WooHoo! Corned Beef in the Pressure Cooker...

[TreasonousBastard]

Test driving my new Cuisinart electric pressure cooker, I threw in a 1.5 pound corned beef, with the packet.

The book suggested 25 minutes per pound, so after 40 minutes it came out like butter-- perfect for slicing, sandwiches, hash, or anything else I might want to do with what I didn't wolf down at the first sitting. The fatcap just peeled right off, too.

It did come out too salty, though, which doesn't seem so much a problem with the pressure cooking as it is with the excessive salting of the meat at the processor. Next time I'll work on desalting before cooking.

The cooker, btw, remained cool on the outside whilst cooking Much cooler than a crockpot and infinitely cooler than a stovetop pot, so with summer coming it won't be heating up the kitchen-- a serious bonus around here.

[Lucinda]

1. I'm still a little skittish about pressure cooker cooking, so I will

be looking forward to your future experiments. Maybe they will give me a little courage to try one!

My fear is totally irrational...my mother cooked with one for years. I think her warnings about staying away from the pot when I was little may be at the root of my problem Perhaps the safety lesson was learned too well?

[maddezmom]

2. I feel the same way about them. I can hear the hiss and spitting of the little round thing turning

on the top in my head as I type. But I do remember the food was always delicious.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Yeah, I remember...

that round gadget that ominously hissed and clattered on the old ones. That's long gone and the new valves are silent-- so silent you wonder if they are working at all until you see the small whiffs of steam coming out.

[Jazzgirl]

7. The hissing and spitting mean its safe.

It's when it's still cooking and you no longer hear that hissing that can be scary. I've never had it happen in almost 40 years unless I turned it down too low. They don't blow up anymore with all the safety features.

[maddezmom]

8. thanks for that, it's been years since I've seen or heard one in use.

Checked out a few today online. The electric ones look great but don't really want to spend the money. Saw the one I grew up with... it's been updated a bit.



But I'm thinking of trying this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Futura-Hawkins-Anodized-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B000GR7776/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332373689&sr=8-1-spell

[Lucinda]

11. Yep. Same memories of both the sound and the results!

My moms was a pale avocado green. I can still see it.
I did a quick search and found some on ebay. Small world!

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Near as I can tell, the horror stories about...

exploding pressure cookers came largely from cheap post-war cookers that weren't made very well.

And, of course, people being just plain stupid or not knowing how to use them. Steam vents can clog so you have to keep them clean, and you do have to regulate the heat on stovetop cookers. Overloading them is a serious problem, too, since mealy grains or fat can bubble up and clog the vents.

But, modern ones have at least two safety valves that work well if you don't overload the cooker and clog them. Electric ones add a thermostat that shuts them down if they overheat.

[Lucinda]

10. I suppose that I'll get the courage to give it a try one of these days

I know it's not a rational fear. Good to hear about the design advancements though. That helps!

[cbayer]

6. This is exactly what happened to me.

Although my mother used one, she was terrified of it and subsequently terrified me.

[Lucinda]

9. My mom used hers often, but it was a looong time ago

you'd think that i would be over the skittishness by now! But, uhm, no!

[cbayer]

5. Congratulations! Sounds like it came out much better than mine.

I've got to get me a pressure cooker. I can't use an electric one, but being able to reduce stovetop cooking time would be a real win here.