Pressure Cooking

So, I’m in the market for a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker I remember was my mother’s. I believe it was yellow, kinda scary, and I only have one real memory of it that I seem to have blocked out because all I can remember is sitting at the counter and Mom yelling ‘Be careful!’ I wonder what happened to it...

Chefs of all kinds, professional and not so much, swear by pressure cookers these days.

The safety issue has kept me away from pressure cookers. I, with two little baboons running around underfoot, do not need something exploding and clinging to the ceiling! Actually, that’s a normal day in our household, so I guess the thing is - I don’t need to buy an expensive apparatus to add to the chaos. ;-)

However, I’m hearing lots a good things about the virtues of pressure cooking, namely – TIME. Something moms don’t have enough of on a good day.

Pressure cooking allows you to cook a meal in less time. For example I make a Pork Chop Stew in my slow cooker (very yummy, recipe will be tomorrow's post); between preparation, such as browning the meat, it takes about 30 minutes to just get it in the slow cooker. Then the slow cooker needs to be going all day, at least 7 hours. It is good, yes, and it totally frees up suppertime for other things like, oh I don’t know, relaxing with a cup of tea and colouring with the kids. But you have to be organized and on the ball and you need to know what you’re making for supper the night before if the pork chops reside in the freezer.

With a pressure cooker, you can decide 45 minutes before supper what you’re making, prepare it, cook it, serve it. No real organization required as far as I can see, except thawed meat. Not only that, but: less time spent cooking = less energy wasted = better for the environment. Look at me, I'm going green!

There are lots of days that I am organized, but there are still plenty of days that I just don’t have a brain cell left to think about supper and PB&J sandwiches with a banana on the side is served. (This will probably happen anyway, pressure cooker or no.)

So I’m going to research and buy one, use it and let you know…

Thanks for reading.