Cooks today are more than familiar with the concept of pressure. High pressure, fast-paced lifestyles that leave little time for cooking are responsible for the dinner table disappearance of almost any food that doesn`t cook in less than 20 minutes.
In an odd twist of fate, pressure is about to bring back many of the foods that have fallen out of favor because of their lengthy cooking times. Pressure cookers, a relic of the 1940s and `50s, are making a big comeback and finding a new audience along the way.
At the time that people are longing for homey, comfort foods, pressure cookers have reappeared to make such foods possible-but in minutes instead of hours. Rich red tomato sauces that taste like they have simmered for hours, lamb shanks that fall to shreds into a meltingly tender mass and robustly flavored lentil soup in 10 minutes are just some of the can`t-resist options that the pressure cooker turns out in short order.
Lorna Sass, author of a new book, ”Cooking Under Pressure,” to be published by William Morrow in the fall, swears that people are starved for the types of foods that pressure cookers do so well.
”I have dinner parties and everyone overeats. They`re just so happy to have these foods back on their plates that they can`t get enough,” says the New York-based food historian.
Pressure cookers themselves aren`t new, just the high level of interest in them. In fact, 1989 marks a major milestone in their history. Pressure cookers were introduced to the home market at the World`s Fair in 1939 by Presto Industries, making this their 50th birthday. Despite their golden age, they`ve never looked better or more contemporary. Touted back then as the answer for the harried housewife, they`re still a boon for the harried, time- pressed cook, whether housewife, househusband or other.
Just what is it about pressure cookers that makes them turn rock hard rutabaga into a tender puree in minutes or a recalcitrant roast into a fork-tender treat in less than an hour?
Attribute these culinary miracles to steam heat. In a sealed pressure cooker, the steam which has no way of escaping, builds up and creates pressure. The pressure, in turn, raises the boiling point of water from 212 degrees at sea level to 250 degrees when there is 15 pounds of pressure inside the cooker. Then, as if the superheated atmosphere weren`t enough, the forces of pressure go to work, breaking down and softening fibrous parts. This double-fisted assault conspires to cook foods in one third to one tenth the normal time.
One can`t help but wonder, if pressure cookers are so great, why did they all but disappear from American kitchens during the 1960s. Times changed. Cooks were tantalized by all the convenience foods that inundated supermarkets and the wonderful sense of freedom they offered. For many, cooking became a matter of opening cans, heating frozen dinners and making Jello molds. For the time being, pressure cookers were shoved to the back burner, making room for TV dinners and microwave ovens. Once again, though, the tide is turning.
Pressure cookers still have a bit of an explosive reputation lingering from their past. Everyone has heard a story of the pressure cooker that caused a meltdown or the soup that ate the kitchen. While such accidents were possible in the old generation of pressure cookers, usually at the hand of a careless cook, there`s nary a chance of them happening in the new models. In a belt-and-suspenders system of safety, modern pressure cookers have a safety valve that releases excess steam should the cook forget to turn down the heat when the pressure reaches the proper level. And, they can`t be opened until every last pouf of steam has been safely released.
Other drawbacks that had sent pressure cookers into temporary hiding in the 1960s and `70s have been eliminated, too. The new generation of pressure cookers combines surefire safety with foolproof, user-friendly features. Hissing and steaming, clacking and ”eruptability” are all behind them now. Manufacturers have introduced sleek new models that combine high-tech with good old-fashioned appeal.
As for sales of pressure cookers, they`re building up enough steam to pop their tops. Double and triple digit sales increases are being reported by almost all manufacturers. Cuisinart introduced its version of the pressure cooker two years ago. According to spokesperson Susan Dumont-Bengston, demand has been extremely high, but never more so than when people actually get to see the pressure cooker in action at in-store demonstrations.
”People need to be educated on the virtues and attributes of the pressure cooker, but they also need to be reassured of the safety as well,”
according to Dumont-Bengston.
Because of their speed, comparisons of the pressure cooker to the microwave oven are inevitable. But doing so is like comparing an apple to an orange. Both are different, and both are very good for what they are. According to Sass, pressure cookers and microwave ovens are good companion pieces, with one picking up where the other leaves off. A pressure cooker cooks fast regardless of how much food is added. Five pounds of potatoes cook just as fast as 1 pound. Also, in the pressure cooker, you get 4 hours of flavor in 20 minutes, a feat not matched by the microwave oven.
”The pressure cooker yanks flavors out of foods, makes them taste as though they`ve been cooking for hours instead of minutes,” says Sass. And finally, even though there is some learning that goes with using a pressure cooker, it isn`t as confusing as the microwave oven. ”The pressure cooker uses the same vocabulary as conventional cooking and it takes place on the stove so people are more at ease with it,” she reports.
Much to the delight of those who cringe at yet another single-function gadget cluttering up the kitchen, pressure cookers do double duty as a stock pot and steamer for conventional cooking. Without the lid, a pressure cooker performs just like any other kettle. This also works to good advantage in many recipes that call for browning or sauteeing foods first, then pressure cooking them. All pressure cooker recipes use just one pot, often combining several courses in one.
Finally, one trait that is bound to capture attention in these health-conscious times is the fact that pressure cookers are nutrition-oriented. Most foods can be cooked with little or no oil. And because the foods cook so quickly in the closed environment, fewer vitamins and minerals are lost. If that doesn`t help find a spot in the kitchen for a pressure cooker, maybe the fact that an ethereally light and creamy cheesecake can be pressure cooked will.
TERIYAKI SPARE RIBS
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Pressure cooking time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 12 to 24 hours
Grilling time: About 10 minutes
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
The spare ribs are rendered fork-tender by cooking them in the pressure cooker then infusing them in an oriental-style marinade. Quick finishing on the grill adds a smoky taste of summer.
3 pounds spare ribs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup each: soy sauce, catsup
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1. Cut ribs into serving size pieces. Place in pressure cooker and add enough water to cover. Cover pressure cooker and bring up to full pressure (15 pounds). Reduce heat to stabilize pressure and cook for 15 minutes. Release pressure and remove ribs from pan to cool slightly.
2. Mix sugar, soy sauce, catsup, hoisin sauce and sherry in large plastic food bag. Add ribs and turn over several times so they are well coated with marinade. Refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.
3. Prepare a hot grill, preferably with a mix of charcoal and mesquite wood. Remove ribs from marinade and let excess drip off. Place ribs around outer edge of coals so they do not cook too fast. Cook until browned on both sides, brushing several times with reserved marinade, about 10 minutes.
FENNEL AND SCALLOP BISQUE
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Pressure cooking time: 10 minutes
Other cooking time: 7 minutes
Yield: 4 1/2 cups
The pressure cooker is ideal for pureed soups since it cooks even root vegetables such as potatoes in a remarkably short time. The resulting purees are flawlessly smooth and luxurious. Here, the subtle anise flavor of the fennel enhances the natural sweet flavor of sea scallops. The cream can be left out if you prefer a lighter, lower calorie soup.
2 small fennel bulbs, about 1 1/4 pounds total
1 medium onion, about 6 ounces
1 medium red potato, about 6 ounces, peeled
1 rib celery
1 large clove garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 pound sea scallops
2 cups fish stock or 1 cup clam juice and 1 cup water
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
1. Trim long stalks from fennel down to bulb. Peel outside of bulb, remove core and cut into thin slices. Cut onion and potato into thin slices. Remove strings from celery with a vegetable peeler and cut into thin slices. Mince garlic.
2. Melt butter in pressure cooker. Add fennel, onion, potato, celery and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until soft, about 7 minutes.
3. Rinse and drain scallops. Add scallops, fish stock and wine to pressure cooker. Cover and bring up to full pressure (15 pounds), then reduce heat to stabilize pressure. Cook 10 minutes. Release pressure.
4. Strain solids from liquid, reserving both. Puree solids in a blender or food processor. Stir puree into liquid and add cream and salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Serve hot. –
