How to Convert Recipes for a Pressure Cooker

Jan 31, 2017 · 9 comments
EdE (<br/>)
I just received an electric pressure cooker for my birthday. Does anyone have advice on using wine or beer in recipes?
David Sheppard (Healdsburg, CA)
I use my old manual pressure cooker mostly for brisket and corned beef. Use salt and black pepper on the brisket and no extra spices on the corned beef. Takes about an hour. The left-over brisket juices are marvelous on baked potatoes and rice.

At Thanksgiving I made a delicious boneless turkey breast in 30 minutes. Great gravy from the drippings. All easy with little cleanup.

Pressure cooker is the only way to make pinto beans. Soak a dollar's worth of dry beans for 6-8 hours or overnight. Add salt and pepper if desired. If you're not vegetarian, throw in a couple slices of bacon. Cook for 5 minutes. Takes about a half hour with heat up and cool down time included. So much better than canned, you won't believe it, and you'll have enough for burritos for a week. (Throw a little shredded brisket in the burritos too.)
Susan Slattery (Berkshire County)
I have two of Lorna Sass's books: Cooking Under Pressure and Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure. I recently dusted off my old T-fal pressure cooker. Just whipped up the Chili recipe from the Cooking Under Pressure book and I would like to advise folks of one simple piece of advice from Cooking Under Pressure:
Always use the natural pressure release when cooking meat. Do not use quick release. I normally make a Texas style chili in my cast iron Dutch oven, but this pressure cooker version, using the natural pressure release—pulling the pot off the burner and just letting it sit there until the lock released, is going to be my new go-to. 16 minutes under pressure, and the most tender beef chili I have ever made!
Occupy Government (Oakland)
I have two pressure cookers -- small and large -- that are pretty old. They don't "do" anything, but they've been doing it for 40 years -- when pressure cookers were the high tech option. Before I opt for a new one, I'll need more than pre-programmed convenience settings. If they work as well as my microwave buttons, I won't use them either.
Johnson02118 (Boston, MA)
I'm considering an electric pressure cooker because it is a multi-purpose device. I don't have room to store a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, and more. Plus, electric pressure cookers seem to get high marks for convenience. Whatever works . . .
Expat Steve (<br/>)
I bought a high-end, non electric pressure cooker to use in the canning process. Then I tried it to make a rich beef stock using oxtail, which normally takes a minimum of 4 hours to cook. It took one hour in the pressure cooker and turned out perfectly.
Gee, can you even get oxtail in the US anymore?
Joan Heymont (<br/>)
Lots and lots of oxtail available in the US. Lots of immigrants, especially from the Caribbean, and maybe South America, make oxtail.
Bob Hogner (Miami)
Miami Report: Raw oxtails at most supermarkets. Best at Winn Dixie(but wait for a sale), Cheapest at Sedanos. Worst at Presidente.
Most Hispanic and Portuguese/Brasil Restaurants serve them.
Some "Asian fusion" restaurants serve them.
Michael Giannini (Honolulu)
Oxtail is sold in almost all supermarkets in Hawaii.