# The new hot hotness: Pressure Cookers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2017, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-hot-hotness-pressure-cookers/778011 "2017-01-24T04:00:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-hot-hotness-pressure-cookers/778011/21 "2017-01-25T21:06:42Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > As an aside: different varieties of rice, and different harvests of each variety, will cook differently. If you get rice that’s too wet or dry, tweak the water/rice ratio accordingly next time. (I get my rice from my Thai in-laws; mom-in-law is very assiduous in providing details on adjusting the ratio based on her experience with each batch.) Maybe rice in a PC isn’t the best thing unless you do it a lot and figure out those details. On the stove, you can tweak the heat and time as needed based on how the rice is cooking. With a PC, you have to get the water ratio and time correct from the start. If you make rice several times a week, a PC might work out great. But if you just make rice occasionally, you’ll probably get better results on the stove. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-hot-hotness-pressure-cookers/778011/22 "2017-01-25T21:15:18Z")
Have pressure cookers changed over the years? I see quite a few recipes for pressure cooker spaghetti, but I remember this joke from _Too Close for Comfort_ in the '70s: “You can’t cook spaghetti in a pressure cooker!” “I know that now…” (they both look up at the ceiling) (later, one of them gets a pizza, opens the box, complains that they forgot the sausage, grabs a broom, taps the ceiling with it, and a meatball falls onto the pizza) ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-hot-hotness-pressure-cookers/778011/23 "2017-01-25T21:27:19Z")
> [@solost](#): > > But at 1/5 the time I can make 2 batches and it still takes half the time. I’m only interested if 60% of the time, it works every time. [/ronburgundy] ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-hot-hotness-pressure-cookers/778011/24 "2017-01-25T22:10:08Z")
I was given one of these things about five years ago. I was too afraid of it to ever use it. Pressure cooker wuss here, even if they promise they’re “safe” now. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-hot-hotness-pressure-cookers/778011/25 "2017-01-26T00:09:10Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Maybe rice in a PC isn’t the best thing unless you do it a lot and figure out those details. On the stove, you can tweak the heat and time as needed based on how the rice is cooking. With a PC, you have to get the water ratio and time correct from the start. > > If you make rice several times a week, a PC might work out great. But if you just make rice occasionally, you’ll probably get better results on the stove. I’m not sure about that. Once you find a method that works for you in each, it should be fine. My stovetop method is pretty much invariable: scant 2:1, rice in cold water, bring to boil, turn to lowest heat, cover, 20 minutes, off. I never need to adjust, except for basmati and jasmine, I use closer to 1.5:1. Other than that, it cooks as it cooks, I don’t change heat or anything. The amount of water is the only variable I need to adjust. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-hot-hotness-pressure-cookers/778011/26 "2017-01-26T00:40:24Z")
Mine is probably about 50 years old, the old bare cast aluminum stove-top kind with the removable cock on top. It’s amazing for dried beans – ready in 40 minutes straight out of the bag, no pre-soakking. I don’t often use it for anything other than beans, but I cook those pretty often. Occasionally for a stew, only about ten minutes for a frozen chicken part and potatoes and carrots. There are a lot of things I’d never do in one, I prefer simmering in a cast iron frying pan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-hot-hotness-pressure-cookers/778011.md?page=1)