Your online resource

for all things culinary

HOME

Search this Site

All Recipes

Special Sections

Articles & Resources

Kitchen Equipment

Food & Health

Growing Food

Directories

Missing an Ingredient ? UKFoodOnline.co.uk

Cooking with Pressure Cookers

Go to:- Cookware - Pressure Cookers | Buy Pressure Cookers | Pressure Cooker Recipes

Jump to:- Why Use a Pressure Cooker ? | Safety Tips | General Cooking Tips | Adapting Recipes | General Timings

Why Use a Pressure Cooker ?

The shorter cooking time and reduced liquid means less vitamins and minerals are lost than through conventional boiling methods. Also as food cooks much faster not only is pressure cooking a great time saver but less energy is used. Furthermore, your kitchen stays cooler and cleaner because the food is cooked in a covered, sealed pan which retains all the steam in the pot and there are splashes or boiled over foods messing up your cooker, work surfaces or walls.

Pressure Cooking Safety Tips

Regularly inspect the rubber ring to make sure it is still flexible as if it is not in good order, it will be impossible to attain a good seal which is imperative to building up the pressure.

Before every use, check the valves are completely clean and free of dirt or food remains.

NEVER deep fry in your pressure cooker under pressure.

NEVER use oil or fat only as it doesn't create enough steam. Always use a liquid such as water, stock, milk or wine.

Do not leave your pressure cooker unattended for any length of time.

Modern pressure cookers have at least three safety valves which release pressure automatically should the pressure get too high. Different pressure cookers have different valves so it is important for you to refer to the instructions for your particular model. However in general, if you hear loud hissing noises coming from the pot, you should check the pressure and reduce the heat source as necessary.

Never fill your pressure cooker past the manufacturer's mark or more than two thirds full with solids, half full with liquids and cereals and one-third full with pulses. This is very important because as the steam builds up it will need space and over filling can result in food clogging up the valves preventing pressure from being released.

Make sure you use enough liquid in order to build pressure, usually a minimum of 300ml/10fl.oz.

Once pressure has been reached, lower the temperature so it doesn't build too high. It should just be releasing a gentle steady stream of steam. If you don't have a heat source which is immediately adjustable such as gas or halogen, it is a good idea to have one burner set on low heat whilst you build the pressure in the cooker on another set to high then once the desired pressure has been reached you can move the pressure cooker to the lower heat burner.

General Pressure Cooker Cooking Guidelines

Share this page

Find UK Holiday Cottages

Click here to ask a culinary question

Most pressure cookers have a maximum fill mark on the inside. Never fill your pressure cooker past this mark or more than two thirds full with solids, half full with liquids and cereals and one-third full with pulses.

Brown foods such as meat and onions first for extra flavour.

For recipes such as stews, you can generally use less liquid than you would with conventional cooking methods because less liquid will evaporate due to the fact that the lid is sealed. However, bear in mind that pressure cooking requires sufficient liquid to create the steam, usually a minimum of 300ml/10fl.oz. In general add another 150ml/5fl.oz. for each extra 15 minutes of cooking.

Because everything is sealed in during cooking, you may wish to decrease the amount of seasoning you would normally use as flavours tend to concentrate when pressure cooking - including salt.

Add different types of ingredients at different stages in the cooking i.e. slower cooking ingredients such as meat first, then release the pressure after an appropriate time and add faster cooking ingredients such as vegetables. This ensures the end dish has a variety of textures instead of a mush.

Begin counting the cooking times once the pressure cooker has reached the full pressure or the PSI stated in the recipe and estimate cooking times on the low side as a few extra minutes can overcook foods such as vegetables. It's better to check for doneness by releasing pressure and opening the pot. If it's not cooked, simply replace the lid, return to pressure and cook a little longer.

Releasing Steam
You cannot open modern pressure cookers until the pressure has been completely released. However, if you have an older pressure cooker, always be guided by the manufacturer's instructions.

There are two ways to release the pressure, depending on the circumstances.

The Natural (slow) Release Method - Suitable for stocks, soups containing beans or pasta, cereals, pulses and stews made with tougher cuts of meat which will benefit from the extra time taken. Simply remove the pan from the heat source and leave until the pressure has dropped - usually between 10 and 15 minutes.

Quick Release Method - Suitable for soups, fish, poultry and vegetables. Some pressure cookers have an automatic release method so check the instructions. If yours hasn't, transfer the pressure cooker to the sink and run cold water over the top until the all the pressure is released. This generally takes less than a minute.

If you live above 2000 feet above sea level you will need to increase the cooking time by 5% for every 1000 feet higher.

Adapting Recipes for the Pressure Cooker

Although almost anything can be cooked in a pressure cooker, it's best suited for foods that require longer cooking times, such as stews, joints, soups and pulses.

In general, there aren't that many changes which have to be made when adapting recipes for the pressure cooker provided there is enough liquid used to create the steam, usually a minimum of 300ml/10fl.oz although the longer the cooking time the more liquid is needed. In general add another 150ml/5fl.oz. for each extra 15 minutes of cooking.

Follow your recipe up to the point where the liquid is added, e.g. brown meats and vegetables like onions if stated.

Add vegetables like potatoes later in the cooking stage so they don't overcook and turn to mush.

When cooking beans, be sure to soak them in boiling water for at least 1 hour before adding to the pressure cooker.

General Timings

Cooking times vary according to the size or thickness of the food - not the weight. So it is possible to cook 900g/2lb of meat in the same time as 1.8k/4lb of meat provided the pieces are the same size as in the original recipe.

In general, you can decrease the length of cooking time for a conventional recipe by two thirds so, if a beef stew normally takes 2 hours, in a pressure cooker it will only take 40 minutes.

Rate This Page

Click on a star to rate how useful you found the information on this page. 5 stars being the top mark

Still not found what you're looking for?

Try our search facility. Type in your main ingredient (s) or whatever you happen to have available in your store cupboard or fridge and allow us to whisk you up a recipe in seconds!

search tips

advanced search

site search by freefind

For full advanced search tips visit our main search page via the red "search this site" button at the top of the page

Soup/Starters Soups | Fish | Other | Vegetarian

Desserts/Puddings Cold Desserts | Hot Puddings | Quick Desserts

Cakes & Bakes Biscuits, Cookies, Pastries | Breads | Cakes

International Worldwide A to Z | British | Chinese | Indian

Special Diets Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Vegan | Egg Free

If you've arrived at this page via a search engine, do take a few minutes to look around the site. We're convinced you'll find lots more excellent recipes and in depth culinary information and articles about a wide range of food related topics. If you're more used to measuring ingredients by the cup, we have the most comprehensive weight to cups conversion table on the net - both solid ingredients and liquids - so now you can easily convert our recipes to suit your preference. Click here to go to the chart.