Pressure cookers: How to be safe rather than sorry
The mention of a pressure cooker might conjure up images from childhood of pea soup splattered all over the kitchen after a pressure cooker explosion. If you read through online owner reviews , you are still likely to run across a few such stories. It's hard to tell if these "modern" mishaps are due to improper use or manufacturer defect. Top brands, like Fagor and Kuhn Rikon incorporate the following safety features into their pressure cookers:
A locking lid to keep contents sealed. Some models have locks you slide into place and others lock automatically as the pressure inside the pot builds. The lid on both types remains locked until the pressure indicator shows all pressure has been released, to prevent someone from prematurely opening the lid and risking a steam burn. A quick-release valve to safely releases pressure. Whether you need to open the pressure cooker unexpectedly during the cooking process or a recipe says to quickly release pressure after the cooking time has elapse, a steam quick-release valve offers a better option than running the pot under cold water (the old-fashion steam release method), which requires holding the pot at the same time. Backup vents and valves to relieve excessive pressure. When a pressure cooker is operating correctly, it emits steam in a steady stream out of the valve in the lid. If too much steam is building up in the pressure cooker, either due to a burner temperature that's too high or a blockage in the valve, backup valves or vents will prevent the pressure from reaching an explosive level.Safety features aside, it's important to use a pressure cooker as intended to prevent a dangerous situation in the kitchen. One common mistake that novice pressure cooker chefs make is overfilling the pot. Manufacturers warn against filling the pot more than two-thirds full for risk of blocking the steam release valve with food.
Fagor Duo Pressure Cooker - News
Top brands, like Fagor and Kuhn Rikon incorporate the following safety features into their pressure cookers: A locking lid to keep contents sealed. Some models have locks you slide into place and others lock automatically as the pressure inside the pot
Fagor Duo Pressure Cooker Review
At the International Home & Housewares Show this past Spring, one of the booths I visited was Fagor , the leading US manufacturer of pressure cookers. A pressure cooker is an aluminum or stainless steel pot with a lid that seals tightly because of a gasket around the inside, and then locks into place so steam can’t escape. You put water or other liquids into the bottom, seal the lid with a lock, put the cooker on a burner turned up high, and then the pressure cooker heats up and steams the food, preserving vitamins and minerals. Food cooks up to 70% faster!
Fagor sent me their Duo Pressure Cooker to review, which is stainless steel with an aluminum-clad bottom. It also comes with a steamer basket to use for smaller foods, like vegetables. I was intimidated at first, having never used one before, but the instruction manual was easy to understand and follow, plus it comes with a recipe book with 50 recipes. I decided to start with their recipe for Herb “Roasted” Chicken, which called for heating butter in the pressure cooker and then browning the chicken in it.
And that’s when I learned the biggest difference between a stainless steel cooking pot and the nonstick pots I’m used to using. If you don’t watch it carefully and keep stirring, the food will stick and then burn to the bottom of the pan, which is exactly what happened to my chicken!
But, I’m not going to give up. I’m not a good cook, I freely admit it, but I have five people to feed dinner every night, so I am going to try that chicken recipe again until I get it right. I couldn’t believe my eyes when the recipe book said potatoes cut into one-inch cubes will cook in THREE minutes! There’s even a recipe for cheesecake, you put the Springform pan right into the steamer basket and it’s done in thirty minutes!
I don’t like spending a lot of time preparing meals, I like to get the food cooked so my family can eat. Thanks to Fagor, I now have a way to cook meat, vegetables, even desserts in a fraction of the usual time, plus the food will retain more of it’s nutrients, and that is awesome.
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