Fagor America SZ2L00002 brochure Adding Food and Liquid, Closing the Lid and Cooking

Adding Food and Liquid

1.To cook with the Elite pressure cooker, it is very important to use at least 1/2 a cup of liquid if you’re cooking for 10 minutes or less, or 2 cups of water if you’re cooking for more than 10 minutes; NEVER USE LESS.

It is important to always use some cooking liquid in a pressure cooker since it is the liquid that creates the steam necessary to build the pressure. Without liquid the pressure cooker cannot build any pressure. You can use water, broth, wine or any other kind of liquid to cook, except oil. You can use oil to brown meat or soften onions directly in your pressure cooker before adding the rest of the ingredients, but the oil should never be the ONLY cooking liquid.

WARNING: Pressure cookers are NOT pressure fryers.

WARNING: Do not fill the pressure cooker more than two thirds full with liquid and food, or half full if you’re cooking foods that expand during cooking (for example rice or other grains).

2.Never fill the pressure cooker more than two thirds full. It is necessary to leave enough space in the cooker for it to be able to build pressure. Fill only halfway when cooking with foods that will either expand in size and/or produce foam as they cook, such as dried beans or other legumes and grains. Also fill only halfway when preparing soups or stock.

3.You can add food and liquid directly into the pressure cooker, or, optionally, you can steam your food in the stainless steel steamer basket. To use the stainless steel steamer basket, place the metal support trivet on the bottom of the pressure cooker, add at least half a cup of liquid, and place the steamer basket containing the food on top.

Closing the Lid and Cooking		ENGLISH
1. When you’re ready to start cooking,
	place the lid on the pressure cooker
	pot by aligning the mark on the lid
	with the mark on the top of the pot
	handle (Fig. 6). Once these two marks
	are aligned, press the lid down lightly,
	then slide the lid handle to the left
	(clockwise), bringing the pot and lid
	handles together. Push the pressure
	lock button up towards the center of
	the lid to lock it (Fig. 7). If you don’t
	push the lock to the closed position,
	the cooker will not build any pressure.
	This is a safety measure designed
	to prevent accidental opening of the
	cooker while under pressure. The lock
	will block automatically as soon as
	the pressure indicator has risen, and
	will unblock only when the pressure
	indicator has dropped again.

2.Once the pressure cooker is locked, turn the operating valve to the pressure setting if you cook with the operating valve turned to the picture of the steam, the pressure cooker will not build pressure. The level of pressure reached is a high pressure, equivalent to 15 psi (15 pounds of pressure per square inch (Fig. 15)) or low pressure, equivalent to 8psi when on 1 (8 pounds of pressure per square inch (Fig. 9)).

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