Yes, my initial Pressure Cooker adventures were an Epic Fail!
I attribute this to the fact that I bought a $19.95 Pressure Cooker at HEB. . . I tried several times to use it, but it never seemed to build up pressure correctly.
According to the instructions, I was supposed to put it on the stove on high heat until the regulator began to rock, and then reduce the heat to medium or low so that the regulator continued to rock gently. The instructions also said that I shouldn’t start timing the cooking until the regulator began to rock (meaning that the pressure had built up enough to do it’s job).
Well, my regulator never rocked, but tons of steam leaked out from around the handle each time that I tried to use it, and water dripped down the side of the Cooker – so I’m pretty sure that it never built up the proper amount of pressure because so much steam was leaking out.
I tried steaming cauliflower, but because the regulator never rocked, I didn’t know when to start timing it. I ended up WAAY overcooking it and ended up with a soggy mess!
So, you live and learn I guess! I refuse to quit on my attempts at pressure cooking because it looks like such a healthy alternative and the convenience and speed of it is really appealing to me also.
So I upgraded to a $40 Presto 8 Qt Pressure Cooker over the weekend, and am very much looking forward to trying it out next week – I only hope that I have better luck this time, and that the previous Pressure Cooker really was faulty and that it wasn’t just “user error”!
I’m going to start scouring the web this evening for some yummy Paleo Pressure Cooker Recipes, but if anyone out there reading this has some “winners”, (Or Pressure Cooking Tips!) please share!
Well..so did you have cauliflower soup?!?
Before ruining another great dish in the making, put your pressure cooker through the "hot water" test. Basically, you are boiling the minimum amount of water required in the pressure cooker to see how it builds and keep pressure!
I'm looking forward to reading more about your adventures with your NEW pressure cooker!
You can email me directly if you have any questions, my email is on the "about me" page of my website (link below).
Keep trying!
L
hip pressure cooking
making pressure cookers hip again, one recipe at a time!
Thanks L 🙂 I will absolutely take your suggestion and test this one out before making soggy cauliflower again! There was no saving this stuff. . . .
Love your website by the way – it's full of awesome info for a newbie to pressure cooking like me!
Hi Christie, me again. Alot of your readers have popped over to my website from this post and your link to me from Whole9!
As you have seen, I have classified my recipes by diet, and I would like to add the Paleo diet as well, so that your readers can easily find the recipes for their diet.
Can you recommend a resource that lists all of the guidelines for the diet, so that I can mark the appropriate recipes?
Ciao!
Laura
hip pressure cooking
making pressure cooking hip, one recipe at a time!
Hi Elle – so sorry for my delayed response to your question!
The "Paleo Diet" has a lot of different variations, however it's purest form allows no dairy, grains of any kind, gluten, white potatoes, alchohol, legumes, or artificial sweetners. Healthy fats (avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, O3's, etc) are encouraged, as are healthy sources of protein, lots of vegetables, fruit, and nuts (in moderation).
The Whole9's Whole30 post does a great job of spelling out the specifics of a **strict** Paleo Program here: http://whole9life.com/2010/12/whole30-2011/
I hope that helps 🙂
Christie