Pressure Cooking Saves Time Energy
Using a pressure cooker not only is a faster and better way to cook the foods you love, it also saves energy. Pressure cooking saves energy and water because the amount of heat or electricity your stove uses is greatly reduced compared to baking or stove top cooking. In addition, pressure cooking is much safer and healthier than microwaving.
Below are some of your favorite foods and the cooking time needed for using a pressure cooker. You can see how significantly reduced the cooking times are as opposed to stove top cooking or baking. (All cooking times are calculated using 15psi)
• Asparagus – 1 to 2 minutes
• Green or Yellow Beans – 2 to 3 minutes
• Broccoli Flowerets – 1 minute
• Broccoli Stalks, large – 5 to 6 minutes
• Broccoli Stalks, small- 3 to 4 minutes
• Cabbage – 3 to 4 minutes
• Carrots, small – 1 minute
• Carrots, large – 4 minutes
• Corn - 1 minute
• Corn on the cob – 3 minutes
• Potatoes, whole, large – 5 to 7 minutes (WOW! Think of the time it takes to bake or even boil a potato.)
• Zucchini - 2 minutes
• Pinto Beans, soaked, using natural release - 1 to 3 minutes
• Beef pot roast, 1-1/2 lb to 2 lbs.-35 to 40 minutes
• Chicken breast, frozen, boneless, skinless – 7 to 10 minutes
• Chicken, whole 3 to 4 lb. – 18 to 25 minutes
As you can see, using a pressure cooker greatly reduces the cooking time! Not only that, your foods taste much better because the juices are retained and none of the vitamins and minerals are boiled or baked away and you can forget losing them in the microwave too.
You can find a plethora of pressure cooking cookbooks and recipes online, so be sure to use the cooking times given in the recipe for your particular food or meal.
Pressure Cooking Tips
Always pressure-cook meat or poultry with at least 1/2 cup of liquid (water, stock, etc.) in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Some pressure cookers may require more than 1/2 cup, so check your pressure cooker's instruction manual. If cooking time is between 5 and 10 minutes, use 1 cup of liquid. If cooking time is between 10 and 45 minutes, use 2 cups of liquid. Preserved or salted meats should be completely immersed in water.
Exact cooking times for meat and poultry vary according to the quality and quantity of meat or poultry being cooked. The denser the cut, the longer the cooking time should be.
For maximum flavor brown your meat or poultry on all sides in the pressure cooker. Use a vegetable oil, such as canola, before locking the lid to avoid burning and sticking.
- The cooking article, "Pressure Cooking Saves Time Energy" was added to Cooking with Arista on October 9, 2009 and has been viewed 110 times.