Pressure Cooking

My husband and I are now empty nesters, so I've invested in a smaller pressure cooker, since we are no longer creating large family meals. My other pressure cooker was just too large to easily create a meal for just the two of us. The pressure cooker that I chose is a 4 quart pressure cooker made by Presto.

I love using this new cooker! I have been able to make mashed potatoes in a little over 10 minutes with it.  And I’m talking about REAL mashed potatoes not those overly bland instant kind out of a cardboard box, which the box is probably more flavorful. 

I am also enjoying that when I cook vegetables in my new cooker they retain more of their nutrients. Whereas over boiling or microwaving those nutritious pieces of produce in the can cause them to lose our necessary vitamins.

My husband's most enjoyed dinner has always been Pot Roast, it is so easy to just pop everything into the pressure cooker and have it ready almost instantly (especially when compared to a slow cooker).

My favorite brand of kitchen appliance is Presto.  I have multiple Presto products in my kitchen, but my current fave pick is definitely this new pressure cooker.

Information on the Presto 4 qt. that I purchased (for those of you interested):

Size: The 4 qt. aluminum is 7 5/8” x 5” and the 4 qt. stainless steel is 8 3/8” x 4”1/4 on the inside. Overall the 4 qt. aluminum is 14 ½” long and 7 1/5” tall.  The 4 qt. stainless steel is 17” long and 6 5/8” tall. This doesn’t really make much difference to me, but it is different.

If you don’t know how to pressure cook you can read the instructions included with the cooker.  It really is so simple. There is also a book that you may want to purchase: Presto Pressure Cooker Cookbook.

The Presto pressure cookers come with an instruction manual that includes several delicious recipes. With such an affordable price, these cookers are great house warming gifts, mother’s day gifts, or birthday gifts.

(I found this information on www.pressurecooker-outlet.com.  This is also the site I use to order replacement parts for my cookers and canners from time to time. But I don’t have to buy parts that often.)

My thoughts on the Six Quart Presto Pressure Cookers

Learning to use a pressure cooker is a skill. However you can learn this skill fairly easily if you have the time and the care to learn. You should definitely follow instructions on how to use a pressure cooker to the letter. There have been several accidents when using a pressure cooker but it is usually because the person using it was not doing it correctly or they had faulty equipment. You should have a pressure gauge tested every year to make sure it is in proper working order. You can do so at your local extension office. If you buy a cooker at a flea market or yard sale take you should definitely have it tested before using.

Presto makes two different types of six quart pressure cookers, the 6 quart aluminum pressure cooker and the 6 quart stainless pressure cooker. They are all very nice, the only difference is the type of metal it is made of. These two non-electric presto cookers are made for use on glass/ceramic and flat top and regular stoves, the aluminum model number is 01264. The stainless steel is 01362. The 6 quart pressure cookers are made only to cook in, NOT to be used as a canner to preserve foods. Both of these Presto Pressure Cooker have a twelve year limited manufacturer’s warranty on them. All of these cookers do have replacement parts available if something happens to the original; just make sure you know the correct model number of your particular pressure cooker. The aluminum and the stainless steel come with a recipe/instruction booklet, and a canning rack. They all hold six quarts of liquid (that's the reason it is called a six quart pressure cooker). Each of the pressure cookers come with a regulator weight set at 15 psi. The regulator maintains the proper cooking pressure automatically. These are supposed to cook food 3 to 10 times faster than other food preparation methods. The website www.pressurecooker-outlet.com carries both models of the 6 quart pressure cookers, the aluminum is $28.99 and the stainless steel is $51.95. They have several different recipes in the instructions booklets. Here is one for example:

Vanilla Custard 2 cups skim milk 4 egg whites, slightly beaten 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla nutmeg 1 1/2 cups water

Combine milk, egg whites, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Pour into individual custard cups. Sprinkle nutmeg on custards. Cover each cup firmly with aluminum foil. Pour water into cooker. Place custard cups on rack in cooker. Close cover securely. Place pressure regulator on vent pipe and cook 5 minutes with pressure regulator rocking slowly. Cool cooker at once. Chill custard.

Nutrition information per serving 84 calories, 0g fat, 1mg cholesterol

Variation: chocolate custard Heat skim milk with 3 tablespoons cocoa. Follow vanilla custard directions.

Variation: coconut custard Sprinkle 1 tablespoon coconut over top of each vanilla custard before cooking. Great selection of Pressure Cooker Parts. We carry parts for Presto, Mirro, All American, Chef's Design, Sears, Maid of Honor & Maitre's.

A Quick Look at a Pressure Cooker

As a working mom I find it extremely difficult to have a good home cooked meal for my family every night. There are too many places to be and not enough time to do it all. I started trying to make my meals on Sunday nights and freezing everything, but I would rather be spending time with my family instead of cooking five meals! So I am left with the dilemma, “How do I cook a delicious, nutritious meal fast?” I found my answer, pressure cooking!

Did you know you can use a pressure cooker to make mashed potatoes in about 10 minutes? Green beans are cooked in no time and maintain their nutrients. As easy as it is to make a pot roast in a slow cooker and leave it all day it is even easier to throw everything in the pressure cooker, lock the lid and let it cook for about 15 minutes and my family has a delicious pot roast with potatoes, carrots and onions!

My favorite brand of kitchen appliances is Presto. I have multiple Presto products in my kitchen, but my favorite is the Presto Pressure Cooker. Presto offers a 4 qt., 6 qt., and 8 qt. cooker in both aluminum and stainless steel. I use several different sizes of cookers, but my favorite is the 4 quart aluminum. I realize it is the smallest, but I can use multiple cookers at the same time if I use the smaller ones. I have an aluminum one and a stainless steel one. There aren’t too many differences, but here is what I have found to be different.

Size The 4 qt. aluminum is 7 5/8” x 5” and the 4 qt. stainless steel is 8 3/8” x 4”1/4 on the inside. Overall the 4 qt. aluminum is 14 ½” long and 7 1/5” tall. The 4 qt. stainless steel is 17” long and 6 5/8” tall. This doesn’t really make much difference to me, but it is different. The biggest difference, to me, is the price. The 4 qt. aluminum cooker retails for an average of around $26.00 and the 4 qt. stainless steel retails for about $20 more at $46.99. The aluminum pot is cheaper because of the metal it is made of. As you know stainless steel will keep its shine longer and will probably last longer over time. I have both, but I use my stainless steel cooker more.

If you don’t know how to pressure cook you can read the instructions included with the cooker. It really is easy to do. The Presto cookers come with an instruction manual that includes recipes. With such an affordable price these cookers are great house warming gifts, Christmas gifts, or mother’s day gifts.

A word of warning, these cookers are not tested to do pressure canning. While it is possible to do pressure canning it is not recommended. Always use caution when preserving food. If the can does not maintain it’s seal then do not consume that product.

(I found this information on Pressure Cooker Outlet. This is also the site I use to order replacement parts for my cookers from time to time. I don’t have to buy parts often.) Great selection of Pressure Cooker Parts. We carry parts for Presto, Mirro, All American, Chef's Design, Sears, Maid of Honor & Maitre's.

Where to find Pressure Canner Parts on the Internet

The other day I pulled my old pressure cooker out with the intention of cooking some beans for supper. I hadn't used the cooker in awhile and soon realized that the gasket was in dire need of replacement.

I hopped on the computer and began a search for a replacement gasket. I soon found the gasket I needed and called the company. I was treated very well by their customer service and in just a few days my new gasket arrived. It worked perfectly and now my family is happily eating foods cooked in our pressure cooker.

After talking with the ladies at church it soon became apparent that others were in need of pressure cooker parts for their old pressure cookers and canners so I told them about the good service and friendly experience I had with buying my gasket online. I also want to tell my readers about the company I purchased my gasket from. I highly recommend this company so let's get into the details about them.

The company's name is Pressure Cooker Outlet and they sell replacement parts for pressure cookers and canners. (They also sell many replacement parts for other Presto products) The brands that they have parts for are Presto, Mirro Matic, Wearever, All American, Sears/Maid of Honor, Chef's Design, Maitres, and two Kitchen Pro models. They sell body and cover handles, gaskets(sealing rings), air vents(over pressure plugs), vent tubes, regulator weights (pressure indicators), cooking and canning racks, interlock assemblies, recipe and instruction booklets, steam gauges, interlock assembly gaskets, steam gauge adapters, Bakelite knobs, All American bolts and pins, lid handles, steamer baskets, colander covers, glass covers, cookbooks, and lift pin assemblies.

Pressure Cooker Outlet carries presto pressure cooker parts along with pressure cooker parts for 245 different Presto models, 93 different Mirro Matic models, 75 different Sears/Maid of Honor models, the 910, 915, 921, 925, 930, 941, and #7 All American models, 4.2, 6, 8, 12, and 22 quart models for Maitres, 4.8, 6.4, 9, and 10.9 quart models of Chef's Design, and like I said earlier 2 models of Kitchen Pro. Prices on the parts vary by brand. The models they carry parts for date back as far as 30 to 50 years. All of the parts are easy to replace, you just put them in the same way you took the others out.

To know which part you need for your particular pressure cooker or canner you need to get the model number off of it, or if it is unreadable you need to have the specific part number for the part that you need, otherwise there is really no way to tell what you will need because there are so many different parts for the same brand.

To find your model number on the Presto Pressure Canner brand you will need to look in three places, one: the tag on the top of the lid, two: the bottom of the pot, or three: on the side of the pot underneath the handle. There will be the number 409A on the bottom of the Presto brand but this is NOT the model number, it is a listed number and it is on almost all of the Presto brand pressure cookers and canners. To find the model number on the Mirro Matic brand you will just need to look on the bottom of the pot, and for some parts you need to know the month and year that it was manufactured, this will be a one or a two digit number on top of a two digit number, this is also found on the bottom of the pot and it is usually to the right of the model number. On the Mirro Matic brand there is also 284H on the bottom of the pot, this is NOT the model number, it is on most all of the Mirro pressure cookers and canners and it is a listed number just like on the Presto. The model number for the Sears/Maid of Honor is usually on the bottom, but it can also be on the side of the pot underneath the handle. For the All American the model number will either be on the bottom of the pot or on a tag on the lid. To find the model number on the Wearever and the Kitchen Pro you will need to look on the bottom of the pot. For the Chef's Design and Maitres you will not need to find the model number you just need to know what quart size it is, this is usually stamped on the bottom of the pot, if you cant find it or it has rubbed off all you need to do is get a quart jar and fill it with water and see how many times it takes to fill your pot all the way to the top rim. Great selection of Pressure Cooker Parts. We carry parts for Presto, Mirro, All American, Chef's Design, Sears, Maid of Honor & Maitre's.

Roasting Hotdogs & Marshmallows

I'm hoping this coming Friday turns out pretty. My oldest girl has prom that day and since she's getting to go off and have fun I told my elementary child that we would have fun too. I promised him that we would have a small bonfire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows and that he could invite his best friend and his 1st cousin over. They are going to "camp out" in the living room since the nights are still a bit too chilly to get the tent out in the back yard.

For those of you who have never built a bonfire I'll let you know how it is done. Now I'm lucky that I already have a fire-pit and don't have to dig one but your first step is to do just that.

1. Create a fire pit. Dig a hole away from trees, buildings, and anything else that could go up in flames. You also might want to be sure you are in an area that allows bonfires. I don't want any of you to get into trouble.
2. When stacking the wood think of those little log cabin sets and build it up with a hole in the center of your square wood stack.
3. Fill the center with kindling, newspaper, cardboard, wood chips, etc.
4. Using either matches or one of those long lighters (which I love) light different points in the center. You will probably need to blow into the center of the logs to get the fire to burn hotter, just don't get too close and burn your face or anything.
5. Now you will carefully add more kindling and stuff until the logs finally catch fire, just don't add stuff to quickly or you will cover your flames and put them out and have to start all over again. 

Once your fire is going good you can get out the hot dog and marshmallow sticks and stick your food of choice on the end and roast away.

Also, keep a bucket or two of water near your bonfire in case the wind picks up or anything. Better safe than sorry. My husband keeps two water buckets and a fire extinguisher nearby. He is always prepared for anything. LOL.

Gardening Gloves

Now you may wonder how this relates to my cooking blog...and I am going to try to justify posting this here...
Gardening gloves are essential to my cooking blog because I use them to garden, I garden so that I have fresh veggies to cook with, when I cook with those fresh veggies this summer and fall I will be blogging about my experiences. Ha! I was able to justify. So without further ado, my gardening glove info for you:

I was preparing to order some gardening gloves online and I was not sure how to determine what size glove I should order. So I emailed the company that I was debating ordering from and they sent me some information. And since gardening season is upon us I thought I would share this information for anyone else who is having trouble figuring out what size garden glove they would need to order:

How to find out what glove size you are:

All you need to do is measure the circumference of the palm part of your hand and the length of the middle finger to the bottom of the palm.  You will want to use the dominant hand, dominant meaning the hand that you write with.  Pick the one that is the largest, if they are different, and that is the glove size that you will need.

Women Glove Sizes

XS       6 inches
S          6 ½ inches
M         7 inches
L          7 ½ inches
XL       8 inches

Unisex Glove Sizes

XXS                6 ½ inches
XS                   7 inches
S                      7 ½ inches
M                     8 ½ inches
L                      9 inches
XL                   9 ½ inches
XXL                10 inches
XXXL             11 inches

Men Glove Sizes

XS       7 inches
S          7 ½ to 8 inches
M         8 ½ to 9 inches
L          9 ½ to 10 inches
XL       10 ½ to 11 inches
XXL    11 ½ to 12 inches

Cast Iron Seasoning

Believe it or not, but seasoning your cast iron pots and pans before using them is a very important step to take in caring for cast iron cookware.

For a new piece of cast iron cookware you will need to season it prior to using it, this will not only protect your pans in years to come but it will make the food taste much better and keep your cast iron from becoming damaged.

Seasoning is the process of applying a thin coat of cooking oil to the entire surface of your cookware, then baking it to create a non-stick finish.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Wash the cookware inside and out with a mild detergent and stiff brush.

• Rinse and dry the cookware thoroughly.

• Spread or spray a thin coat of your choice of oil, ranging from vegetable oil to pork fat, over the entire surface inside and out including the handles.

• Lower both of your oven racks to the two positions.
• Line the lower rack with foil will help to catch the drippings.

• Place the cookware upside down and bake for one hour. Turn off the oven and leave the cookware in the oven until cool.

• Repeating the process will darken the cookware even more.

• Use will also result in the iron darkening to a smooth black finish this is what you want your cookware to eventually look like.

• Never use harsh detergents on your cookware it will cause the seasoning to be removed use a brush or salt to remove stuck on items.

If you do not cook meat on this item, you may have to re-spray cooking oil after washing to help pan darken.