Back to the original intent of the blog...
I am in love with my pressure cooker for cooking dried beans. I get home from work at 6:30 and can have a side of beans ready to eat by 6:45 or a bean soup or main dish by 7:00 (I don't bother soaking though). I prefer the taste and texture of cooked dried beans, they are less mushy and healthier because I tend to use a lot less salt than canned. It is also MUCH cheaper! A 16 oz bag of black beans costs .99 cents and makes 12 servings vs the same amount for a can of black beans that makes about 3.5 servings. (These are Grocery Store Outlet prices) There is less waste; 3-4 empty cans vs 1 single plastic bag that also makes a handy doggie poop bag. Dried beans also take up less space in my cupboard. And did I mention they taste better?
I haven't been as successful making other things, namely grains that are supposed to be much easier with a pressure cooker but then I haven't tried much. Maybe that can be a March project.
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I've often considered getting a pressure cooker. Any advice?
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I tend to use beans that take only about 30 minutes or so to cook anyway, even without soaking. But maybe that's *because* I don't have a pressure cooker. I'd probably make black beans and garbanzos more often if it were quicker.
I bought both my cookers used. One was made by Chantal and that company no longer makes pressure cookers. It's the one I've had for over 10 years and I just called the company to purchase a new gasket. When they told me they would no longer be selling the gaskets after they run out, I decided to purchase 3. I also have a smaller, newer (to me) one that I can't remember the make of. I probably use it more than the big one lately as it only makes about 4 or 5 servings for me. I cook on Sunday for lunches the rest of the week. I recommend you borrow one for about a month to make sure you really want one because they are pretty expensive new and you want to be really cautious about purchasing used. I've been lucky but after reading about microscopic hairline cracks etc, I don't think I'd do it again.
ReplyDeleteI keep noticing that you've added comments from a long time ago. Get a pressure cooker, google "Veggie Queen". She's a vegan chef in California who put out a DVD on pressure cooking (has a cook book too I think) anyway, she sells pressure cookers through her blog with some pretty good sales but also give advise on finding any pressure cooker.
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