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pressure cooker to more than
half its capacity with grains, as
these foods tend to expand
and froth during cooking.
• Clean out any foreign particles.
Rinse them with warm water. Soak
grains, in four times their volume
of warm water for at least four
hours before cooking them, or
if you prefer, leave them to soak
overnight. Do not add salt for this
will harden grains and prevent
them from absorbing water.
• Do not leave rice to soak.
• After soaking remove
floating grains or shells.
• Drain the water off the grains.
• Rinse grains in warm water
(this also applies to rice.)
• Cook each cup of grain in the
quantity of water indicated in
the recipe or on the package.
• If you prefer, add salt to taste.
• After the cooking time is up, use
the natural release method to allow
the pressure to decrease naturally.
• Cooking times may vary
depending on the quality of the
grains. If after the recommended
cooking time the grains are still
hard, continue cooking them with
the lid off. If necessary, add water.
• A cup of grains expands
to approximately two cups
full when cooked.
GRAINS APPROXIMATE COOKING PRESSURE
(1 cup) WATER QUANTITY TIME LEVEL
Rice, basmati 1 ½ cups 5-7 minutes High
Rice, brown 1 ½ cups 15-20 minutes High
Rice, long grain 1 ½ cups 5-7 minutes High
Rice, wild 3 cups 22-25 minutes High
Meat and Poultry
• Remove all the visible fat from
the meat or poultry. If you are
preparing a complete cut of meat
or poultry, such as a roast, cut
it in such a way that it fits in the
cooker without touching the sides.
• Meat and poultry cut up into
small pieces cooks faster.
• To achieve best results, brown
the meat or poultry with 2 to 3
tablespoons of vegetable or olive
oil in the pressure cooker with
the lid off and before adding the
other ingredients. Do not overload
the pressure cooker (never more
than two thirds full). Brown the
meat in batches, if necessary.
Drain the excess fat and begin
cooking as indicated in the recipe.
• Always cook meat and poultry with
at least 1/2 a cup of liquid. If the
cooking time exceeds 15 minutes,
use two cups of liquid. Meats
with preservatives or salted meats
should be covered by the water.
• Never fill the pressure cooker
more than 2/3 full.
• When you prepare a concentrated
stock or soup, put all the
ingredients in the pressure cooker
and add water to half its capacity.
• Exact cooking times vary
depending on the quality and
quantity of the meat which
is cooked. Unless the recipe
indicates otherwise, the cooking
times given are for 3 lbs of
meat or poultry. Also, the larger
the cut of meat, the longer
the cooking time will be.
• After the cooking time is up, use
the natural release method to allow
the pressure to decrease naturally.
• When you cook beef or poultry
with vegetables, begin by
cooking the meat in stock or
another liquid. Subtract from the
cooking time recommended for
the meat the cooking time of
the vegetable ingredient which
takes longest to cook. Pressure
cook the meat for this time.
Release the pressure from the
cooker using the automatic
release method. Open the
cooker and add the vegetables.
Check the seasoning. Bring the
pressure cooker up to pressure
again and continue pressure
cooking for the cooking time
recommended for the vegetables.
If you want to add vegetables
which cook rapidly, such as peas
or mushrooms, do not pressure
cook them at the same time as
the other vegetables that take
longer to cook. Add them to the
cooker right before serving and
boil them in the pressure cooker
with the lid off until they are ready.
Example: if you are cooking a beef
brisket (cooking time 35 minutes)
with potatoes (cooking time 6
minutes) and sliced carrots (cooking
time 1 minute), you should first cook
the meat by itself for 29 minutes,
then release the pressure, add the
potatoes and cook for an additional
6 minutes. Finally, add the carrots
and let them simmer for a couple
more minutes until they are cooked.
MEAT AND POULTRY
APPROXIMATE PRESSURE
COOKING TIME LEVEL
Beef/veal, roast or brisket 35-40 minutes High
Beef/veal, (shanks)
1 ½-inch wide 25-30 minutes High
Beef/veal, 1-inch cubes, 1 ½
pounds 10-15 minutes High
Beef/veal, roast or brisket 35-40 minutes High
Beef, dressed, 2 pounds 10-15 minutes Low
Meatballs, 1-2 pounds 5-10 minutes High
Beef, cured 50-60 minutes High
Pork, roast 40-45 minutes High
Pork, ribs, 2 pounds 15 minutes High
Pork leg, smoked, 2 pounds 20-25 minutes High
Pork, ham, pieces 20-25 minutes High
Lamb, leg 35-40 minutes High
Lamb, 1-inch cubes, 1 ½ pounds
10-18 minutes High
Chicken, whole, 2 to 3 pounds 12-18 minutes High
Chicken, in pieces, 2 to 3 pounds 8-10 minutes High
Spring chickens, two 8-10 minutes High
Soup or concentrated stock of beef
or fowl 10-15 minutes High
Seafood and fish
• Clean and gut fish. Take
out all the visible bone.
• Scrub and rinse shellfish in cold
water. Soak clams and mussels
in a container of cold water with
the juice of one lemon, for an
hour, to remove sand from them.
• Cooking times can vary depending
on the seafood which is cooked.
• Cook seafood in the steamer
basket on the support trivet with
at least ¾ of a cup of liquid.
Apply a fine layer of vegetable
oil to the steamer basket when
you cook fish to avoid sticking.
• If you prefer, add seasoning or
flavoring to the cooking liquid.
• Never fill the pressure
cooker to more than two
thirds of its capacity.
• When you prepare concentrated
stock or soup put all the
ingredients in the pressure
cooker and add water to
CHEF INTERIOR 12-19.indd 20-21
12/19/11 9:14 AM
