Cooked With A Pressure Cooker
“Pressure pushing down on me, pressing down on you no man ask for.”
--Queen & David Bowie, Under Pressure
I had heard of a pressure cooker before but did not know exactly what they did or how they worked, but when J said she was interested in buying one, I thought I should try my hand at making something in one.
By sealing air or liquid from coming in or out of it, a pressure cooker is capable of rising to a higher temperature before boiling. Trapped steam increases the internal pressure and temperature, and this is maintained for the entire cooking time.
We got an electric pressure cooker from Amazon. I unboxed it and set it up in the kitchen.
I decided to make some carnitas, but I had a bit of prep work to do before I got started. I cut some onions and peppers. I wore gloves because the last time I cut peppers, I burned my eyes when I took my contacts out.
Then I cubed the pork.
The pressure cooker we got has a browning setting which I used to sear the pork a little before putting in the rest of the ingredients. I thought it was awesome this electric pressure cooker has a browning setting, so I didn’t have to do this on the stove.
Then I put in beef broth and spices.
After a little stir, I followed that up with the onions and peppers.
I set the pressure cooker for 50 minutes and waited. (I watched the Giants beat the Cardinals in extra innings.)
After the timer went off, I used the quick release knob on the pressure cooker to release the pressure inside.
It hissed for awhile. After that, I pulled the lid off and was greeted with a sweet smell and some good looking pork.
After J shredded it up, it looked so awesome.
I thought the meat was tender and delicious, and the spice from the peppers was subtle and not overpowering. Besides the prep work, which always takes me a decent amount of time, I thought the pressure cooker was easy to use, and it’s a lot faster than a slow cooker. (Haha!)
The only problem I had was the first time I tried to run it, I didn’t know what position it was supposed to be in. I didn’t have a good seal, and it didn’t heat up the right way. Steam was escaping all over the place. This was totally user error.
I’d have to use it a few more times to have a better sense of whether or not I enjoy cooking this way, but it shows lots of promise. I liked that I didn’t have to turn on the stove, and I love me some juicy shredded meat!
Related Item:
Nesco PC6-25P 6-Quart Electric Programmable Pressure Cooker, Stainless Steel
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