Last month I got an email from a reader, Patty, who described herself as a new reader, 45 years old, and vegan for three years (soul sisters, right?). She wrote to ask me about pressure cooking. We exchanged a few emails and last week I got an email from her. She bought a pressure cooker set (the exact one I have!) and shared her experience. Her description of her experience was so rich I asked if I could share it with you. She said yes!
So, my pressure cooker adventure.I ultimately decided on the Fagor. Thank you for the info on them. It was very helpful! I made out and got a Fagor set for a very good sale price at Macy’s. Instead of $180 it was like $108. It’s the “Elite” model, 8-quart and 4-quart pots, pressure cooker lid, glass lid, and steamer basket with trivet. Neat! I love it! I read it’s manual and Jill Nussinow’s book before I got started. Watched your video, read a few blog posts, AND watched the DVD that came with the unit. Cleaned the unit and inspected everything. All beautiful. Chose my recipes (Lentil Soup recipe and also plain Wild Rice). Did my mise en place and thought things would be just perfect first go around. Unfortunately, not so. But, fortunately, as Miss Jill recommended, I did a test run. And, neeeeever came to pressure. Read the “troubleshooting”, decided the burner was up too high (I have an electric stove), lowered it, and tried again. Noooooo pressure. Now, I was very sad, frustrated, and disappointed. I was getting ready to box it up, go exchange it for another one, and tell Macy’s this one was defective. BUT, I decided that maybe I had the burner TOO low the second time, so I thought I’d try……one. more. time.
SUCCESS! With my stove on a setting of 7, it came to pressure! Then I moved it over to the next burner, which was ready at a 3 setting, and it HELD pressure (2 was a little low). Yeah!!!!!!! I had it way too high the first time, and way too low the second. Third time, is apparently, a charm (or just how many times it takes me to get cooking stuff right). So, I made the lentil soup, which tasted so good and was so easy. I was very happy and went on to make the wild rice! Yum was achieved once again!
I am so happy that nowI have two large containers full of some pre-made “staples” to go with my meals for the work week. My meals will be rounded out with a GIANT salad I made and some homemade tahini style dressing. Along with my fruit and smoothies, I’m in good shape for a while. I’m a pretty basic eater (most of the time) so this made me very happy. Oh, I have to admit (confess) that I did make brownies, too! 🙂
Well, lovely JL, I just wanted to share my saga with you, since we’d talked about it earlier. I’m now looking forward to many happy trails with my new cooker. Thank you, so much, for spending time with me on this. That’s so great of you!
I just loved reading this email because Patty’s experience isn’t uncommon. Last month I shared Michael’s first pressure cooker experience and a few days later he texted me to say that his Fagor cooker didn’t come to pressure while making vegetable stock. We tried to trouble shoot over text and ultimately he just started over and it did come to pressure. My niece also texted me one morning to say her Presto didn’t come to pressure after having made a few things that did. It just didn’t come to pressure; she just removed it from heat, uncovered, re-covered and it was fine.
Patty, Michael and my niece all made a leap to try pressure cooking. Though there were a few bumps along the road, they are pressure cooking and enjoying it!
Are you new to pressure cooking or thinking about it? Check out my Pressure Cooker FAQ!
10 thoughts on “Patty and Her New Pressure Cooker”
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Your recent posts on pressure cooking have definitely got me thinking about it. I’ve always relied on my slow cooker for the convenience, but you make a great case for rice cookers and pressure cookers. Now I just have to figure out where to put all these gadgets in my kitchen!
Oh, yes, @michellestinykitchen:disqus, space is a serious issue in our kitchen! LOL
My dad is a big fan of pressure cookers, his pressure-cooked green beans were my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinners! Being born & raised in the South, his mama made many a Sunday dinner with the help of her cooker. Of course, those weren’t vegan meals, so when he presented me with my first pressure cooker, instead of chicken, beef, etc mine was used for beans! I still have the same one he gave me 15 years ago but honestly it was gathering dust in my pantry. Your recent posts have inspired me to dust it off and get it back to work! So far this week I’ve made steamed kale and a big pot of black beans. Yum! Thank you!
I’m so happy to read this, @thevegangypsy:disqus!
I have used pressure cookers for years, and love them; Each of them have peculiarities, that you just have to figure out, and live with. BUT my game changer is the electric pressure cooker Instant-Pot makes. I can manually set the time for the pressure cooker and walk away. It is stainless steel, unlike many of the other electric pressure cookers which have non-stick coatings.
Interesting, @google-8a244ea44e92a0e7687428c2373b93ad:disqus! I have had a total of five stovetop pressure cookers at one time, all stainless steel, but thanks for the tip for people who prefer an electric version!
I had trouble at the beginning too when I first got my stovetop pressure cooker about 2 or 3 years ago. In fact, just yesterday it didn’t come to full pressure. I turned off the fire, let the pressure button come down, cleaned the valve, and then it came to pressure. Magic! I was so frustrated when this first happened but read Lorna Sass’ troubleshooting FAQ (from her website or or book, I can’t remember). I still want an 8 qt. and an Instant Pot but I don’t really have the room.
@ae4cfc03377063b49ead8410443088f6:disqus, thanks for jumping in. The more we share hits and misses the more people are willing to give the old pressure cooker a try! 🙂 I’ve heard great things about the Instant Pot but, like you, counter space is at a premium! LOL I really do like my 8 quart – great for making vegetable broth and soups with lots of leafy greens.
My pressure cooker wasn’t coming to pressure the last time I used it. I could hear the valve (?) rattling and I knew it had been on long enough to be at pressure. I decided to try poking at the value with a knife. Viola!!! It popped right into place! Apparently it was at a weird angle and wasn’t able to pop up. After my DIY fix, everything cooked to perfection!
Good save, @disqus_fFhiFwaQKy:disqus!