Friday, September 14, 2012

Electric Pressure Cooker

It's Show and Tell Time!

This is not a paid advertisement - it's just a review of one of my favorite things.
This is one of those things that I'm grateful for, because it makes life a bit easier in simple ways.
 
Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker
 
 
 
Image from Amazon


I heard about this from a friend who heard it from another - and I just had to check it out.
So, for Christmas a couple years ago I gave these to my married children, but didn't get myself one. Well, one got to stay at my home until I mailed it to them after Christmas (because they were flying home and couldn't take it in their luggage). Perfect really - cause I decided to keep that one and order another for them so I didn't have to pay postage (gotta love that Prime Amazon).
Great idea huh!

 I've used it for a few things, but love it most for dry beans. No more over night soaking.  No more wishing I had soaked the beans overnight because I want to have them for today's meal. It's a done deal with this handy appliance.  In about one hour!

Fall begins the craving for soups and stews.  One meal hubby learned from living in Spain was a Garbanzo soup - or is it a stew?  Anyway it starts out with dry garbanzo beans. (A can would work, but I love the beans soaked in chicken broth verses water.)
 
 
After soaking the beans cook them till almost done and add
scramble fried sausage,
chopped carrots, onion and celery,
and garlic if desired.
Of course season as desired.
Shake some parsley flakes in when cooked.
 Cook some more and enjoy.
(sometimes my garbanzos are done enough when it's time to add the veggies, so I cook all the veggies together in another pan and add them to the beans.  Still great stuff.)

 
For some additional flavor I add a dollop of sour cream - my downfall (one of them anyway).

 
With or without it's a great fall and winter meal - when the sun shines, but the air is cool.
 
 
 
The cooker is also great for pork roasts for pulled pork sandwiches.  I used to roast it slowly in the oven for several hours - and that's hard on summer days.  Now with this cooker it's just as awesomely moist and tender within an hours time of cooking and with no added heat in your home from the oven.
 
 


Not the best pictures (I forgot to take a picture before I started shredding it) but it's a look - I season my meat with Johnny's - hence the orange look.

I've used pressure cookers on the stove before and love them too, but this is a no-hassle, no-worry type thing since you don't have to keep checking to see if it's at the right pressure ... it just is!