Pressure cookers

[Solace]

I've been reading about the value of pressure cookers onboard, particularly if you don't have an oven. I've been told you can even make bread in it. My mother used to have one, but I've never seen them for sale anywhere. Any idea where you would find one?

Since it is on my shopping list now any good recipes or sites where you can find recipes for pressure cookers would be great.

Cheers!

John

[CapnK]

+ karma for you G - Thx for the links. :)

I bought my p cooker at Target, it is an aluminum Kitchen Pro model. Eventually, I'd like to get a more high-dollar stainless model, but this one works, and is what I could find locally.

As far as recipes, so far I have just been cooking normal foods in it, but adjusting the cooking times downward somewhat, by 1/3rd or so. It has worked great so far. :)

[Zen]

 "Great vegetarian cooking under pressure : two-hour taste in ten minutes" by Lorna J. Sass.

Amazon.com - $13.00- 17.00

Great reviews!

[Zen]

I got this link here, but it went away... ??? :-\ Pressure cooker and nesting set

http://www.healthgoods.com/Shopping/Appliances/Fagor_U_Cook_Pressure_Cooker_Set.asp

[Solace]

Okay - been kicking around reading about them for years - finally tracked one down and bought it. At 6.5 litres it is huge on my 2 burner propane stove - but not too oversized. All stainless model - should last forever - cost me a small fortune.

Now on with the cooking. I've heard you can actually bake (cook) bread in one of these. Hoping for lots of helpful tips and recipes. Have to perfect this thing before sailing off into the wild blue.

Thanks for all your help folks!

John

[CapnK]

Useful info and a few recipes:

http://www.boatus.com/goodoldboat/pressure.htm

and a pressure cooking-only website:

http://missvickie.com/index.html

[Solace]

Karma to you CapnK - great recipes - I finally have a starting point.
Now if I could only find a place up here that sells black eyed peas. . .

Cheers!

John

[CapnK]

WHAT??? NO BLACK EYED PEAS?  ??? ??? ???

Well, at least you hosers have beers, eh?

;D

[CharlieJ]

Pressure cookers are the ticket aboard, particular on small boats. I'd suggest two of them- a larger size, then a 4 quart one. Reason being- the lids lock on. Should something occur and the pot get chunked off the stove, the lid will stay put- you don't HAVE to cook with it under pressure ya know- it CAN be used as a regular pot . I've also been eyeing a stainless 2 quarter at the restaurant supply house :)

Laura cooks biscuits, bread, cakes etc in the pressure cooker, but without the weight or seal- she just uses it as a stove top oven. We have a small wok ring that sits in the bottom to hold the bread pan up off the very bottom- a requirement if you are going to bake in it. I simple ring of metal would do the same thing- just something to hold the bottom of the loaf pan up about 2 inches off the cooker bottom.

[hearsejr]

 I geuss I best rethink my pots and pans now.  is it possible to can bread doe? I was planning to buy a lot of canned goods, but if I could can them myself with a preasure cooker, then I could save alot of time and money.

Bill

[CharlieJ]

Don't know if you can safely can things with a pressure cooker. I think the pressures are different with a canner. I'll have to get my wife involved on that one, for a better answer. I'll do some research and get back on that.

Why would you want to can bread dough? It's extremely simple to make the dough and NONE of the ingredients need any refrigeration. You can carry the dry ingredients either separately or premixed and just add water when ready. Or make up powdered milk, which is fine for cooking.  Yeast comes in small packages suitable for one time use, so that's not a problem either.

Besides, if you carry the flour, etc, then you can make pancakes, biscuits, breads, etc as you wish.

[hearsejr]

I am having a hard time finding powdered eggsand yeast here. it seems like every thing I make said add 2 eggs...it realy suxs to have to mail order that stuff. lol

[CharlieJ]

Really?? Where is "here"

[hearsejr]

 eastern N.C., around Goldsboro, Kinston area. someone sent me to a food store and when I went there and asked about dried eggs, thay gave me a very strange look and said I never heard of them. but from what I understand, they sell them in at the same store up in North. I found the yeast but it's in a box, and would be over kill unless it a box of those little packages like yall spoke of. I seen them in the past just haven't found none lately.
now powdered milk...well I got enough to last about 6 months of normal everyday cooking! poeple gave it to me after a storm came through and they didn't need it. I got 6, 5lb. bags of the stuff. and can get more if I say I want it. lol it is great stuff too. I made it up and used it in Captain Crunch crunch berries back a while when
I couldn't hardly walk. it was great.

Bill

[CapnK]

My cooker came with directions on how to use it for canning, so I think they will, CJ.

[CharlieJ]

Yeah- Laura says the only problem is that pressure cookers work at a higher pressure than a canner does. But that shouldn't have any affect, other than perhaps on cooking times.

Have to do some more research on that won't we?

[geneWj]

 ::)Yes, u can pressure cook and vacuum seal jars for later use..We used to do that with Pismo Clams down in Mexico.. had aboutr 20 pint jars..Worked like a charm..Also did our own Scallops and Albacore...

[LauraG]

A couple thoughts on using pressure cookers. First, yes, you can bake in a pressure cooker. There are two different ways. You can bake under steam pressure or you can use the pot like an oven or what I call the "dry method". You can bake yeast breads either way. First you need something that will fit inside your pressure cooker to hold the bread dough and secondly, you need to keep it off of the bottom of the pot. I use a stainless steel bowl set on a small wok base ring inside the pressure cooker. I can bake a 1 lb. loaf in my 6qt. pressure cooker. If I cook it under steam pressure it takes about 1/2 the time to cook as called for baking in a 350 degree oven. The bread does not brown and doesn't really develop a "crust", but it remains soft and is quite tasty.  To use the pressure cooker like an oven, I remove the seal and pressure regulator then heat the pot on the stove while empty... except for the wok ring. I have read where you can get a thermometer to put on the pot, but I just use the "guess" method. I sprinkle a little water on top of the lid. When it sizzles away, the pot is hot enough. Then I put the stainless bowl with the dough inside the pressure cooker, put the lid back on and turn the flame to low. Using this method, it takes the same amount of time to cook as it would in a conventional oven. The bread doesn't brown much but it does develop a crust this way.

Things like brownies, biscuits or cakes can be cooked in a pressure cooker using the dry method. Sometimes I will bake a "cake mix" using the steam/pressure method. That makes it come out like a baked pudding.  Store bought muffin mixes are a perfect size for my stainless bowl. The banana nut mix makes a great baked pudding. :-*

[Solace]

Thank you all for your great suggestions. I bought a pressure cooker cookbook the other day and made an expedition out of shopping the local farmers market for all the ingredients for coq au vin (chicken with wine). My daughters (12 & 14) enjoyed the whole process - the goal was to go through what we might do while cruising - maybe learn a few lessons along the way.
Anyhow, it turned out great and we're looking forward to trying bread and some other recipes. By the time we make it to the caribbean - Dec 2007 - we should be experts.

Cheers!

John

[Pixie Dust]

Solace- Your daughters must be loving this.  What cool stories they can tell at school and what wonderful memories you are creating.

Pressure cookers--  You guys finally made me do it.  I have an old old pressure cooker that was my grandmothers.... 4 qt aluminum mirro-matic.  I used it all the time when I lived in WV and had a garden, but I have not even looked at it since moving to FL.  I dug it out yesterday, read the how to book again.  I had to chuckle, the parts page... rubber gasket   $.85 East, $.95 West,  Cover handle $.40 and .45  Cooking rack .35, .40 etc.  Copyright on the instruc book is 1947. :o

Anyway--  I am so excited.  I just baked biscuits in it this morning thanks to Laura's entry and the website Capt. K gave us.    They turned out great!   :P  I used a small corning flat bottomed casserole dish in it, covered them with foil.  Even the bottoms browned.  They puffed up beautiful.  Anxious to try it out now on the boat with the alcohol stove.   I want to also try on the propane grill since I can use it as a burner too.   My only concern is that it tends to cook so hot, even on low.  I will let you know how it goes with that.   If anyone has already tried this, let me know.
I am diggin this website!!