Saving Money Under Pressure

I've loved this pressure cooking adventure from the minute I started it. Got myself an 8-quart Presto pressure cooker, along with a Fagor Futuro 4- and 6-quart combo and an antique Lagostina that had belonged to a coworker's mother. I love them all, especially the Presto. It's a workhorse, and definitely tough -- I've accidentally managed to fire it up dry, twice, and it's still ok. What's more -- the pressure valve has even survived a very exciting trip through the garbage disposal, and, though it might not be as pretty as it was, it still works fine. Now that's tough!! Pressure cooking has so much to recommend it: Fresh, homemade food with no "junk"; dinner on the table in minutes -- even if you forget to plan ahead; and, you just might find yourself eating an even wider variety of things! That's because it takes so little time to cook even things like beans, potatoes, artichokes, etc., that it's much easier to get them on the table. There's no doubt this approach would help you save money -- things cook in one-third the time, and using very little energy. And you can cook inexpensive things like beans, and cheap cuts of meat, and end up with a dinner worth writing home about, in short order!! Plus, we've found that we're far less dependent on packaged foods, or even, heaven forbid, the local drive-through. But I think the thing that's surprised me most is how it helps us avoid letting food go to waste. Awhile back, there was a lone artichoke in the veggie drawer that I came across while rummaging around for "salad stuff". One of the pressure cookers was already on the stove, with meatloaf cooking away in it. In "the old days", knowing it would take at least 30 minutes to cook, I would probably have put the 'choke back into the fridge, forgotten it again, and it would have ended up, eventually, in the compost bucket. Instead, I trimmed it up and tossed it into the other pressure cooker. And about fifteen minutes later, both the meatloaf and the choke were ready for the table. I'm no longer hesitant to buy or grow potatoes, either -- right now, I have gold, red (new), blue and sweet potatoes on hand. Last night, I cooked a handful of sweet potatoes -- peeled and warmed up a bit, they made an excellent breakfast! It's no problem at all to work potatoes and other things that take awhile to cook into the grand scheme of things, when they cook so quickly in the pressure cooker!! We've found our pressure cookers to be well worth the investment -- you can save money by eating cheaply, cooking quickly -- and avoiding waste!! Read more!

A Change for the Better

A change has come over our culinary lives, so slowly that we didn't really notice. But it has, and the effects are unmistakable.

I set out, about year and a half ago, to learn to preserve as much as possible of what we consume -- including meats, soups, prepared beans, etc. And, with the acquisition of a few well-chosen pieces of equipment, I have. And I thought I was doing just fine -- all of the prep work I've done will certainly serve us well in the future.

But what really surprised me is how much easier it makes our lives now. Planning for dinners some time in the future has also caused me to have things that can be quickly put together for any meal, and so better able to feed us, on a daily basis. And I recently started learning the fine art of pressure cooking, which has done wonders!!

So, as I've begun to buy things on sale and/or in bulk and can, freeze or dry them, we've gradually weeded out pretty much all commercially prepared foods. Not that we ever relied very heavily on them, but they were a part of our lives, to one degree or another. I didn't make a conscious effort to give them up -- it just sort of happened naturally. But there's a side effect, and one that I didn't anticipate, or even notice, until today. Particularly since I've begun to learn about pressure cooking, we really haven't eaten anything except what I've prepared. And today, after a rare visit to a local drive-through, I was shocked to realize that the aroma coming from the steaming bag the young man handed us didn't remotely smell like food to me. And when we opened it up at home and I tasted one of the fries, I was surprised at how disappointed I was. How many fast food meals have I eaten, without noticing?!

But now that we have a pressure cooker (well, ok -- 2. Or 3, if you count the pressure canner), I can very quickly get dinner on the table. And it's good, homemade stuff -- no chemicals, preservatives or artificial flavors to disguise the real flavor of the food. The only thing I need to remember is to add something for crunch. Any of a number of things will do: chopped nuts, raw or toasted sunflower seeds, even things like water chestnuts or crispy fried onions.

I never had any idea, when I set out on this adventure all those months ago, what a hugely positive impact it would have on the quality of the food we eat, every day!!

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BBQ Ribs & Garlic Mashed in 25 Minutes!!!

I've fallen in love with a piece of kitchen equipment. Nothing new, there -- I've fallen in love with pretty much every pressure canner and rice cooker I've brought home, but this time it's different!!

Since my shiny, new 6-quart pressure cooker arrived, I find myself spending more time planning dinner (that's a good thing), yet a lot less actually cooking it! It all started when my grandmother agreed to share a beloved (and coveted) recipe, the first step of which requires pressure cooking one of the ingredients. I happen to own a 21-quart pressure canner, which was way more than adequate for the task at hand.

And after I experimented with it a bit, and experienced the savings in time, energy and nutrients (and money!!), I decided it was time to take the plunge. Logged onto my favorite online retailer, and in short order received a beautiful stainless steel cooker. Pressure cookers, it turns out, are quite reasonable -- you can pick up an aluminum one for around $25, or stainless for a little more. Whichever one you choose, you'll start saving money (and thus recoup your investment) the minute you start using it!!

Dinner -- both planning what to cook and actually getting the job done -- has always been a challenge -- especially since I get off work at 6:00. Who wants to spend an hour messing around with dinner at that hour -- especially after working all day?! Enter the pressure cooker. It typically takes about a third the time to cook things as conventional methods do, so you immediately save both time and energy. Add to that the fact that the pressure cooker can tenderize tough (read: inexpensive) cuts of meat as well as the crockpot, and the fact that you'll be less likely to hit the drive-through if you have a few ingredients on hand & ready to toss into the cooker at a moment's notice, and it's obvious that this kitchen wonder can make your life better in several ways!!

As an experiment, I recently tossed in uncooked pasta, a jar of sauce, a little water and about a pound of frozen (yes, frozen!!) chicken. Viola -- 31 minutes later, dinner was on the table. It might not have been quite as nice as it would have if I'd started with thawed chicken and cooked the pasta separately, but it's good to know that the option is available, should I ever find myself in a bind!!

Tonight, I browned some ribs (they stuck a little, but I wasn't worried -- I knew the braising would take care of that), put them in the bottom of the cooker with a jar of homemade barbecue sauce and a little water, and set the rack (most come with one, these days) on top. Put a single layer of new potatoes (pierced with a fork first) on the rack, put the lid on and brought it up to pressure. I calculated 22 minutes, which was fine for the thinner ribs, but I wish I'd cooked it for 25 -- the thicker ones weren't quite as tender as they could have been. Ah, well -- next time... Still, a nice rib dinner was ready in no time at all!!

Another great thing about pressure cookers is how easy it is to clean up!! You're cooking one-pot meals, and, unless you've really goofed and scorched something, clean-up is much quicker and easier than when cooking with dry heat. One warning -- if you're steam-cooking (as opposed to braising things in liquid), you may want to use cooking spray to keep things from sticking.

I can't believe what a great piece of equipment this is -- since I've owned it, I haven't cooked anything, except fried rice, in the conventional way. And I don't think I will much, either!!

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