BS: pressure cookers - excess water

Subject: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 04 May 19 - 11:38 AM

i like pressure cookers, i am a late in life convert. i bought one off the shopping channel. the modern ones are great. my mum had one when i was a kid. it was like a steam train reaching the terminus in the kitchen. scary. i always had visions of the thing on top shooting off like a bullet and killing someone three houses away.

however
because the water doesn't escape, i find it hard to calculate how to stop the mix getting a bit watery. what do you do or add to stop the watery effect?

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Stanron
Date: 04 May 19 - 03:14 PM

I thought that you might have had more answers by now and my input would not be needed. However, I'm not a big user of conventional pressure cookers but I have used them in the past.

The answer to your question would depend on what you are cooking. Because you dont evaporate water away you don't need to add any more water than you would want to be be there at the end. Because the pressure allows the temperature to be a lot higher than 100%C, normal cooking times are reduced. Some pressure cookers had a perforated platform which allowed you to lift the food to be cooked above the water. So, what are you cooking that gets watery?

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 04 May 19 - 03:25 PM

The pressure cooker should come with a trivet to

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 04 May 19 - 03:47 PM

How did that happen? I was in the middle of typing when it the message posted all on it's own! I'll start again:

The pressure cooker should have a trivet to keep the food above the water level and separators, allowing different items to be cooked without getting mixed up. Normally, this would allow for 1/2 pint of water without getting the food soggy.

My favourite pressure cooker meal is the traditional dish from my home city of Liverpool, scouse. The meat, veg and potatoes are cooked directly in the water without the trivet or separators. For this, I reduce the water to 1/4 pint. After the pressure cooking stage, I continue to heat the scouse for a few minutes, stirring well until the potatoes fall and any remaining water is absorbed by the food.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 04 May 19 - 04:29 PM

The thing is, i think more moisture is getting in. I think maybe from the onions, which I suppose are mainly water.

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 May 19 - 06:58 AM

Yes, you need to adjust water when cooking watery items.... Keep at it until you get a feel for that..

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: BobL
Date: 05 May 19 - 02:37 PM

Actually you do lose water during the cooking, unless the design of pressure cookers has changed fundamentally from that of my 30-year-old Prestige, that is. It escapes as steam when you're up to pressure, hence the hissing noise from the spring- or weight-controlled valve.

Mind you, the only things I pressure cook are stock and pot roasts, where the liquid is an essential part of the recipe. For other stuff I would probably use the trivet as Doug suggests.

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 05 May 19 - 04:11 PM

I'm using this one


https://www.highstreettv.com/pressure-king-pro

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: leeneia
Date: 05 May 19 - 10:06 PM

Why not look up customer service for the manufacturer and see what they advise? They know the appliance best.

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: BobL
Date: 06 May 19 - 04:00 AM

Forgot to say - did your cooker come with an instruction/recipe booklet? Mine did, and it specifies a minimum amount of liquid (1/2 pint,or more if the cooking time is over 15 minutes). The main thing is that the cooker must never be allowed to boil dry, the consequences would be disastrous.

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 06 May 19 - 04:41 AM

Trial and error. Measure the water in:- a little less each time until you achieve the desired result.

"The main thing is that the cooker must never be allowed to boil dry, the consequences would be disastrous."

It's not a perfect world and, if you are anything like me, one day you may get it wrong let it boil dry in the middle the pressure cooking. You will smell it, believe me, so stay with it in the kitchen, especially if experimenting. It's a good meal wasted and a good deal of hard scrubbing to clean the burnt food off the pan but the cooker should be recoverable if you catch it as quick as you can. It will set your lower limit, so it's a result of sorts, though not one to be recommended.

"Actually you do lose water during the cooking, unless the design of pressure cookers has changed fundamentally from that of my 30-year-old Prestige, that is. It escapes as steam when you're up to pressure, hence the hissing noise from the spring- or weight-controlled valve."

The amount of water you lose will, of course, depend on how high the heat is once the cooker has come to pressure. It sounds as if your mum left hers turned up high. I turn mine down until it is only just hissing.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 06 May 19 - 04:58 AM

Big Al's mum that is, not BobL's.

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 06 May 19 - 05:57 AM

We got this cooker last year. I’ve not used it as much as hoped but a few thoughts.

There will always be some water loss to venting but I’d imagine that the electronic control in the modern electric ones does keep this to a minimum.

Veg are likely to cause a gain in water and I made a tasteless veg curry before finding this out. Two suggestions here are to look for recipes online aimed at these cookers. And again a combination of trial and error and experience. Be sure that you don’t go below the minimum level for your appliance.

Boiling dry isn’t a particular concern with a unit like ours. After cooking for a preset time, it will go into a “keep warm” mode. This drops the temperature to say 70 or 80% and should be OK for hours.

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 06 May 19 - 07:21 AM

Pressure King Pro recipes recommends differing amounts of liquid for the various dishes.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 06 May 19 - 08:31 AM

Nice find Doug. I'll try a couple of the veggie suitable ones from there with our Tefal.

--
Just noticed Doug's comment on scrubbing. Take care washing the bowl with these. Some, including ours, have a non stick coating.

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 06 May 19 - 11:03 AM

yeh the non stick coating lasted all of five minutes. I was in Works the other day and I was browsing and came across this book about slow cooker recipes. Very interesting!

I didn't buy the book, but I decided to do the veg late last night and use the unit as a slow cooker. Worked out really well.

I think maybe the answer might be to use the pressure cooker, then take the lid off and boil awway the excess water.

Or maybe slow cook, who knows?

Subject: RE: BS: pressure cookers - excess water
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 06 May 19 - 01:06 PM

Slow cooking on ours is done with the lid closed and locked so I'd have thought you'd have the same problem.

I suppose boiling off excess water may rescue a meal but I'd I've thought it better to aim for the right amount of water to start with.