Pressure Cooker Cooking Tips

If you have never used a pressure cooker but still want to cook like a pro with it, then I have some good news for you today. I am going to tell you how to cook with your pressure cooker and end up with fantastic results. You may think that cooking with one of these machines is difficult but I assure you it isn’t. All you need to do is make a few adjustments and you’ll be well on your way.

Before we start however, I want to take a few moments to tell you that it is important to get a good quality machine. It doesn’t matter if it is a stove top model or an electric model (although electric models are easier to use). Just be sure to buy the best quality one possible. Check pressure cooker reviews—if necessary—to help you choose the right cooker for you.

Brown First

When cooking meats in a traditional fashion, many people brown the meat in a pan with oil and then deglaze the pan to help add flavor to the dish, yet they don’t do this when using a pressure cooker. I guess they don’t realize that they can not only do it this way but that they should be doing it this way.

All you have to do is add a little bit of oil to the pressure cooker—preferable a light vegetable or olive oil—and heat it uncovered it on medium high heat. Then when it has heated up, add your meat in small batches and brown it. Then you take the meat out of the cooker and set aside. Now you can begin the deglazing process. Pour a little bit of wine or broth into the cooker and scrap the sides with a spatula. All of those delicious food particles have now been released into the wine and broth. You can now continue on with cooking by placing the meat—and all the other ingredients you plan on cooking with it—back into the pressure cooker and cooking it under pressure.

Cook Different Foods At Different Times

some foods, such as meat, take longer to go than other ingredients, such as vegetables. That is why you shouldn’t throw them in all at one time. If you do, then you are likely to end up with either the meat under-cooked or the vegetables over-cooked. So be sure to start meat first, and then right before it is done, add the veggies.

Keep Two Electric Burners Going For Stovetop Cookers

This is one of the best pressure cooker tips I can give those of you who have a stovetop pressure cooker and an electric stove: Keep 2 burners going at the same time. Since you want to start the pressure cooker on high and then finish up on medium, it is best to have 2 burners going because electric stoves don’t react very quickly. Keep one burner for high heat and the second burner set on medium heat. When the pressure cooker reaches pressure, all you have to do is move it onto the second burner and continue cooking.