10
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL OPERATIOn
adapting Traditional Recipes
Traditional recipes using moist heat methods of cookery (such as braising, stewing
or slow cooking) are often easily adapted to pressure cooking.
In general, the Calphalon 6 Qt. Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker reduces traditional
cooking times by approximately 50 percent. As a starting point refer to the
Cooking Guide
on
pages 12-14
. It provides a list of common ingredients and
their suggested cooking times.
Doubling or Tripling Recipes
When doubling or tripling a recipe for the pressure cooker, keep a couple of things
in mind. First, fill the pressure cooker nO MORE than
2
/
3
full. When cooking foods
that expand during cooking, such as rice or dried vegetables, or when making
soups or stocks, DO nOT fill more than ½ full.
Secondly, cooking times for doubled or tripled recipes are the same as the original
recipe. However, the time it takes to heat the pressure cooker up (to the point of
steaming) and cool it down takes longer. Be sure to begin timing recipes once the
steaming begins.
Here are a few general pressure cooker tips:
•
Cut ingredients into uniform pieces for even cooking.
•
Consider cutting slower-cooking ingredients into smaller pieces and longer-
cooking ingredients into larger pieces.
•
Brown ingredients before adding them to the pressure cooker, if desired, to
caramelize and add flavor. The pressure cooker is a moist heat cooking method,
so it does not tend to brown ingredients during the cooking process.
•
When cooking delicate, tender ingredients (such as seafood, fresh fruits, and
vegetables) use the Quick Release Method for releasing the steam to
avoid overcooking.
•
If foods are not tender enough at the end of the cooking time, you may simmer
ingredients in the base on the cook top with the lid removed. Cook until tender.
•
When cooking dried beans and legumes, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil for
each cup of water to prevent any potential foaming.
•
Beans and rice expand to approximately double in volume as they cook. So, if
you start with 1 cup of rice, the recipe will yield approximately two cups.
Pot Roast and Vegetables
•
Look at the
Cooking Guide
on
pages 12-14
. Find the cooking time for the
meat you are preparing. next, find the cooking time for your longest cooking
vegetable (such as potatoes). Subtract the cooking time for the vegetable from
the cooking time for the meat. This is your adjusted cooking time for the first stage
of cooking.
Summary of Contents for 1859693
Page 1: ...6 Qt Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker USER GUIDE...
Page 24: ...2012...