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
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•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
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