I asked on the yummy food forum about help with a pressure cooker. No replies yet. It was given to me by my MIL. Its a German one with German writing which I don't understand. I don't have the manual. I've never used one before and I was hoping someone could give me some general instructions.
Thanks!!
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Laurie, wife to Sean, Mom to 2 boys and 2girls!
My dh, on his way up
Mount Washington in New Hampshire (summer vacation), and my kitty, up in a tree.
I don't know where you live but if there is a county extension agent's office, you can take it there to make sure that all the pieces are there and they are safe to use. Look in the phone book under county government or do a web search of the same name. On the about site there is also a bunch of info, I don't have a link but a search should get that for you. I wuldn't use it untill you are sure that it is safe to use. HTH Sarah
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General instructions (if they are the same across the board) are put the food in with a measured amount of water, cook at high pressure for an amount of time, releace the pressure carfully, and then you are done. A really good cookbook that talks about what to do, amounts of water and time to add to each item, and many other great instructions is Lorna Sass "Cooking Under Pressure".
Here is the link to the post in which we got lots of good advice about pressure cooking:
Thanks for your replies. The cooker is the German brand WMF Perfect. I think it really is the top of the line. Its an older model, though. It appears to have all its parts. The only concern I have is that it does not have anything that shows what the pressure is while cooking. It has a part on the lid that turns that I think may have been the indicator, but it has no words on it. So if I don't know the pressure, is it a bit risky to mess with it?
It has a rubber gasket. Do the newer (or better) types not have this? Is there any concern with that?
Thanks again!! I'm going to look in the library and online for Lorna Sass's books and see if that will help.
I know that some pressure Canners don't have a gasket but I am not sure about pressure Cookers. If it is old you need to make sure that it is still flexible enough to fit in the cooker--sometimes rubber crumbles as it ages. I don't think it matters (with cooking, canning is a whole 'nother story" if you can tell the pressure. the only thing that I could see happening is that your food might be over or under done. HTH Sarah
Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
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Mine is only two years old and it does not have a gage. The older ones have weights that tell you what the pressure will stay at... but for cooking mostly you just need to gage when it is "high" pressure (which is 10 lbs and 240 degrees). That is all you need for the Lorna Sass books. You figure it out pretty easily after a couple times. Mine does have the rubber gasket... just not the wobble top. It is totally different. I wish that I could find a picture of what I was talking about in that other post. Anyway... I agree with Sarah... if the rubber is not cracked it should be fine. If you start having leaks make sure you get a new gasket... I am sure it will be fine. Just try it out carefully and you should be plesantly surprised!
My MIL made sure the rubber gasket was in good shape before she gave it to me. She also has extras.
I asked her about the cooker and she explained that the thing that I mentioned rises up to show rings which indicate how much pressure there is. (I'm sure that made no sense when I wrote it, but suffice it to say, I figured out how to use it!)
Sooooo, I made a pot of pintos with it today! They are awesome! I cooked them for 7 minutes, but they weren't done, so I cooked them for about 3 minutes more. How long do you all cook beans for usually?
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For unsoaked pintos I do 30 minutes at pressure followed by a natural release (vs. a quick cool down or pressure release). They turn out perfect every time. It takes me about 2 hours total time but I am usually home anyway. If you soak the beans and do a quick release you can make them much faster.
I have a newer one, it doesn't have any sort of gague. There's a little thing that sits on top and rocks when the pressure is up. Sounds like a little choo choo
Thanks for the book recommendation. I've been searching thrift shops for something like that, and I've come up empty. Tons of microwave cookbooks, though I've mostly used the little booklet that came with the pressure cooker. I haven't looked around online much, but I'm sure you can find the basics out there.
I've mostly used the little booklet that came with the pressure cooker. I haven't looked around online much, but I'm sure you can find the basics out there.
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