Pressure Cooker

[TheCookie]

I think it depends on what you’re cooking. For chili I do what the cook-off/contest folks call dumps. Some chili powders & spices (cumin) burn easily, some mellow or lose strength over cooking time. Putting them in at intervals is more effective.

[ipsedixit]

@catholiver

You’re not the first one to mention seasoning as you go but I’ve never done that. I preseason and then season more if necessary at the end. What kind of seasoning are you talking about?

I mentioned it up above.

@ipsedixit

For things like stews and braises, as I mentioned up above, I like to season as I go. And for me there is no one set number of hours, or amount of seasonings that go into, for example, a braise. The type of meat, the various accoutrements, etc. all will vary the time and seasonings that are needed. Using a pressure cooker makes adjustments simply impossible. It’s like one shot to hit the gravitational orbit of Jupiter, or you go flailing into space. I prefer to be able to pilot my ship, with thrusters and and what-not. Plus, when I make a stew or a braise a good part of the reason for doing it is to make my kitchen smell like the primal, aromatic promise of a hearty comforting meal.

It’s critical to season as you go. In many ways it’s the essence of the difference between cooking and just making something to eat.

Take for example, a stew or chili. While whatever recipe or back-of-the-hand formula you use may call for X tablespoons of this, and Y teaspoons of that, your raw ingredients will invariably vary and differ each time you make the dish. Those tomatoes – are they as sweet or tart as when the recipe was written? What about those onions? More bitter? More sweet? Less liquid?

Seasoning once, cooking, and then eating is a bit like making instant ramen. Or more precisely treating cooking like you are making instant ramen.

You’re not only doing your food an injustice, but more importantly you’re doing the rapport that should be developed between you and your food a major disservice.

[TheCookie]

I love this

[catholiver]

@ipsedixit

In many ways it’s the essence of the difference between cooking and just making something to eat.

I guess I don’t cook then. My apologies to all my dinner guests

[TheCookie]

Oh Cat… You probably know most of your recipes so well there’s no need to season as you go.

[catholiver]

Aren’t you kind? Actually I’m a recipe follower. I figure that’s why they pay them the big bucks When the “big boys” (and girls) give me instructions I rarely find the dish off in flavor.

[TheCookie]

Yep… For certain dishes I follow the recipe to a tee.

[raytamsgv]

It depends. If you have a recipe that you are certain works every time, then you can put it all in and cook it. I do that with certain recipes that I’ve tested many times over. However, there are other recipes where it won’t work. Your mileage may vary.

[catholiver]

Rather than a recipe I follow certain authors, i.e., Batali, Hazan, Nguyen, Beard, Child, etc. BTW I’m speaking generally as this thread seems to be discussing both PCs and seasoning in general.

[frommtron]

Late to the party . . .
I personally do like pressure cookers, despite agreeing with many of the cons that @ipsedixit lists.

I use it mostly for stock and for beans.

I find the stock made in a PC to be far superior to stock made by simmering. In addition, there is no need to skimming. All of the impurities that would normally rise to the top and need to be skimmed coagulate around the bones, meat, and aromatics. I find clean up to be pretty much the same as that for the classic method. Other than the additional washing of the lid, I don’t get the clean up complaints. So superior results that are faster, in my experience.

I eat a lot of beans and the PC allows me to make a pot quickly. If I don’t pre-soak, I can still have a great pot of beans for dinner in less than an hour. Usually, 20 minutes at high pressure and then 20 minutes simmering without the lid. In terms of salt, its best to season late anyway, so seasoning can be done at the appropriate time with this method.

I find braising in a PC to be excellent. True, a traditional braise may beat out a PC. But I can serve a solid dish of say short ribs in a very reasonable amount of time that is maybe 90% as good as a traditional braise. On a weeknight that is an incredible gift. And again, seasoning as you go is best. But I tend to “finish” the dish with the lid off on the stove top for 15-20 minutes. I find that is enough time to adjust seasoning and to allow flavors to marry properly.

Less of a staple, but real polenta (not that quick cook stuff) can be made very quickly in the PC. The cleanup here is a real problem, but the flavor and texture are amazing. As good if not better than traditional method, but in a fraction of the time and with no stirring necessary.

I don’t like white rice in the PC, but whole grains do quite well. Farro, brown rice, freekeh, etc, come out quickly and cooked well.

If you have the time, traditional methods are really the tops. However, a stove top PC like the Kuhn-Rikon can, with the right technique, get you really very close that ideal dish in a fraction of the time. Haven’t so far been a fan of the electric cookers. Those seem fussy to me, but what do I know.

[Bookwich]

Making stocks is my favorite winter cooking. Everything you said.