I thought about electric as that way you can go out and leave it but wonder if that would be safe leaving it on the stovetop? Pro's and cons of each would be great?
Also which brand to buy? I would rather pay extra and get something that will last.
Any hints/tips would be appreciated :)
Best answer:
Answer by cjvw622
Google consumer reports or just "top rated pressure cookers". You'll find a lot more well-researched info that way. Also you can try America's Test Kitchen because they do a great job of rating equipment. However, they also want you to join the site so not everything is free.
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Stovetop for sure. The purpose of a pressure cooker is to raise the boiling point of water past 212 degrees so you can cook things seriously fast.
ReplyDeleteIf you want something you can go out and leave, get a crock pot
I love my electric pressure cooker. It's easy to control the temperatures and you can move it to a convenient spot in the kitchen or elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Electric pressure cookers are all over the map on their "standard" pressure (mostly lower, thusly taking longer to cook and regular pressure cooker temperatures and though some are below the "standard" . Why is this a problem? Well most cookbooks and "legit" online recipes are written for pressure cookers at 75-80 kPa - this means that all of the timing suggested in their recipes will be wrong. BTW, American recipes are written for a specifically designed-model for the U.S.A that reaches 100kPa so the timing for those should be shortened (I note cooking times on my website in ranges so that readers from all over the world can use my recipes).
ReplyDeleteThe biggest disadvantage of electrics is the inability to do a quick (20 second) open that stops the pressure cooking immediately (for steaming veggies and fish). This opening method also prevents you from having to release vapor through the valve - an important consideration when cooking with foamy foods such as grains, beans, milk or alcohol (for example a 100% alcohol braise or poach) - which can either shoot out super-heated liquid or block the valve when you are releasing pressure through the valve.
Another drawback to electrics, is that they all have an interior insert with a non-stick coating (except for Instapot which has a stainless steel insert)- which is tricky for using accessories and delicate (if the coating is shot the whole pressure cooker is shot and you have to get a new insert) - I recommend using silicone steamer baskets and forms for these types of pressure cookers.
Even the "natural" open, letting heat/pressure come down naturally, is a bit of a bother because it takes 30 min in electrics vs. 10 on stovetop - because of the obvious inability to remove the heat coil to let the pan cool.
Of course, their advantage is that they automatically regulate the heat and pressure and start counting the cooking time from the time it reaches pressure. Heat regulation on stovetops pressure cookers turns off some people because there is a learning curve and a little bit of fiddling involved until you discover how low the heat can go without loosing pressure - usually by two recipes in, you've got it!
Stovetop pressure cookers are starting to take care of this with Langostina's new Articook and Fissler's Vitavit Edition - which feature a little timer you can attach to the pressure cooker which begins counting down the cooking time from the time it reaches pressure --and beeps to let you know pressure has been reached.
Some, electrics also have a convenient delay-start timer. You can put in all of the ingredients for your soup or (veggie) chili a few hours ahead and have it ready when you come home. However- do not do this with any meat products. They should not be sitting around at room temperature waiting to be cooked!!!
Best of luck, and come visit my website, below, after you purchase your pressure cooker -- I have a recipe series for beginners to teach common pressure cooker usage (instructions also included for electrics, if you choose to go that route)!
If you have any more questions, feel free to post them on my facebook wall, too!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001574720940&v=wall
Ciao,
Laura
http://www.hippressurecooking.com
making pressure cooking hip, one recipe at a time!
My tip would be to hire a person with lots of time on their hands. They could also clean up after those boys of yours, wash their clothes, clean the toilet you know, stuff that's a bit ikky. This would free up your time for relaxing with the girls, drinking champers and eating pate!
ReplyDeleteStovetop models are far more versatile, controllable, and lasting. I use my stovetop pressure cooker pots instead of regular pots, since they have thick bases for even heat distribution for non-pressure cooking. I don't even own regular pots in the sizes of my pressure cookers, since I stopped using the old non-pressure pots, so that saves me storage space. There's no electronics or electric heat element to break in stovetop model, which makes the electric models into useless scrap metal when they stop working. The stovetop models last forever with regular gasket replacements. I use the quick release method all the time to add veggies or other quick cooking foods to stews/soups, so any pressure cooker that doesn't allow quick release is just getting in my way rather than helping. I can also get good stovetop models much cheaper than the electrics. Why would I pay more for a worse pressure cooker? I think most electric models are bought by newbies who are buying their first pressure cooker and who don't really know how they work, and they want the pressure cooker to cook automatically. They are "pressure cookers for dummies."
ReplyDelete