Title: Pressure Cooking, Ten Steps To Make It a Pleasure
Categories: Info Canning
Yield: 1 Info file

PRESSURE COOKING

1. Prepare ingredients following particular recipe you've chosen. Many meat recipes will call for searing the meat before adding liquid to the cooker.

2. Pour the required amount of liquid into the cooker. Since pressure cooking is cooking food in a steam atmosphere, this liquid is essential.

3. Add foods and seasonings according to the recipe. NEVER fill your cooker over 2/3 FULL; this allows for food expansion during cooking.

4. Hold cover to light and look through vent pipe from underside of cover to be sure vent pipe opening is not blocked. Another way is to run a pipe cleaner through the vent pipe.

5. Fit cover on the cooker. With the cooker handle in your left hand and the cover handle in your right, lock the cooker closed.

6. Place the pressure regulator on vent pipe.

7. Set the cooker on the range. Turn the burner on high heat to exhaust air from the cooker.

8. When cooking pressure, 15 pounds, is reached, the pressure regulator begins to rock. Immediately start to count the cooking time specified in capital letters in the recipe. At the same time, lower the heat of the burner, use just enough heat to maintain pressure during cooking. Don't risk overcooking foods; 1 minute of pressure cooking equals 3 minutes regular cooking. If the recipe directions say COOK 0 MINUTES, this means to cook food only until cooking pressure, 15 pounds, is reached, then remove cooker from heat and cool according to recipe.

9. As soon as the cooking timer rings, reduce pressure as directed in the recipe. To "let pressure drop of its own accord," set cooker aside to cool. This usually takes about 5 minutes. This additional time must be reckoned into the total cooking period if you wish to serve your family on the dot. To "cool cooker at once", place it under cold running water or place it in a pan or sink full of cold water.

10. After pressure has been completely reduced, first remove pressure regulator, then cooker cover. Remove food to serving to serving dish. If desired, reheat cooker -WITHOUT PRESSURE- to thicken gravy or sauce to accompany food.

Source: Pressure Cooking is Pleasure Cooking by Patricia Phillips Brought to you and yours via Nancy O'Brion and her Meal-Master. From: Dorothy Flatman Date: 05 Mar 98

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