Joy of Pressure Cooking
Eating a variety of foods from all food groups can help you get the nutrients your body needs. Colorful, deeply colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
How would you like to enjoy delicious, nutritious food, while saving money and the planet at the same time? Tall bill but all attainable by using a pressure cooker. Now I can hear you thinking to yourself, “Gosh, those things are dangerous. I remember my Mama used to have one – it was big and bulky and we lived in fear of making holes in the kitchen ceiling or putting out an eye. And besides, now we have microwave ovens.” If you can put your pressure cooker phobia aside for a moment, hear me out with a brief primer praising the joys, benefits, and safety of the modern pressure cooker.
Safety first! The newer “second generation” pressure cooker has a stationary pressure regulator instead of the removable jiggle top plus some backup mechanisms to prevent the buildup of excess pressure. Stainless steel construction with a copper or triple clad base for even cooking, is most durable and easiest to clean. You can get a 4 or 6 quart size for $50-70, and it will last a lifetime.
So why “bother” getting into pressure cooking? It's faster, more fuel efficient, cooler, cleaner, food tastes better and is more nutritious, and best of all, it opens up entire new worlds of culinary delight. To see why this is all true it is helpful to understand the basic principle: because it is a sealed vessel, as pressure increases, the boiling point of water increases. This allows the liquid to rise to a higher temperature before boiling so the food cooks up to 70% quicker. Less cooking time means less use of gas or electricity, less heating up your kitchen, less global warming, lower fuel costs, and more time for other things in your life. Pressure cooking is also more hygienic because the higher temperature kills more germs, the sealed pot lets nothing in, and food and grease don’t splatter your kitchen walls. Many pressure cooker dishes are one pot meals which further cuts down on cleanup time. The pressure cooker itself cleans up very easily. The tight lid is secure for transporting food to potlucks without messing up the car as well as cooking on a boat or RV.
But the biggest “selling point” for me is the taste and nutrition. My initial motivation was a desire to eat more beans – high in protein and fiber, virtually fat free, and packed with vitamins and minerals, without resorting to high sodium canned varieties. In this respect, the pressure cooker has opened up a whole new world of incredible dining. Our family regularly enjoys dishes with names like Thai Chickpea Curry, New Mexican Pinto Bean Soup and as well as the more mundane sounding but equally delicious Red Beans and Rice. The subtitle of the cookbook I‘ve been using (“Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure” by Lorna Sass) is “two hour taste in 10 minutes” and how true it is! Pressure cooking beautifully melds foods and spices to produce gourmet level cuisine. The rapid, sealed in cooking preserves vitamins and food quality that are often lost with conventional methods. Pressure cooking, of course, works for all foods: vegetables, meats or grains – decreases cooking time, increases flavor and also reduces the need for added fats and salt. Most pressure cookers come with directions and recipes to demystify usage and start you on the way to enjoying the joy of pressure cooking. Enjoy!
Want more information on healthy eating? Visit http://www.nutrition.va.gov/ or http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
