TSCDIST_PressureCooker manual 7/20/07 11:29 AM Page 9
About Pressure Cooking
Pressure cooking is an ideal way to make fast, tasty meals for your family! This method of cooking makes it easy for even the busiest cooks to prepare meals from scratch. Use your pressure cooker for fish, chicken, fresh vegetables, rice, legumes, and even dessert – and everything can be cooked to perfection in minutes. The pressure cooker will save you time, energy and money, as well as valuable nutrients. Boiling liquid inside the tightly sealed pot produces steam, which is trapped inside to create pressure. The very hot temperature produced reduces cooking time. The steam helps break down the fibers of whatever you’re cooking and infuse the food with flavors. This also captures all of the
Additional Safety Tips
•Always keep hands and face away from Pressure Release Device when reducing pressure.
•Use extreme caution when removing lid after cooking.
Always tilt the lid away from you, so any remaining steam is blocked from your face.
•Never attempt to open lid while cooking, or before pressure indicator has dropped. Do not attempt to defeat this safety feature by forcing it.
•Do not cover or block the pressure valves.
•Do not touch the pot or lid except for the handle immediately after using.
•To avoid burns, allow food to cool before tasting.
The temperature of the food gets considerably hotter than with conventional cooking.
9
Using Your Pressure Cooker
1Gather all ingredients and be familiar with your recipe. Pour required amount of liquid into removable cooking pot, then add food. Use the cooking rack, if desired. Except when cooking rice, never load cooker above the maximum ingredient level line marked “2/3 MAX PC” on cooking pot. Foods that expand while cooking (i.e. legumes) should never go above the 3/5 mark. See instructions for cooking rice on page 11.
2Make sure gasket is securely positioned in the inner lid. Always examine the gasket before installing and before each use. Make sure it is in good working order and free of any tears.
3Secure lid on pressure cooker by grasping the handle and twisting clockwise to lock in place.
4Set the Pressure Release Device to the SEAL position. (See Figure 1).
5Plug power cord into unit first and then into a
6Press the round ON/OFF button once. The display will flash.
7Press the FUNCTION button until desired cooking function is displayed. The pressure cooker will begin to heat and reach pressure. The HEAT light will illuminate. Once pressure has been achieved, pressure will automatically be maintained. Cooking time begins at this point, and the time will begin counting down in the display.
8After pressure cooking is complete, pressure can be released manually or on its own. If a recipe states "let pressure drop on its own," press the ON/OFF button and unplug the cooker. When recipe states "reduce pressure at once" or “reduce pressure manually”, turn the Pressure Release Device to the VENT position to release steam and reduce pressure. (See Figure 2). Use caution when manually releasing pressure as hot steam will be released.
It is not recommended to release steam manually with recipes containing lots of liquid, such as soups and stews.
9Pressure is completely reduced when the Steam Release Dial is in the Vent position, (see Figure 2) and you no longer hear steam escaping from the valve, and the lid opens freely with no force. Only then is it safe to remove pressure cooker lid and serve food. Remove lid by grasping the handle and twisting lid
Figure 1 | 10 |
| Figure 2 |
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