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The newer pressure cookers are a great deal safer than the designs of yesteryear. A lot of people are scared away from pressure cooking because of the noise, and childhood memories, and/or stories about kitchen explosions.
The chance of that happening nowadays is much smaller, because the newer cookers won't even open if there is still pressure inside them.
The two biggest concerns in pressure cooking are the gasket seal and the vent tube. Both need to be working properly in order to cook food safely.
The gasket is the rubber seal which is on the inside of the cooker lid. It should stay flush against the lid to seal properly, and bring the pressure up. You can do a visual check before putting the lid on and locking it down.
The vent tube is of prime importance. This is the tube in the centre of the cooker lid which vents out the steam. If the vent tube gets clogged, you can have trouble and even explosions. This is why you must add a little oil to beans when pressure cooking them... if you don't the bean skins can clog the vent tube.
Check the vent tube before you cook... without fail! Hold it up to the light to make sure it is clear. Then check the gasket at the same time.
Most of the time, pressure cooking won't be a problem, but you still need to use caution.
One final note... PLEASE, please, please read the manual which came with your pressure cooker before you cook anything in it and follow the safety instructions carefully.
One of my favourite sayings is... If at first you don't succeed, try reading the instructions. In this case don't even try before you have read, and re-read, ALL the instructions. And remember small children and pressure cookers... DO NOT MIX!
If you have pets, small children, or anyone in your home of a nervous disposition... I would advise against even thinking of buying a pressure cooker.
Remember to consider how much worktop room you have for your small kitchen appliances, and/or where you will store them... because if they live in the back of a cupboard, then they won't get used, so will be a total waste.
Some people swear by pressure cookers... sorry, but I agree with Delia Smith, they are a definite no no with me... frankly I think the noise they make is rather terrifying.
Our dog isn't very keen on the noise of our shredder, and hates the vacuum, and I can imagine my daughters cat having kittens... and McVitie is a HE! - how they would react to a pressure cooker doesn't bear thinking about.
As for cooking methods, I would far rather defrost in the microwave, then make a casserole of any tough cuts of meat. I find a microwave ideal for rice too.
If you are searching for pressure cookers online... then there is a good selection at Argos... click on Household Appliances, then enter 'pressure cookers' into the search box. They have a good selection with varying prices, and are good recognised brands like Prestige, Tefal and Tower... though I personally wouldn't entertain anything below the Tower 6L model at £39.99. My reasoning for this cut off point is that it is the cheapest model which is made in Stainless Steel.
The cheaper models are in Aluminium. I have removed all aluminium cooking items... saucepans, etcetera, from my home since I read, or learned somehow, somewhere, that aluminium could leach into your cooking/food. And further studies said that that could possibly lead to Alzheimers... although nowadays good diet and exercise are stressed as the best way to avoid this disease. Better safe than sorry... so stainless steel is my personal order of the day!
Remember, too, Argos sales are a good bet for a bargain buy... especially just as the new catalogue comes out.
Below are links back to the 'Kitchen - small' page... plus other pages which might be of interest...
Back to 'Kitchen - small' from pressure cookers
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