My new Acquisitiion

Did I mention that I went out searchng for an electric digital pressue cooker? No? I didn't even know I wanted one but here is what happened.

 I fell asleep infront of the the TV last week and I must have rolled over on the clicker, when I woke up the shopping channel was on. they were hawking electric pressure cookers. Now, it has been a long time since Grannie gave me my old stove top model pressure cooker. After we tamed it down from exploding onto the ceiling time and again we got the knack and I used it hard for several decades. When it became impossible to find the rubber gasket for it, I retired it to become a popcorn pot.

I wanted that electric digital pressure cooker. I really wanted it. According to the SC it would completely take over my kitchen and we would want for no other appliance. Cooking would once again become a breeze, no less a pleasure.

They are hard to find. I looked in all the major department stores and most of the kitchen stores. I googled it and found that Williams Sonoma had one. In the states.
I happened to be at the mall one day so I stopped in to the store, I was prepared for a big laugh at the price. Usually the price of stuff in WS is so ridiculously inflated that it makes for great entertainment. What?  $1200 for a toaster? Who buys this stuff?
But my luck was in and the pressure cooker that I wanted (6 quarts) was on sale for $149. Hmm I said, I saw it on the internet .ca for $99. They couldn't have been more accommodating and it wasn't 10 minutes later that I was struggling down the mall escalator with my new pot.

I initiated it the first night with some stewing beef that I picked up at the Better Butcher. Brown the meat, pour in some wine, season, add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, chop up some mirepoix and toss it in. Pressure cook for 30 minutes. Let off the steam and toss in green beans and carrots and pressure for 6 minutes. Wow!!!!!
Dellicious.
I just made the best stew I have made in many years, in my wee little temporary kitchen with my new pot.
I was off and running.

Next night it was pot roast. My favorite easy meal. Again browning the meat and adding mirepoix, a cup of red wine, reduce for a few minutes and then add some beef broth to the pot.
Pressure cook for 45 minutes. Let the steam ease on its own, probably another 15 minutes or so. In that time you can prepare your potatos and carrots. Once the meat it done, remove it from the pot, add the carrots and steam for 3 minutes, let off the steam and add the potatos and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the vegetables and stir in on the browning cycle, a mixture of COLD water, maybe 2/3 cup and a couple of heaping table spoons of flour. This will thicken the broth in the pot and become a decious gravy.

Another wonderful 'no work' way to make a fabulous pot roast dinner is this; after you have browned the roast, sprinkle a package of dried onion soup mix over the roast then pour in a can of mushroom soup. Pour over 1 soup can of water and pressure cook for 45 minutes. You will probably never use another recipe again and your family will eat the whole roast in one go.

I made a BBQ'd chicken for easter Sunday dinner and after we picked it over I pressure cooked it for 10 minutes. The meat fell off the bones when it cooled down enough for me to open it. Oh did I mention another think I really like about this appliance? You can set it and go out. Yes, you can go out. No longer do you need to dial 911 when using a pressure cooker. When the food is done, it slowly reduces the steam and then sits on stay warm until you open it up.
Tonight we had just the best chicken vegetable soup.
So, when you don't have an oven or at least a cook top and you can't eat junk food at the fast food joints, this is by far the best choice.
More recipes coming.