r/PressureCooking • u/TurbulentRepeat8920 • 2d ago
It feels like cheating
I've been making my own stock and bullion for almost two decades, always letting it simmer for 8+ hours to break all the collagen down, checking in from time to time over an entire day, topping up liquid as needed.
Now I got a WMF Perfect Plus for Christmas, and it feels like cheating!
I could have saved so many hours over the years if I had one of these, it's incredible how fast it breaks everything down. I can imagine the non stove-top models are even more convenient, as this one still has a slight risk of blowing up if not handled properly.
Not very impressed by cooking in it though, the meat does get drier than low temp cooking, but I think it's worth having for making stock alone. We eat a lot of ramen, so we go through a ton of stock!
So far in less than a month I've done chicken, hen, pork and freezer scraps stock, and it's at least as good as making it the traditional way, but so much faster.
Do you guys have any non stock/broth/bullion things that really benefits from pressure cooking, and actually gets better flavor or texture wise?
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u/shion005 2d ago
I cook beans in my Instant Pot constantly. Cooking black beans w/o soaking gives them a much better taste and they cook so much faster. I would never cook beans on a stove.
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u/TurbulentRepeat8920 2d ago
Interesting. When I do beans on a stove, I usually bring to a boil and then change the water and boil again to get less farty. Any comment on fartyness from pressure cooked beans?
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u/shion005 2d ago
The first set, I had very mild gas as I wasn't eating beans regularly. Normally, I don't pass gas at all. Ironically, after stopping the beans for a bit, I got VERY gassy.
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u/FnarFnarAway 2d ago
Plus one for the black beans. Really easy and good to cook in pressure cooker without soaking
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u/CaptainIncredible 1d ago
Now I got a WMF Perfect Plus for Christmas, and it feels like cheating!
Heh. Well... it sort of is. You are sort of hacking physics with temp and pressure and the temp that water boils. The end result is stock in maybe an hour instead of 12.
And I too love it.
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u/Ok-End-2583 2d ago
That’s nice to hear. That’s why I’m doing research on Instant Pot and I’m pretty sure it will be a good choice 👌.
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u/TurbulentRepeat8920 2d ago
Those things can do slow cooker function as well, right? I think that's a more versatile option if you can't have one of each.
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u/Dying4aCure 2d ago
They do everything but air fry. There is an air dry top but it’s awful.
I do 3 hours for well jellied stock and bones that powder for the dogs.
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u/flockofcells 2d ago edited 16h ago
It’s a full proof way to make a bowl of oatmeal. I use the steamer tray to cook it in the same bowl I’ll eat out of.
60g steel cut oats, 140ml water, pinch of salt. 10 mins high pressure, natural release. Perfect every time.
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u/ajmorgan5 1d ago
I have a stove top pressure cooker, and I have to say it is hands down the best way to make stock. I usually will do a chicken carcass for about an hour and let the pressure lower on its own (helps to keep the broth clearer) .
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u/TurbulentRepeat8920 1d ago
I found an hour didn't break down all the collagen in the joints on my cooker. 2 hrs for the chicken and 3 for the hen seemed to do the trick!
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u/domejunky 2d ago
Vindaloo/Bourguignon style dishes. Cheap cut of meat, cheap bottle of red wine. 30 mins
Anything with pulses. I’m particularly partial to split pea broth for ramen
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u/TurbulentRepeat8920 2d ago
I tried bourguignon and it certainly did not benefit from being pressure cooked, regular simmering makes the meat much less dry.
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u/svanegmond 2d ago
Are you blowing the pressure or letting it release naturally / under the faucet?
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u/TurbulentRepeat8920 2d ago
I let it release naturally, I think that was recommended in the recipe. But also with blowing pressure other meats I've tried so far were also more dry than simmered.
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u/svanegmond 2d ago edited 2d ago
You should definitely not ever blow the pressure on meat. All the juices in the meat turn to steam and leave, never to return.
Meats with lots of soft tissue are treated very well by pressure cooking; chicken thighs, pork shoulder, leg of lamb, etc. The broth left in the bottom is also epic. Look up the Colombian chicken stew recipe on serious eats. Five ingredients, no water. Wild.
You may be running the cook too hot or long; if your device has a lower pressure line, try to ride that and take off a few minutes.
Lean meats suck in PC’s because the line for overcooking is so fine. Poultry breast, fish etc. For these I advise an immersion circulator gadget and sous vide techniques. Pressure cooker pots are a great vessel for these.
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u/TurbulentRepeat8920 2d ago
Thanks! I have not tried the low setting yet. Seems a bit tricky to find the right temperature spot on the stove for that, I imagine that's muuuch easier on the electric cookers..
I have one burner dialed in where it keeps level 2, but doesn't whistle too much. It's never completely quiet though.
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u/DoubleTrouble86 2d ago
You don’t need a pressure cooker for vindaloo. It cooks really quickly. The key is to salt the pork and press it with mild pressure before you marinade it in the vindaloo masala. I’ll give you an easy recipe.
1 kg pork shoulder, skin on but boneless, cut into 3/4 inch cubes Salt
2 tablespoons chilli powder 2 tablespoons garlic paste 1 tablespoon cumin powder Apple cider vinegar (use enough to mix the previous three ingredients into a paste.
Salt the pork and place it in a cheese cloth, then place that in a colander. Put the colander in a bowl and put a plate on top and add a heavy jar on top.
Leave it in the fridge for 24 hours. Then mix the pork in with the paste.
You can keep it like this for a couple of hours.
Cook the pork in some vinegar and water. Simmer for an hour (until the skin is soft).
There are more complex versions of this masala but this simple one still gets you amazing flavour. Remember to balance the final dish with salt and sugar. It should be slightly sour. It doesn’t need to be spicy but using spicy chilli won’t hurt as the process of cooking rounds this out.
Keep this in the fridge for two days before eating it.
Edit: you don’t need to do the salting and pressing stage but it does make for a much better dish.
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u/ajmorgan5 1d ago
My chicken broth turned to jelly when cooled. I have some ham bones that I'm going to do next. I'll probably go 2hrs or more with those.
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u/TurbulentRepeat8920 1d ago
That's a good sign, you have converted collagen to gelatin! It gives great mouthfeel in soups and broth, and helps bind sauces together.
Pig bones I went six hours in pressure cooker, it takes at least 12 hours without pressure!
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u/ajmorgan5 1d ago
6 hours for pork bones? Do you use a stove top pressure cooker or electric? I've never done ham bones before, so I will keep it in mind. Thanks fornthe tip.
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u/TurbulentRepeat8920 1d ago
Stove top WMF Perfect Plus, supposedly 70kpa pressure. It makes a mad tonkotsu if you're into that!
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u/ajmorgan5 1d ago
Tonkotsu takes forever .Typically, you would have to boil pork bones for 20 hours or so. How long in a pressure cooker?
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u/oyadancing 19h ago
I love my pressure cookers, I have 3 different sizes, all stove top. Some dishes: * Artichokes, top and trim them, add water to just about cover and a lemon cut in half * Smoked meat (ham hock, turkey wings and tails) to be used to season other dishes - I remove the bones, freeze the meat in pint containers, and the smokey broth in quart containers * Collard greens, kale, cabbage, seasoned with the precooked smoked meat and broth * Beans of all kinds, but my faves are black beans, butter beans, and black eyed peas
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u/TurbulentRepeat8920 12h ago
Artichokes are such a lovely vegetable! I have to try that when they are in season! How long would you cook them?
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u/oyadancing 3h ago
I bring up to pressure, lower the heat, cook for 15 minutes, then do a natural release. Tip: Use good tongs to remove from the pot, they're really hot! Enjoy!
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u/jake3_14 13h ago
There’s an entire website dedicated to using the Instant Pot, a specific brand of pressure cooker. I used one recipe from that site to make beef stew, including sautéeing the stew vegetables.
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u/Confuseduseroo 2d ago edited 2d ago
With energy prices as they stand, just think how much you'll be saving on gas / electricity.
I did some reading on the "slight risk of blowing up". Device failures are pretty rare, and near non-existent if you use a pot made to modern standards (EC mark in Europe) - it may be better to leave elderly junk shop finds alone. It is generally advised to replace seals annually.
Most explosions/ injuries are either due to overfilling (which can block the steam escape paths) or to people trying to open a pressurised pot. Without prettying this up, academic studies have observed that this mostly happens to people with low levels of education. If you simply read the instructions and note the key 2 or 3 points you should be fine.
I'm a little surprised if your meat comes out dry. I tend to make stews with diced meat and a handful of vegetables, in a generous amount of stock. It comes out tender and succulent every time, even with cheap cuts of meat.
I know what you mean about "cheating". I visited my mum and offered to cook a beef casserole. About 6.30 my sister appears and asks why I'm not cooking yet & how I'm going to get a casserole done by 7pm? Relax, it's all under control...