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.

New Dietary Guidelines

So this past month they released the 2010 dietary guidelines...a little late it seems for 2010's guidelines, but oh well.  Since the guidelines are in a 112 page .pdf I don't think I will share the entire thing with you, however you can view this document for yourself at: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/PolicyDoc/PolicyDoc.pdf

To keep myself on track with the dietary guidelines I am going to be cooking more from scratch, using fresh vegetables, fruit, grains, and cutting out salt, (there are so many other spices that you can replace salt with that adds much richer flavors to your dishes).  I think that while I am trying to stay on track, be healthy, and lose weight that my Salad Shooter will definitely be put to more use.  I think my pressure cooker will also be used more frequently, as it cooks in a way that allows the food to retain more of its nutrients than most other cooking methods. 

What are you doing to stay healthy this year?

Breakfast Griddle

Have you ever woke up in the morning and your stomach is starving for an old fashioned country breakfast? The special kind of breakfast only grandma would make for her grandchildren? We would always leave Granny’s with a full, satisfied belly. I can remember waking up on Saturday morning, no vacuum cleaner running at 8:00am or lights that would be flickering on and off with someone telling you its time to get up! I knew if I spent the night at Granny’s house I would not be bothered. She would let me sleep in as long as I wanted to; even tell noon if I chose to. When I was ready to wake up, Granny would always ask, “Honey what would you like for breakfast?” She gave me choices, an egg biscuit, waffles, or pancakes. Thinking back to those days, I never had a thought of how long it took Granny to make breakfast until I was older. Some mornings it seemed to take longer to fix breakfast. Especially if you are a working mother and you don’t have a whole lot of time to spare. If you are always digging in your cabinets to find two or three different pans to cook your breakfast meal in, wouldn’t it be easier to have just one griddle to cook all of your breakfast foods in? Doesn’t that make more sense and less time trying to dig for all those pans? I have been busy looking for the right appliance to cook all of my breakfast foods in and my research tells me the Presto griddle is the perfect solution, because there are so many to choose from. Whether you have a small or large family, there is at least one of these griddles that would work best for you and your family.

. 1. If you have a small family, then the Presto Liddle Griddle is perfect for a family of two which makes one or two servings.

2. If your family is medium size 3 or 4 family members you need to consider the Presto Cool Touch Tilt n Drain, this one is square which helps to holds more eggs, pancakes, bacon and sandwiches. Also has a cool touch base around the front and back sides which provides your family with added safety. With a master heat control you can maintain a steady cooking temperature automatically.

3. Next there’s a Presto Cool Touch Foldaway Griddle that has a 14-15 inch grilling surface and this one is also square to hold more eggs, pancakes etc. It folds up for compact storage.

4. Or if you are a sandwich Queen or King you would love the Big Cool touch Griddle that is 10 ½ by 20 ½ cooking surface ,which is not only great for cooking eggs, pancakes, or bacon but you can use it for making sandwiches.

5. Last there is the Presto Professional Griddle that has an extra large nonstick cooking surface, and is very easy to clean. There’s a slide out tray which catches your drippings and is less messy.

Always remember, if you are purchasing a Presto Griddle, please read your instruction manual thoroughly and get familiar with your new appliance.

Some Safety Tips to remember are: . · Read all instructions · Always remember to keep hot appliances out of reach around children · Do not immerse your control cord or plug in water · Do not use these appliance’s outdoors

All of these griddles are easy to clean and maintain, they conduct heat more evenly, easy to store, and you can cook two or three different foods all at the same time. No fuss and no messy pans to have to clean up. Now you can fix a down home country breakfast for your kids and grandchildren. I found the best selection and prices on Presto Griddles at www.pressurecooker-outlet.com

Pecan Nutcracker makes great Pie!

Valentine’s day at our place simply is not complete without homemade pecan pie for dessert.  What is even better than that?  Knowing those pecans were freshly cracked and shelled that day!  This seems like a lot of work especially when you have 9 people coming over, a casserole in the oven, a house to clean and a lot of other things to do.

I have found that the only way to get the job complete is the Duke Easy Pecan Nut Cracker.  It was even featured on the Martha Stewart Show!  Sometimes it is called the Reed Rocket Pecan Nut Cracker, but it is the same product.  I love my pecan nut cracker because it is easy to use, really affordable and effective.  I don't have to worry about my klutzy self squishing my fingers either. It is easily adjustable, but you can never completely close it.  The pecan is never crushed because you can adjust how much pressure you put on the lever.  This pecan cracker will eliminate your need for a nut pick, making the process of cracking pecans faster. You can use this nut cracker on most other nuts such as large English walnut or an almond.  It is made from a sturdy metal construction that comes already mounted to a hardwood board.  It is easy to assemble, just turn the handle clockwise until tight and it is ready for unlimited use.  It measures 16 inches in length including the handle so it can be easily stored away in a cabinet or drawer. 

I’ve included a homemade pecan pie recipe featuring freshly shelled pecans.  Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your family!

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) pie shell, pre-baked 10-12 minutes

¾ cup white sugar

¾ cup light corn syrup

3 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

1 cup freshly chopped pecans

Pre-Baked Pie Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a fork, prick pastry piecrust shell in several places. Place foil over pie crust, allowing the pie crust edges to be exposed.  Fill the crust with dried beans or rice to keep the pie pastry flat while baking.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, remove and cool.

Preparation:

1.         Combine sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla and salt in a large bowl

2.         Add pecans and coat nuts well

3.         Pour pecan pie filling into pie shell

4.         Bake 30 minutes, check to see if piecrust is getting too brown, if so cover edges with foil.  Bake another 15 minutes

5.         Do not over bake. Remove when pie filling is firm around edges, slightly soft but set in the center

6.         Serve warm with vanilla ice cream

Pressure Cooker Custard Recipe

Pressure cooking 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 three different types of six quart pressure cookers, the 6 quart aluminum, the 6 quart stainless steel, and the 6 quart stainless steel electric.  They are all very nice, the first two the only difference is the type of metal it is made of. The two non-electric pressure 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 electric pressure cookers model number is 02160.  The 6 quart pressure cookers are made only to cook in, NOT to be used as a canner to preserve foods.  All three of these models 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 and the electric pressure cooker comes with the 64 page recipe and instruction booklet.  They all three 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.  Pressurecooker-outlet.com carries all three models of the 6 quart pressure cookers, the aluminum is $29.99, the stainless steel is $51.95, and the electric is $69.99 on this site. 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.

Also if you already have a pressure cooker, but just need some cooker parts, they are fairly easy to find online.

It's a Salad Shooter!

My husband told me a joke last night.

"What do you call a vegetarian who has diarrhea?"

"I don't know, what do you call a vegetarian with diarrhea?"

and he said "A Salad Shooter!"

Well that was a funny joke, but pretty gross; he told me that joke because we were actually talking about a Presto Salad Shooter, the small kitchen appliances. Well, anyway, I bought one the other day it was the regular one not the professional, (don't need a large commercial type for just us two).  It is a pretty neat device and it wasn't too expensive either, just a little over thirty dollars. I also bought an extra retaining ring, the medium shred cone, fine shred cone, ripple slice cone (to make our food prettier), the super shred cone, the funnel guide, and the slicing cone. I wanted to have all the cones so I would have a variety to choose from if I got bored with one. It shreds vegetables, fruits, and cheese to make salads, soups, pizzas, tacos, desserts, and so much more. It is very easy to use and to clean just wipe the base and the other parts can go in the dishwasher. It doesn’t take much room at all to store it, and... it has a one year limited manufacturer’s warranty and boy am I glad because I have the worst track record with everything.  Oh and lucky for me it comes with an instruction book that has a long list of foods and it tells whether to use a shredding cone or a slicing cone (I am just now really getting interested in cooking so I am learning everything I can), the instruction book obviously tells how to put it together and take it apart.  Word to the wise, make sure that the fruits and vegetables are fresh and firm.  The book says that, but I just had to try a tomato in it and it made a big ole juicy mess. 

I think tonight I am going to make a Caesar Salad for my husband so he will be a salad shooter...

Here is the recipe I am going to use:  Caesar Salad

1/4 cup (.75 ounce) BUITONI Refrigerated Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground mustard

8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

4 slices (about 1-inch-thick each) French bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes and toasted

   1. Combine cheese, mayonnaise, water, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and mustard in small bowl; mix until creamy.

   2. Combine lettuce and dressing in large serving bowl; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with toasted bread cubes. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Estimated Times

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of recipe): Calories: 250 Calories from Fat: 50 Total Fat: 6 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Cholesterol: 5 mg Sodium: 600 mg Carbohydrates: 40 g Dietary Fiber: 4 g Sugars: 3 g Protein: 9 g

It is so good! My new Presto Salad Shooter makes it more fun to eat healthy.  So maybe I can stay on track with my New Year's resolution.

What I want for my birthday!

It is the perfect day to cuddle up in my favorite Alabama sweat pants and hoodie with a good classic movie and a bowl of freshly popped popcorn.  Of course there are several ways to pop those little corn kernels, but I prefer a popcorn popper over a bag of microwave popcorn.  I don’t know if it is because it brings back memories of my dad and my grandpa or if it really does taste better, but man those little puffs of perfection are just what I need today.  The other reason I prefer these types of poppers is simple economics.  I eat a lot of popcorn.  I can eat a box of the microwave stuff in just a couple of weeks.  Buying the bag of popcorn kernels without the oil and butter is much cheaper in the long run.  I’m all about saving some money.  That means I have more money to buy more shoes with!

I have been researching the best reviews of popcorn poppers because my birthday is coming up and my boyfriend needs some ideas.  I figure I can drop the hint with this blog. (hint hint)

The first popper is the PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper.  This hot air popcorn popper is a small counter top popper that uses hot air, not oil.  This is supposed to be healthier and better for you.  According to the website this popper pops 18 cups of corn in less than 2.5 minutes.  That is a whole lot of popcorn!  There is a butter melting cup in the top that can be use as a measuring cup too!  This popper has a pretty good price too.  The best I have found is $22.49.

The second popper is the PowerPop Microwave Multi-popper.  This microwave popcorn popper works with oil or without so I can get that buttery greasy goodness with this one!  It pops up to three quarts in about 2.5 minutes…again that is a lot of popcorn!  This whole popper is dishwasher safe too!  The popper is about 10” wide and 6” tall so it should fit in our little microwave pretty good.  This one is a bit cheaper too, $16.49!

Finally, the third popper is the Orville Redenbachers Stirring Popper.  Now this is a popcorn popper for the serious popcorn connoisseur.  This popper will pop 6 quarts of popcorn and will make kettle corn!  I love me some kettle corn!!!  This is a counter top model that has a stirring arm inside.  There is a built-in melter to distribute butter while it is popping.  You can even use the transparent lid as your bowl.  There is a non-stick surface for easy cleaning and the lid can be washed in the dishwasher.  I was surprised that this popper wasn’t much more expensive.  I found it for $32.99!

I think I know which one I want.  While I would love to have the Orville Redenbachers Stirring Popper, I think the PowerPop Microwave Multi-popper would suit me better. Now I have to get the boyfriend to get it for me!