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Grex > Kitchen > #191: The beauty of pressure cooking (and any other kitchenware that's going to be around for a while) | |
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jaklumen
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The beauty of pressure cooking (and any other kitchenware that's going to be around for a while)
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Apr 25 09:06 UTC 2002 |
I am so glad a friend of mine gave me a pressure cooker pot to use on
the stove. It is so quick and easy when you want to make mashed
potatoes or cook a variety of meats. As far as meat, I often buy
small whole chicken fryers (you can remove the skin to reduce fat), or
any cut of meat that will fit in it.
It's not the latest kitchen gizmo that will cut the fat (and man, I
would love to have a RonCo Showtime Rotisserie someday), and so you
have to hand cut the fat out, broil it, or any other traditional
method, but it's very handy and very useful.
So, first, commentary on pressure cookers?
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| 55 responses total. |
keesan
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response 1 of 55:
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Apr 25 14:59 UTC 2002 |
We use two of them to cook most meals - one for beans, one for grains or
potatoes. Bring to pressure (15 pounds) and turn off and wait.
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i
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response 2 of 55:
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Oct 8 00:28 UTC 2002 |
Iron. Cast iron. I've recently read part of a book propounding its
virtues, purchased a couple small pieces, and looked around a bit on
the web. One thing's clear - there's no agreement on how to season or
clean cast iron. Or whether (WHEN well-seasoned) acidic foods can be
cooked in it. "Don't store food in it" does seem agreed upon. What
sorts of experience & wisdom with cast iron do folks around here have?
Is it worth the bother compared to stainless steel clad, non-stick and
other modern pan technologies?
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scott
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response 3 of 55:
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Oct 8 00:37 UTC 2002 |
Properly seasoning cast iron seems to require cooking a whole lot of greasy
meat on a regular basis. :( I mostly use my cast iron skillet for camping,
when that's the sort of food I'm cooking often.
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keesan
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response 4 of 55:
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Oct 8 02:08 UTC 2002 |
Cast iron works well for cooking eggs, and also for pancakes made from
chickpea flour, and probably other things that would stick to stainless steel.
Nothing seems to stick to the blackened iron. I don't wash the pans unless
I have used liquid in them. I never cooked meat in them. We take the
lightest possible pans camping (on our bikes).
We recently acquired an electric teflon-coated pressure cooker.
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glenda
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response 5 of 55:
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Oct 8 03:24 UTC 2002 |
If you don't cook greasy food in them keeping them seasoned is just a matter
of wiping them occasionally with an oily papertowel when they are good and
hot. Don't use soap on them, once they are properly seasoned rinsing with
HOT water is all that should be needed, with maybe a touch of a wet papertowel
for anything that doesn't come loose.
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gelinas
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response 6 of 55:
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Oct 8 03:53 UTC 2002 |
Right now, the only thing I cook in cast iron is cornbread. I used to cook
eggs in cast iron skillets, but that was when I was growing up. I think I'll
try the skillet for eggs again, though; no amount of olive oil keeps them from
sticking to the stainless steel skillet.
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cmcgee
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response 7 of 55:
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Oct 8 14:55 UTC 2002 |
Cast iron holds heat, and thus I find myself using much lower heating levels,
and turning off the heat slightly before the food is done.
I use it for tomato-based foods but expect the food to darken a bit, and the
seasoning to be eaten away. It is wonderful for stir-fries, baking cornbread,
pineapplle upsidedown cake, and baked beans.
I have a single-use pan for omlets, and an array of frying pans, griddles,
and dutch ovens. Even a 1 qt size pot that works well for a single person.
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cmcgee
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response 8 of 55:
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Oct 8 14:58 UTC 2002 |
BTW, when I purchase a new pan, I take it to the local welding shop and have
the inside bottom machined smooth. The ridges and casting marks, I've found,
make it hard to clean and keep seasoned. Otherwise, you have to accumulated
old food and rancid grease until it fills in the ridges and smooths out the
spots that "catch" food. Too many burn spots, and too much time spent
pampering a "tool".
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