{"id":676,"date":"2017-06-01T09:00:56","date_gmt":"2017-06-01T16:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/?p=676"},"modified":"2017-05-30T12:39:26","modified_gmt":"2017-05-30T19:39:26","slug":"confession-of-a-pressure-cooking-convert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/2017\/06\/01\/confession-of-a-pressure-cooking-convert\/","title":{"rendered":"Confession of a Pressure Cooking Convert"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>[et_pb_section bb_built=\u201d1\u2033 admin_label=\u201dsection\u201d][et_pb_row admin_label=\u201dRow\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033][et_pb_code admin_label=\u201dCode: Google Analytics\u201d global_module=\u201d25375\u2033 saved_tabs=\u201dall\u201d]<p><script><br \/> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i[\u2018GoogleAnalyticsObject\u2019]=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
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Without obsession, life is nothing. \u00a0~~John Waters<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I had always enjoyed cooking, especially when I was learning from my parents.\u00a0 It was like a science class with a little intuition thrown in.\u00a0 Experimenting in the kitchen with my parents giving direction, I learned the \u201csecret sauce\u201d from my dad and \u201cthe soup\u201d from my mother. Of course, there were other things, but those are the two staples that stick with me the most.<\/p>\n

The one thing my father would never let me try was the pressure cooker. It was the unique Mad Scientist piece of equipment in the kitchen. It had a wire loop that essentially locked the handles together, or prevented them from flying apart, is probably more accurate.\u00a0 It also had this circular gauge on top that would whistle as the pressure rose and jiggle when it was \u201chappy.\u201d\u00a0 It looked very much like this one.\u00a0 Who knows? \u00a0It could very well have been this model.<\/p>\n

\"pressure-cooker-jiggly-gop\"<\/p>\n

Steam would escape, and condensation would collect around that jiggling gauge on the lid.\u00a0 When it reached that mysterious time of \u201clong enough,\u201d my father would turn off the heat and carefully carry the pot to the kitchen sink where he proceeded to turn on the cold water and let it pour over the pot.\u00a0 Steam rose, and a hissing noise would slowly go silent.\u00a0 Apparently, that meant it was okay to open the lid.<\/p>\n

I think everything that came out of that pot turned into something we all loved.\u00a0 Well, most everything.\u00a0 I was never a big fan of Menudo, and he used the pressure cooker to soften\u00a0the tripe and pig\u2019s feet before he tossed them in with all the other ingredients. \u00a0He\u2019d probably be sad that I still don\u2019t like Menudo much.<\/p>\n

As it turned out, I never did get to try out that pot. \u00a0As my siblings grew into adults and my parents eventually stopped cooking for a family of six, they rarely used the pressure cooker.\u00a0 I think it finally met its end at a yard sale or with the scrap metal man unless it\u2019s hiding in one of my siblings\u2019 kitchens.<\/p>\n

Today, pressure cooking is all the rage. In particular, electric pressure cookers are taking the country by storm.\u00a0 Last year, on Amazon\u2019s big Prime Day where they had discounts and sales all over their site, over 200,000 of one favorite pressure cooker brand sold.\u00a0 Again\u2026that was one day!\u00a0 I have to confess.\u00a0 I bought one of these same items from Amazon a few months before that historic Prime Day and had been posting my experiments on Facebook.\u00a0 My brain still equates its use to science experiments.<\/p>\n

When I bought it, I didn\u2019t have an exact plan for its use in my kitchen. Several of my friends reassured me it was easy to use and I\u2019d cook everything in it.\u00a0 They were mostly right.\u00a0 It is easy to use.\u00a0 I mean incredibly easy to use. Because of their design, most electric models are more than just pressure cookers.\u00a0 You can use them as rice cookers, saut\u00e9 pans, and slow cookers.\u00a0 You just eliminated a few appliances in your kitchen. If you\u2019re familiar with slow cookers, you will adapt to the electric pressure cooker without a hitch. In most instances, you use the same \u201cset it and forget it\u201d mentality.<\/p>\n

Some of my favorites are stuffed bell pepper soup, beef stew, Chile Verde, steamed beets, salmon steaks or scallops (from the frozen state), and (my favorite) boiled eggs in 5 minutes with no cracked shells and every single egg peels without a problem.\u00a0 It\u2019s my favorite because I eat a lot of eggs on my \u201chealthy me\u201d journey.\u00a0 If you like to make deviled eggs for summer barbecues, they are perfect for that.\u00a0 You\u2019ll never waste an egg again. I \u201cboil\u201d a dozen at a time and just keep them in the fridge for the week.\u00a0 They\u2019re perfect for a snack, or even as a good protein addition to my lunch salad.\u00a0 For dinner, you could easily crack a couple and chop them for egg salad.\u00a0 On a romaine leaf with sliced tomatoes, you\u2019ve got a great wrap.<\/p>\n

Again, I have to confess.\u00a0 I did fail at one experiment. I had some frozen chicken thighs and a fridge full of veggies.\u00a0 So I thought that\u2019s a perfect dinner.\u00a0 I cooked the chicken a few minutes and then tossed the veggies in and cooked it a bit more. The beautiful braised chicken with veggies I envisioned became a chicken and vegetable soup.\u00a0 Except you couldn\u2019t find any veggies.\u00a0 They disintegrated into the broth, and the chicken nearly did the same.\u00a0 It was a tad alarming but funny at the same time.\u00a0 It was still tasty, had the same nutrients, just little chew.\u00a0 HAHAHA Sorry, I crack myself up.<\/p>\n

As you can probably tell, I love my pressure cooker.\u00a0 I think my parents would approve of the product.\u00a0 In fact, I think the only thing my father would change about it would be to make it bigger.\u00a0 I can hear him extolling the virtues of being able to cook for 10-12 people at a time in a single pot.\u00a0 I can even see my mother shaking her head behind him.<\/p>\n

Let me explain why I think it\u2019s a great thing to have in your kitchen. Since our goal is to be healthier selves, it is a great tool to help us get there.\u00a0 Since it cooks with pressure and, at a minimum, 1 cup of water, you can cook meals without frying or saut\u00e9ing.\u00a0 You can significantly cut down the time it takes to get dinner on the table.\u00a0 I\u2019ve done stew that tasted like it simmered all day in the slow cooker, but only took 90 minutes from the moment I started chopping ingredients to the time I lifted the lid.\u00a0 So, essentially, you can cook a little healthier with a bit more speed Did mention you can cook meats straight from the freezer?\u00a0 Well, you can.<\/p>\n

In the video below is the model I bought. It so happens to be the same one that Amazon sold tons of last year.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t get the yogurt model since I have no desire to make yogurt.<\/p>\n