The Pressure Cooker Cookbook E-Book

Laura Washburn Hutton

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Create delicious slow-cooked flavours with affordable ingredients using minimal energy with over 50 pressure cooker recipes. Pressure cookers enable the preparation of delicious meals cheaply, quickly and efficiently because the food is cooked in liquid at temperatures far higher than in a conventional saucepan, shortening cooking time by up to 70 per cent. After years in the culinary doldrums, the popularity of brands such as Instant Pot, has propelled all types of pressure-cooking gadgets back into favour and fashion. John Lewis says that purchases of pressure cookers have risen by 110 per cent, and their popularity is only set to continue with the current rises in energy prices and food costs. The pressure-cooking method is brilliant at sealing in flavour, so cheaper ingredients can be used to great effect and since the cooking time is shorter you save on energy too, making it one of the most eco-friendly cooking methods available. Time savings are impressive – braising beef takes just 30 minutes, a chicken casserole can be ready in 15 minutes. Pulses and grains cook in a fraction of the time, so it's great news for veggies too. A John Lewis spokesman said: 'The cooking method often used by our parents and grandparents to tenderise cheaper cuts of meat is once again popular as thrifty, time-poor cooks rediscover the time and fuel-saving benefits of these marvellous machines' (Daily Mail October 2022). Choose from over 50 recipes covering all tastes and occasions including Soups & Stocks, hearty Meat dishes, lighter Poultry & Seafood dishes, Vegetarian Dishes and Desserts.

Leseprobe

the

PRESSURE COOKER

cookbook

the

PRESSURE COOKER

cookbook

RECIPES FOR HOMEMADE MEALS IN MINUTES

LAURA WASHBURN HUTTON

photography by WILLIAM REAVELL

Senior designer Sonya Nathoo

Editor Ellen Parnavelas

Production manager Gordana Simakovic

Creative director Leslie Harrington

Editorial director Julia Charles

Food stylist and recipe contributor

Maxine Clark

Prop stylist Sue Rowlands

Assistant food stylist Sarah Ackhurst

Indexer Claire Hodgson

Author’s Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Rosalind Rathouse of Cookery School at Little Portland Street for getting me hooked on pressure cookers, and also to Richard Ehrlich and his daughter Rebecca for the loan of additional cookers.

First published in 2012.

This revised edition published in 2023 by Ryland Peters & Small 20–21 Jockey’s Fields London WC1R 4BW and 341 East 116th Street New York, NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text © Laura Washburn Hutton 2012, 2023 with the exception of the recipes on pages 46, 53, 67, 71, 86, 89, 94, 97, 105, 114 text © Maxine Clark 2012, 2023 Design and commissioned photography © Ryland Peters & Small 2012, 2023 See page 128 for additional image credits.

ISBN: 978-1-78879-545-6

EISBN: 978-1-78879-546-3

The authors’ moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

US Library of congress cataloging-in-publication data has been applied for.

Printed and bound in China

Notes

• Both British (Metric) and American (Imperial oz. plus US cup) measurements are included in these recipes for your convenience. Work with one set of measurements only and do not alternate between the two within a recipe.

• Read your pressure cooker manual before you begin cooking and always use according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Be aware that pressure cookers may vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer, and always check the recipe with your model’s directions for a recipe which uses the same or similar ingredients.

contents

Cooking Under Pressure

Soups and Stocks

Meat

Poultry and Seafood

Vegetarian Dishes

Sides

Desserts

Index

Cooking Under Pressure

Mention the words ‘pressure cooker’ and most people think of large, antiquated aluminium vessels and ceiling-splattering explosions. However, pressure cookers have come a long way since those days.

The first time I saw a pressure cooker, I was living in France as an exchange student. I stayed with several different families and each one approached cooking differently but they all used pressure cookers. I was curious and keen to learn about cooking, but as much as I liked spending time in the kitchen watching my French host family while they cooked, I was afraid of watching them use the pressure cooker. It was an unfamiliar sight and I found the hissing noises and steam quite frightening. I was always very keen to leave the kitchen when the pressure cooker came out.

It has taken me 30 years to overcome my fear and tackle pressure cooking, but I was determined to try and I am very pleased I did. Pressure cookers are remarkable cooking utensils and my one regret is that it has taken me so long to come round to using them.

Pressure cookers have evolved over time and today they are nothing like the steaming, hissing pots I remember from French kitchens past, though many of my fears were unfounded.

My family never had a pressure cooker when I was a child because I grew up in a warm climate and much of our home cooking was done on the outdoor gas barbecue. With this background, I was not an expert, or even a fan of pressure cooking when I started using one.

As a food writer, I am increasingly aware that while many people enjoy cooking, lack of time is often a problem. I thought it seemed important to find a way to lure time-pressured cooking enthusiasts back into the kitchen and the pressure cooker turned out to be the solution I was looking for.

At the cookery school where I work, we began using pressure cookers because they offer a way to speed up time-consuming tasks such as stewing meat and cooking with dried pulses, because it is often difficult to fit everything into a single class.

As I became accustomed to using pressure cookers for my work, I thought of ways to use them in my home kitchen and the idea of writing a collection of recipes specifically for the pressure cooker was born.

Pressure cookers save time, and we can all do with more of that. A pressure cooker is perhaps the most effective time-saving kitchen utensil you will ever own. It also offers a healthy way to prepare foods by retaining more nutrients thanks to shorter cooking times and it saves energy because the foods cook so quickly. There is no longer any excuse for not using one, and if I can manage it, anyone can.

A POTTED HISTORY

Domestic pressure cookers came into being as a time-saving device based on professional models, but they went out of fashion when demand could not keep up with supply and less reliable cookers came into the market. In North America, the decline came in the 1950s when the market was flooded with poorly produced pressure cookers which resulted in many kitchen disasters. Eventually, many home cooks fell out of love with pressure cookers due to their lack of reliability.

Deemed untrustworthy, pressure cookers were relegated to the backs of kitchen cupboards and other time saving devices and culinary equipment became more fashionable. Speed, however, was still of prime importance and frozen convenience foods and microwaves stepped into the place of the forgotten pressure cooker.

The new generation of pressure cookers are very easy to use and have much more effective safety features. While they have gone out of fashion in North American and some European kitchens, they have long been used in many other places, especially India and North Africa, where their fuel-efficiency and time-saving qualities are highly prized. They are also well suited to the traditional cuisines of these areas as pressure cookers work well for simmering stews and soups containing inexpensive cuts of meat or dried pulses.

In spite of the time-saving advantages, pressure cooking is not a good way to cook everything. A pressure cooker cooks some foods very well, and many things badly so it is important to understand which foods work best to make the most of your pressure cooker.

Pressure cookers are particularly good for tenderizing ingredients, such as dried pulses and cheaper, tough cuts of meat. They are also very good for even steam cooking, as they have the same effect as a bain marie (water bath), only with much shorter cooking times. Delicate ingredients which require a gentle touch or cook quickly, such as asparagus, are best kept far from a pressure cooker as the intense heat and high pressure can often do a lot more harm than good.

HOW PRESSURE COOKERS COOK