Ok. I bought a pressure cooker. Now what?
I guess at some point, I should cook something in it.
I mainly bought it to shave some time off cooking dried beans, but apparently these things do lots of stuff.
What's good in a pressure cooker?
= new reply since forum marked as read
Well, that's where I keep mine. I think.
Kidding. They are a real time saver once you get used to them. And the flavors will surprise you.
thats why I try and run outside real quick like
but, admittedly, I am also not very smart.
Keep on keeping on!
Five months of the year running outside isn't an option. Astronauts take less time and effort suiting up
(starts at 5:13)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbtku1_the-house-of-tomorrow_fun
Kinks and Yardbirds were two of the hallmarks of my youth. 
used to make vegetable stew in hers. I can still picture her approaching it cautiously, as if it were a live rattlesnake, while wearing big oven mitts and holding a long barbeque fork with which to carefully lift off the pressure knob - or whatever she did to it.
I've never wanted a pressure cooker because I was taught to fear them. 
I used it once. I could't figure out how long to cook the recipe and didn't know when it was done. 
until the thing on the top broke. So then we just used it for popcorn. 
I used to be scared of pressure cookers, too, but I'm not anymore. Just a little experimenting with them got rid of the fear. I think that if you make a few dishes, you'll find how versatile and quick they are. I have learned to love mine. We have two, one smaller one and then a large one.
You might check your library's website for pressure cooker cookbooks. The illustrations and pictures are very helpful. Here are two I have:
America's Test Kitchen: 100 Foolproof Recipes that will Change the Way You Cook.
I got my pork vindaloo recipe from this cookbook, which I will reproduce below. I've talked endlessly about this wonderful recipe on the "What's for Dinner" thread. I've made this numerous times. Here is just an idea of the recipes from one section, the soups, chilis, and soups section:
Farmhouse Chicken Noodle Soup
Farmhouse Chicken and Rice Soup
Old-Fashioned Beef and Vegetable Soup
Old-Fashioned Beef and Barley Soup
15-Bean Soup with Sausage
Hearty Beef Stew
Chipotle Pork and Hominy Stew
Rustic French Pork and White Bean Stew
Pork Vindaloo
Chickpea and Artichoke Tagine
Chickpea Tagine with Dried Apricots and Honey
Chickpea Tagine with Cauliflower and Almonds
Easy Weeknight Chili
Easy Weeknight Chili with Moroccan Spices and Chickpeas
Texas-Style Chili con Carne
Fiery Texas-Style Chili con Carne
And here's the fabulous pork vindaloo recipe:
Pork Vindaloo
SERVES: 6
PRESSURE LEVEL: HIGH
RELEASE: NATURAL
TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 1½ HOURS
TIME UNDER PRESSURE: 30 MINUTES
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS This classic Indian dish with chunks of pork gently and slowly simmered in a rich, warmly spiced tomato sauce becomes a weeknight option with the help of the pressure cooker. As with our other pressure-cooker pork stews, we chose boneless pork butt for our vindaloo since it has enough fat to keep the meat tender and juicy during cooking. A hefty amount of spice is key in this dish, but using too much produced a chalky texture. We found that blooming a moderate amount of mustard seeds, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and cloves in oil with our aromatics allowed us to maximize each spice’s flavor and aroma while avoiding grittiness in the final dish. Some sugar and red wine vinegar, stirred in with the tomatoes before adding the pork and locking on the lid, balanced the flavors. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. See the Test Kitchen Tip and Troubleshooting that follows the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
3
pounds boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (click here)
Salt and pepper
2
tablespoons vegetable oil
3
onions, chopped fine
8
garlic cloves, minced
1
tablespoon mustard seeds
1
tablespoon paprika
1
teaspoon ground cumin
¼
teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅛
teaspoon ground cloves
¼
cup all-purpose flour
1
cup low-sodium chicken broth
1
(14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2
tablespoons red wine vinegar
1
teaspoon sugar
¼
cup minced fresh cilantro
1. BUILD FLAVOR: Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of meat on all sides, about 8 minutes; transfer to bowl.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, mustard seeds, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and cloves and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, browned pork with any accumulated juices, and remaining pork.
3. HIGH PRESSURE FOR 30 MINUTES: Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
4. NATURALLY RELEASE PRESSURE: Remove pot from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
5. BEFORE SERVING: Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of soup. Stir in cilantro, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Another cookbook I have is The Everything Pressure Cooker Cookbook. Here's an example from their table of contents:
Sun-Dried Tomato Soup
Chicken-Vegetable Soup
Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup
Portuguese Kale Soup
Beef-Vegetable Soup
Split Pea Soup
Lentil Soup
Scotch Broth
Fresh Tomato Soup
Mushroom-Barley Soup
Cuban Black Bean Soup
Minestrone
Greek Meatball Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Turkey Drumsticks and Vegetable Soup
Fresh Tomato Soup
This soup celebrates the simple, yet wondrous, summery taste of fresh vine-ripened tomatoes. You can add sautéed onion or shallots and herbs if you wish. Choose the dairy product that you add to the soup according to your dietary needs — and according to how rich you like your soup.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4
8 medium fresh tomatoes
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup water
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Wash, peel, seed, and dice the tomatoes. Add them and any tomato juice you can retain to the pressure cooker. Stir in the salt and water. Lock the lid into place. Place the pressure cooker over medium heat and bring to low pressure; maintain pressure for 2 minutes. Quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Stir the baking soda into the tomato mixture. Once it's stopped bubbling and foaming, stir in your choice of milk, half-and-half, or cream. Cook and stir for several minutes or until the soup is brought to temperature.
Post back and let us know how you're doing with your new pressure cooker!
Cher
But after more than a few decades, the bugs have pretty well been worked out. They're used quite extensively around the world.
The scare stories are pretty much little more than urban legends; many times removed tales that rarely bear much in the line of information or fact.
Go over to the Cooking and Baking forum and ask for suggestions.
Anything can be dangerous if misused. READ THE DIRECTIONS. Take it as a challenge, rather than reason to fear.
Don't act like a Republican, living in constant fear. Be a Progressive and try something new.
THERE IS SATIRE AND SNARK IN THE ABOVE. Along with buried truth. It's up to you to figure out which is which.
I am highlighting, copying and pasting your recipe into an email to myself. I love Jambalaya and have made it a few times in a regular pot but I ALWAYS burn the rice on the bottom - not like black and charcoaly enough to ruin the dish but but enough to annoy the crap out of me.
THANK YOU! 
he should be okay. 
Par-boiling in advance is optional, but it's the smoky grilling and the grill char that really makes ribs.
In my humble, humble unbiased opinion, of course.
My nefarious partner in the venture had a grandfather from Kentucky who had given him his secret family recipes. We only made the "Corn Lickr" and were doing quite well till the Sheriff sent a Deputy and told us to shut it down. 
My partner and I both having just turned 17 decided it was better to comply with a benevolent Sheriff and go about our juvenile ways.
