pressure cooker advice

[crisgal]

i love my pressure cooker, and wouldn't be without it. In the instructions though, it says there are two ways to release the steam - the quick way which is when you put the pan in the sink and pour cold water on until the steam releases, and some recipes say, "release the staem slowly" but NOWHERE in the book does it tell me how to do this! So really, I want to know A) how do i do that? and B) would it matter if I released it quickly, instaed? cheers!

[Jules001]

I haven't used my pressure cooker as a pressure cooker for ages, just use it as a big saucepan nowadays, but I was always under the impression to release the steam slowly you lifted the 'pressure bomb thing' a little , let out some steam and then put it back down again and to keep repeating this process until all steam is out, I hope you understand what I mean, this was so much harder to explain than I thought it would be! Also I think yes if you released it quickly, you might have the contents shooting out all over the place.

[Ethel]

To release the pressure slowly, simply remove it from the heat and wait and wait.

[crisgal]

oh, i get it! So if i leave it to cool down on it's own, as it were, the pressure would just release itself? I suppose that time is calculated into the cooking time too.

My cooker doesn't have a "bomb" thing, Jules001, it's a modern one and they don't have those weight things!

I remember coming home from school as a child, hating the noise of the steam being released, and knowing we would have to listen to it for AGES! The main reason i wanted this one was because i could release the steam quickly, and not have to listen to that awful noise!!

[Ethel]

The quick release method you describe is ideal for 'robust' foods such as stews and most vegetables.

Suet puddings and such like tend to go 'heavy' if the pressure is released to quickly.

If the recipe states slow release, do that. The food will not be cold.

The time depends on the amount of water/iquid put in at the start of cooking, but of course you will know when the pressure has been released.

I love my pressure cooker!

[CT]

Those ways are for losers. (no offence intended). What my dad does is get a long knife then lift the pressure release thing. The bit on top where the steam comes from. Keep your hands clear btw. Should depressurise in about a minute.

[crisgal]

you're dad is braver than me, CT. Although I love it, i am actually more than a little scared of my cooker!

[WendyS]

We have a Prestige Skyline pressure cooker we have used for years and generally let it cool down by switching off the gas for five minutes or so although when in a hurry you can run it under a cold tap for a couple of minutes. But NEVER NEVER try and release the pressure quickly by opening up the valve with a fork or other long handled object. I did this once shortly after getting married when cooking lentil soup before I really understood how it operated.. A fierce stream of boiling hot liquid spurted out scalding me and covering the kitchen walls and ceiling with the entire contents. The soup dried hard all over the kitchen walls and we had to redecorate. Some lessons you have to learn the hard way, but wouldn't be without it, especially for make stock for soups.

[chopsticks]

Hi crisgal,

It depends on the make and model, for Skyline, a lever at the top of the lid flips radially up vertical, from the horizontal position.
Be careful, that the lever is radially turned slowly, as the high pressure will release the steam rapidly, and hot liquid may spurt out with the steam blasting out of the release holes below the lever .
Other model has the weights to obtain the require pressure of the steam, remove this vertically slowly, or scalding will result.
No picture was provided so unable to give correct instructions.

Hope this helps.

[tOM Trottier]

You can wait, or just put it in the sink and run cold water over it until it "pops"