Pressure Cookers: More than “Meats” the Eye

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, June 16th, 2011

 

So I have a confession. And I suspect I’m not the only one. While I was utterly appreciative of all the generous wedding gifts I received (almost three years ago), there are a few that have been . . . well, underutilized, despite my good intentions. What immediately comes to mind is a gift that is currently living in a large box under my bar counter. My husband and I eye it every once in a while, guiltily; and although we do quite a lot of cooking at home, we just haven’t mustered up the courage to tackle the pressure cooker.

The pressure cooker. It is, after all, an ideal gift. It is a time-saver, right? I mean, we use our slow cooker quite a lot (especially during the winter), which, despite the name, is another great time-saving device. But I don’t know what it is about the pressure cooker that is, well, slightly intimidating or inacessible to today’s generation of home cooks.

I’ve seen them on Iron Chef battles. I have also seen them on Top Chef, where they have caused some “technical issues” during heated Elimination Challenges. I’m thinking specifically of Season 6′s Eli Kirshtein and the exploding pressure cooker.

So NPR’s recent post on the pressure cooker’s comeback made me take heart. The pressure cooker enjoyed tremendous popularity in the American household during World War II as more and more women entered the workforce. The principle behind the cooker is simple. Increased pressure raises the boiling point of water from 212 Fahrenheit to about 242 Fahrenheit, which allows food to cook at a higher temperature, thus reducing the total cooking time.

Pressure cookers may have lost ground to other time-savers such as frozen dinners and microwaves in the States, but they remain “a staple across Europe [especially France], North Africa, South Asia and South America” because they economically and efficiently ”tenderize cheaper, tougher cuts of meat.” Jacques Pepin even includes pressure cooker recipes (Beef Short Rib, Mushroom, and Potato Stew; and Veal Roast) in his  book “Fast Food My Way” (Houghton Mifflin, 240 pp). And I suspect they are still popular in certain portions of the United States (e.g., Aspen) where water boils at a lower temperature, therefore not allowing food to cook at a temperature high enough to break down the fibers or cellulose in meats and beans.

What is more surprising is that you can do more with this kitchen gadget than meets (or meats) the eye. A pressure cooker is not just for stews, and beans, and beef. It can be employed to make desserts such as cheesecakes and bread puddings — an idea that particularly appeals to me as a pastry student. Click here for Lorna Sass’s recipe for Chocolate Kahlua Bread Pudding. And watch Volt’s Bryan Voltaggio in action with his pressure cooker as he makes a signature cheesecake. (I have to admit, I particulary like hearing him say “dulce de leche” and “maltodextrin.”)

-Johnisha M. Levi

Tags: Aspen, boiling point, bread pudding, Bryan Voltaggio, cheese cake, cheesecake, chocolate, cooking time, dessert, dining, dulce de leche, Eli Kirshstein, Fast Food My Way, gift, Gut Check, how to, Jacques Pepin, Johnisha M. Levi, kahlua, Lorna Sass, maltodextrin, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, NPR, Pressure Cooker, tagine, The Pressured Cook, time saver, Top Chef, Voltaggio Brothers, wedding, wedding gift, wedding registry, white chocolate