions and place on the stove. If after a reasonable time the water boils and steam is emitted from the safety valve, then you should be fine.
Take great care not to let all the water boil away ! this is a greater risk with wood heat versus gas/electricity since the heat may increase unexpectedly as the fire gets going.

[emordnilap]

Its great advantage in a period of shortage of food is for the cooking of beans and rice - staple vegan food of course and practically a complete meal. The beans take (after soaking) around three to four minutes max and the rice around nine from reaching the correct pressure.

What the rest said about aluminium. Don't use metal spoons on it, only wooden.

I was thinking of an open fire as opposed to a stove. The rubber parts would be vulnerable. I have never had my wood-fired stove hot enough to use a pressure cooker - we'd melt if it got that high...we only have a small cottage.

[Blue Peter]

(b) It's only good for certain things, notably dried beans and brown rice. Oh, mushy peas, yes! I'd be interested to hear what other people, if any, use them for.

Christmas puddings,


Peter.

[rushdy]

The number one tip is: Don't open the lid till it's cooled down afterwards! (That is unless you want to redecorate your kitchen! )

[aliwood]

I use mine all the time.

Rice and beans, pasta, curries, Xmas pud, soup, marmalade, jams and chutneys, everything. You can probably do stews and meat but we don't eat that and my instruction manual is downstairs (my pressure cooker instruction manual - I don't have a personal one for me!).

You can cool and lower the pressure two ways. Take it away from the heat and wait, or dunk it up to about halfway in cool water. If you cook veg on their own, keep the water to use for soups - same for pasta.

Wood fired stove? I've used mine a couple of times on an open wood fire, it took longer to get to pressure but it did the job.

My advice - cook something you can't wreck for the first few tries - soup is ideal - until you get the hang of how the pressure gadget works, then go for something a bit trickier like rice.

I always cook a whole curry when I do rice, this means less washing up, so making life more efficient all round.

Good luck and have fun.

[adam2]

IMHO an electric slow cooking pot is worth considering, either instead of a pressure cooker, or as well.
This does of course require electricity, but the wattage is very low, resulting in low running costs.
Whilst electric cooking is not normally viable on renewable energy, a slow cooking pot is an exception due to the low consumption.

Slightly OT, but whilst camping at the great dorset steam fair, we used a slow cooker powered from a truck battery. A small rutland wind generator kept the battery charged.

[aliwood]

Ooo, well done Adam, that's a great idea.

We have a large and a small slo-cooker and I would echo what you say.

[redlantern]

I've used one with a cork gasket trimmed to fit and wedged in place with a cocktail stick. Still worked. I would think any scrap of rubber with a small screw would probably work for the escape valve.

Suprised ppl don't think you could use them over a wood fire... they'd take longer but once they're at pressure they need very little heat to maintain.

[adam2]

I've used one with a cork gasket trimmed to fit and wedged in place with a cocktail stick. Still worked. I would think any scrap of rubber with a small screw would probably work for the escape valve.

.

I would be very careful indeed about using any improvised article for the safety valve/relief valve.
If the resultant steam pressure is less than intended, then there is little point in using a pressure cooker, if however the pressure is greater than intended, then you have made a potential bomb. An exploding pressure cooker could be fatal.
Long term preparations should include spare parts for any pressure cooker.

An improvised gasket is much less hazardous, since it can not increase the pressure beyond that originally intended. Care should still be taken however, since any sudden failure of the gasket would result in large release of steam which might cause serious burns.

[SunnyJim]

Much better off with a rocket stove (with pan skirt) and a hay box cooker.

Rocket stove is very efficient and burns twigs and small brush wood. You get the pan boiling and then put it in a hay box (just a box packed with hay as insulation) then come back a couple of hours later when everything is nicely cooked.

Of course you roast your meat in a solar oven. Any spare meat is dried and stored for winter when it can be added to stews cooked with the rocket stove and haybox.

[redlantern]

I would be very careful indeed about using any improvised article for the safety valve/relief valve.

Hence cork. I figured it would pop before the sidewalls of the cooker. In fact, it acted more as a second gasket, but was still more efficient than a closed pan.