Safety Precautions
Never overfill your pressure cooker. It should not be filled more than halfway with solid food or more than two-thirds of the way with liquid. At the same time, you will usually need at least two cups of liquid to build up sufficient pressure. Inspect the gasket and valves often, and replace the gasket once a year.
General Tips
For extra flavor, brown meats and vegetables before adding them to the pressure cooker. Also, add ingredients at different times, depending on how quickly they cook. Because foods cook very quickly in a pressure cooker, they need to be inserted at different times to retain their textures. For the same reason, it is important to underestimate rather than overestimate cooking times so as not to overcook the food. A few extra minutes in a pressure cooker can change a perfect dish to a wilted, texture-less mush.
Cleaning and Storage
Always remove and wash the valve and gasket after using. Do not, however, immerse the lid in water when washing. Store the pressure cooker with the lid unlocked. Otherwise, it can damage the gasket or exert pressure on the lid so that it sticks shut.
Adapting Recipes
Your pressure cooker is best used for foods that require long cooking times, such as soups, stews, and sauces. Reduce the amount of liquid that the original recipe calls for, as very little liquid escapes as steam in a pressure cooker. At the same time, make sure to use enough liquid to produce steam (about two cups). Because food cooks very quickly in a pressure cooker, assume that it should take about a third of the time that the original recipe calls for.
Tags: pressure cooker, cooking times, different times, more than, original recipe
