Pressure Cookers. Anyone use one?

Sounds like a modern, but expensive, variation on straw box cooking.

Mike Harding

G'day Mike,
Where can I find out about this "straw box cooking"?

Pedro

To my considerable surprise Google returns zero hits for “straw box cooking”! However if you type *cooking "straw box"* (without the *) it will return a few hits – perhaps I’m older than I think – I sometimes wonder about writing a book on this stuff – anyway “straw box cooking” is pretty simple: find a good solid wooden box with a lid, pack it well with straw but leave a hole in the centre. Start a stew (or any long cooking meal) and cook it until hot (should only take a few minutes) then remove it from the heat and place it in the straw box. Leave for 8 or 10 hours then eat – simple :)

If you're really interested send an e-mail toand I'll try and find more sources (sauces :) for you.

Mike Harding

It seems the Explore Oz site snips e-mail addresses unless one is a member - which is a bit naughty when one considers this forum would be much the poorer in information without non members - anyway send an e-mail to me.

Mike Harding

mike_harding@fastmail.fm

Hmm, let me think about this....$2-$10 for a pressure cooker or $294 (including freight) for an overgrown thermos flask.

With the hay box method, which I also remember from Scouting days long past, you could bring it up to date and increase efficiency by just using a cardboard box and those polystyrene packing squiggly things . You could even get the best of both worlds - when in a hurry use your pressure cooker, when you have planned ahead start the meal in the pressure cooker, when it reraches pressure stick it in you new improved 21st Century 'poly box'.

Just remember that these devices are like computers - rubbish in, rubbish out.

Greydemon

Pressure cookers are not at much above atmospheric and have a simple rubber pressure relief valve in them which I recall blew on one occasion when my (very competent cook) Ex. wife did something silly with a stew. Took a while to get the marks off the ceiling - pressure cookers have been used perfectly safely for _years_ - now regret throwing ours out when we bought a microwave - remember when we didn't have microwave ovens...?

Mike Harding

mum used one till she died...never blew up..mum did once and while when dad came home pie-eyed from the pub!

the newer ones have so many safety points built in it could never blow up...unless one was so stupid to prevent the pressure from escaping....

If I recall 3 safety points to stop over pressure

I don't think that Lone Wolf, Motherhen and others have fully grafted the advantages of the pressure cooker. Some of you have made references to the old "soup-on-the-ceiling" past. But the new "second generation" pressure cookers are 100% safe. Some of these old pressure cookers found at garage sales are of the old generation with limited safety pressure release systems but most of them are still alright when used correctly. Comparing those pressure cookers to the new second generation pressure cookers is like comparing the horse and buggy to a modern day car.

The fact is that a pressure cooker is the ideal companion for camping or caravanning. Its your one-pot-does-all. As well as saving you 60-70% of the cooking time (and thus a substantial saving in gas), cooking with a pressure cooker is far more nutricious and flavoursom. It also enables you to use cheaper ingredients as it tenderises even the toughest of meats. The variety of dishes you can cook in a pressure cooker is almost unlimited but the pot can also serve as a simple saucepan or even a stockpot so there is not much need for any other pots. For these very same reasons, pressure cookers are extremely popular for boating and all my yachty friends swear by them. Its the best fuel saving and space saving appliance in the galley.

Have I convinced you yet. If not consult the experts, visit the pressure cooker specialists, the PRESSURE COOKER CENTRE, at:www.pressurecooker.com.au

Whilst they (the Pressure Cooker Centre) are in Western Australia, they dispatch pressure cookers & spares parts to all corners of the world and can be contacted via their website or by Toll Free phone (within Australia) on: [b]1800 266 069[/b]

I personnally own 4 pressure cookers so I've been dealing with the Pressure Cooker Centre for many years now and I can highly recommend them and their extremely friendly and helpful service. If you have just bought an old second hand pressure cooker at a garage sale for example, contact them for advice or spare parts.

But as for the pressure cooker, "Don't leave home without one"
in fact "don't leave a home without one".

I note that my email address was excluded as I'm not a member, so if anyone wants any additional info or tips on pressure cooking or recipes, contact me at: laudley@tribal.net.au

In fact, in addition to the PRESSURE COOKER CENTRE (www.pressurecooker.com.au), another excellent website for tips and recipes is: Miss Vickie's Recipes (www.missvickie.com)

Best regards, Firebird69

So Firebird69,

What's the scientific principle of these beasts! Can remember them as kid when my dad used to be very critical of these modern thingoes!!!

Assume you have higher temperature because of the increased pressure and juices etc remain in the environment.

Seems to be a different principle to the "straw-box" and opposite to one of my favorite cookers - "the slow cooker" Set up the casserole, or corned beef in the morning come home at night and enjoy.

Regards,

Well Ross, I'm not know for being brief but I'll try:
Water boils at 100 degC so in an open saucepan when you have the liquid boiling, you are cooking at 100 deg C. It can't get any hotter because the water transforms into steam. However in the pressure cooker, as the pressure rises so does the boiling point of water (or any other liquids for that matter). Therefore when a pressure cooker reaches 15 psi (pounds per square inch) pressure the boiling point of water is 121 deg C. Therefore the liquid and the steam are at that temperature which is the temperature you are now cooking at. Not only will you cook faster because of the higher temperature but steam is an excellent conductor of heat and transfers the heat to the food much faster. (To see the difference: you can put your hand in an oven at 121 deg C for a while without any effect but try putting your hand in steam at 121 deg C and see how quickly you get scolded).

Jiggle top pressure cookers work at a preset pressure determined by the weight of the jiggler, usually about 10 or 12 psi. Most of todays pressure cookers have 2 or 3 pressure settings to enable selection of the temperature required. The higher the pressure, the faster the cooking.
Most recipes in specialised cookbooks and on the websites give cooking times for 15 psi pressure (the standard), yet very few pressure cookers in Australia can reach that pressure. Different models = different pressures and they vary between say 10 psi for most "jiggle tops" to say 13 psi for some of the more modern cookers. Only a few reach 15psi, for example Evinox Rapid & Europe models (15.4 psi and best value for money), Silampos Superquick (16.8 psi), Fagor Duo (15 psi) and ye old Hawkins pressure cookers (15 psi).

Just a little note: 15 psi (ie. 121 deg C) is the pressure required for full sterilisation, so you not only cook faster but you also kill any harmful bacteria. (another advantage I forgot to meantion earlier).

Also when you cook quickly in steam, the food retains all the otherwise water soluable vitamins and minerals so the foods tastes better and it is healthier.

How's that ??

Where is your sense of equality Wombat? Why not:

"Looked what I have cooked for dinner darling!!!!!" or

"I have made dinner arent I a good boy"

ROFL

Carolyn

Glad that some useful discussion was generated. Sometimes I think of something like this and wonder if it might stimulate others.
I wonder how many of these really useful cooking devices there out there just being wasted, possibly just because people can't work out how they work.
Glad you found one!

Phil I

Depends on what you like to cook I guess Mike and for how many. Ebay has lots and I saw even a light 1.5 ltr for bush walkers. You have made me even happier with my $3 purchase, lol. Carolyn