# What to do with a pressure cooker
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [October 19, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029 "2016-10-19T15:04:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/1 "2016-10-19T15:04:03Z")
I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to kitchen tools. It drives my wife crazy when I buy something and she doesn’t understand why I would want these things. I have always wanted a pressure cooker but I’m worried that if I buy one it won’t get used very often.
So for the culinary inclined among you, do you have a pressure cooker? What do you use it for? How often do you use it? Do you regret having it?
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### Author:  [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/2 "2016-10-19T15:13:11Z")
Pressure cookers are the microwaves of the 1960s, which in turn were the crock pots of the 1970s, which in turn were the Foreman Grills of the 1980s, which were the panini presses of the oughts. Each is a tool that has some very good uses, but tend to be best in a narrow range of dishes despite the ravings of manic enthusiasts who insist they can be used for everything. And now we’ve come back around to the Wonders of Pressure Cooking.
IMHO, as an experienced and capable cook, the only thing pressure cookers are good for is certain types of canning, and cooking tough cuts of meat quickly and to edible tenderness. Everything else is “microwave turkey” or “crockpot casserole” - yeah, I guess you can do it… but why?
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### Author:  [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/3 "2016-10-19T15:32:44Z")
Cooking dry beans
Cooking brown rice (quickly)
Cooking tough meat
Here’s a new one I just learned: [carmelizing onions](http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/01/pressure-cooker-caramelized-onion-recipe.html) [It works great, BTW]
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/4 "2016-10-19T16:34:44Z")
I do cheesecakes in my pressure cooker.
I cook quick chicken in rice for the dogs. ($.59/lb frozen chicken thighs and a couple cups of brown rice. 17 minutes later I have a big pan if chicken & rice.).
It makes a great pot-roast. The pressure of steaming really seems to infuse the beefy flavor.
I have three good pressure cookers. Buy a good one, not a cheapo. My sister, who’s a much better cook than me, uses hers constantly.
StG
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### Author:  [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/5 "2016-10-19T16:44:10Z")
Most electric pressure cookers have a variety of functions, including slow-cook. It can replace your crock pot and do a lot more.
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### Author:  [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/6 "2016-10-19T17:06:30Z")
My mother passed her pressure cooker on to me and I used to use it all the time, then the seal deteriorated and I haven’t been able to find a replacement for it, so now it’s just a pot.
I cooked potatoes in it. Much quicker than in a regular pot on the stove. And like \*\*StGermain, \*\*, meat and rice soup for the dogs as a treat.
I had a friend staying and he was hungry so he grabbed some beef out of the freezer and tossed it into the pressure cooker. Prime rib roast. In the pressure cooker. :smack: :eek:
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/7 "2016-10-19T17:52:42Z")
I use it all the time. Crockpot flavor meals in 1/2 the time it would be to cook stovetop. Actually better than the modern crockpots that cook at too high a temperature.
Also great for ‘par cooking’ meats that would be broiled or BBQ’ed for the finishing touch. Think baby back ribs falling off the bone, nicely crisped and browned baby.
It also acts as a marinator, allowing the flavors to get deeper into the meat during cooking.
Good for also cooking with alcohol steaming, as the vapors which are mostly ethanol early on stay longer in contact with what you are cooking as it is a sealed environment until overpressure, which one can play with.
A pressure cooker would be high on my list of cooking instruments I would get, not the first ones, but after pots & pans and broiler pans the pressure cooker would come in.
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### Author:  [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2016, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/8 "2016-10-21T00:59:57Z")
> [@brainstall](#):
>
> My mother passed her pressure cooker on to me and I used to use it all the time, then the seal deteriorated and I haven’t been able to find a replacement for it, so now it’s just a pot.
Check you locally owned hardware store, like [Ace Hardware](http://www.acehardware.com/home/index.jsp) for a new seal. Or if you have a little hole-in-the-wall hardware store, they might carry them as well. Take your lid in to make sure you get the right size. Or, ya’ know, there’s always [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pressure+cooker+seal&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Apressure+cooker+seal).
I use mine infrequently, but my favorite thing in it are carrot. They turn out deliciously tender every single time.
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/9 "2016-10-21T03:59:51Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> Pressure cookers are the microwaves of the 1960s, which in turn were the crock pots of the 1970s, which in turn were the Foreman Grills of the 1980s, which were the panini presses of the oughts. Each is a tool that has some very good uses, but tend to be best in a narrow range of dishes despite the ravings of manic enthusiasts who insist they can be used for everything. And now we’ve come back around to the Wonders of Pressure Cooking.
>
> IMHO, as an experienced and capable cook, the only thing pressure cookers are good for is certain types of canning, and cooking tough cuts of meat quickly and to edible tenderness. Everything else is “microwave turkey” or “crockpot casserole” - yeah, I guess you can do it… but why?
I don’t know… I’m more inclined to believe the crew at Modernist Cooking [when they say they’re “magical”.](http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/gastronaut-files-pressure-cooker-recipes)
[This recipe is great.](http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pressure-cooker-pork-carnitas) And fast.
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### Author:  [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2016, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/10 "2016-10-21T06:59:11Z")
I think of them as a relatively quick version of a crockpot.
Given I don’t use my crockpot very often, I’m not inclined to purchase one anytime soon.
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### Author:  [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2016, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/11 "2016-10-21T07:27:36Z")
While I believe those who say that properly used pressure cookers are wonderful cooking devices, I remain too traumatized by one that exploded in my mother’s kitchen, back when I was just a lass, to ever trust one. The mark it left on the kitchen ceiling was there for years afterward. (It may still be, for all I know. Do you think, if I was ever back in the neighborhood, the current owners of the house would think it was weird if I knocked on the door and asked if I could see it?)
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2016, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/12 "2016-10-21T11:51:39Z")
The only time we use ours is for roast beef when we don’t want to turn the oven on. It will cook a juicy roast. It’s kind of fun when you’re done to take it out on the deck, say “habemus papam” and pull off the pressure weight and watch the steam rush out.
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/13 "2016-10-21T13:57:13Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#):
>
> While I believe those who say that properly used pressure cookers are wonderful cooking devices, I remain too traumatized by one that exploded in my mother’s kitchen, back when I was just a lass, to ever trust one. The mark it left on the kitchen ceiling was there for years afterward. (It may still be, for all I know. Do you think, if I was ever back in the neighborhood, the current owners of the house would think it was weird if I knocked on the door and asked if I could see it?)
The modern ones are much safer and unlikely to explode; they’re designed differently, and have two independent safety-valve type things- a literal safety valve, and a mechanism for the gasket to blow out the side if pressure gets high enough. Plus, they only work when locked in place, and won’t open if the pressure’s too high.
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### Author:  [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/14 "2016-10-21T18:46:25Z")
> [@phall0106](#):
>
> Check you locally owned hardware store, like [Ace Hardware](http://www.acehardware.com/home/index.jsp) for a new seal. Or if you have a little hole-in-the-wall hardware store, they might carry them as well. Take your lid in to make sure you get the right size. Or, ya’ know, there’s always [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pressure+cooker+seal&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Apressure+cooker+seal).
>
> I use mine infrequently, but my favorite thing in it are carrot. They turn out deliciously tender every single time.
Thanks. I swear I looked online a few years ago and they were either not available, or the cost of shipping to Canada made them stupidly expensive. I remember the rings used to be carried at most hardware stores, but last time I looked, no luck.
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### Author:  [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/15 "2016-10-21T19:40:53Z")
I’m going to try [this](http://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-old-fashioned-chili-dog-sauce/) recipe this evening for supper.
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### Author:  [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2016, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/16 "2016-10-24T10:56:40Z")
> [@bump](#):
>
> The modern ones are much safer and unlikely to explode; they’re designed differently, and have two independent safety-valve type things- a literal safety valve, and a mechanism for the gasket to blow out the side if pressure gets high enough. Plus, they only work when locked in place, and won’t open if the pressure’s too high.
Thank you - I had no idea. In that case I probably want one!
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### Author:  [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/17 "2016-10-24T15:00:28Z")
We got an electric one a couple of years ago. I use it pretty often and like it. Roast beef, pork butt, dried beans, etc.
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/18 "2016-10-24T17:38:44Z")
We used to cook green beans with onion and bacon in ours. But we haven’t used it in ages.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/19 "2016-10-24T17:58:18Z")
> [@Voyager](#):
>
> We used to cook green beans with onion and bacon in ours. But we haven’t used it in ages.
We do this, adding tomato sauce and plenty of chili pepper seeds and a bit of vegemite. Yum!!
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### Author:  [@flaming\_yawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flaming_yawn)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-pressure-cooker/769029/20 "2016-10-24T18:54:34Z")
wait till black friday to get an electric Instant Pot on amazon… find the facebook or pintrest site dedicated to this pot and your life will change. 2 words spaghetti squash in 4 minutes (after it gets to pressure) Oh I made split pea soup in record time once too
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