The Veggie Queen Cooks Under Pressure on the East Coast

Last week I taught pressure cooking at Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, PA and also at Warren Kitchen and Cutlery in Rhinebeck, New York. Both classes were well received.

I made some amazing Moroccan Chickpeas in Rhinebeck with could become a staple dish for me, along with the quinoa pilaf that I have demonstrated probably 100 times (and this not likely an exaggeration). I also made a 2-minute Vegetable Melange which included fennel which is not usually part of my repertoire (except for occasionally in my roasted vegetables). It turned out perfectly, as I predicted.

I tell everyone to be sure that they use the minimum amount of liquid that the manufacturer recommends, unless they experiment and find out that they can use less which is often the case with the new, spring-valve pressure cookers. I use just enough to bring the cooker up to pressure.

Now, a good number more vegetarians and vegans attending Vegetarian Summerfest are getting on the PC bandwagon, and some of the staff at Warren Kitchen and Cutlery know more about the benefits of pressure cooking. Thanks to those who participated, and may you spread the PC word.

Fagor New 3-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker

Word on the street, or at least on the Yahoo Pressure Cooking forum is that the new Fagor 3-in-1 cooker is going to be released soon. Truth is, I have had one to try out for at least a few weeks. Unfortunately, I have been too busy to actually use it. But when I saw the words flying on the page, I decided that it was time to get it out and use it.

I am not a big fan of electric pressure cookers but have only tried one before. I own it and ended up using it more as a heat source at cooking demonstrations instead of actually cooking in it. It's an older model that doesn't have a quick release function and it had a mediocre timer. It was NOT digital, as the new ones are. I hope going digital helps somewhat with the timing. This one also has a quick-release feature.

I've made rice for the first time in it. My observations:

It took almost 5 minutes to get to pressure. Cooking time for rice is set at 6 minutes. You then quick-release the pressure.

Time to check out my 4 quart Fagor Duo to see how it performs. A bit too much basmati rice for me but it's just for testing. My son really likes it so he'll be the beneficiary.

Here are the stats for the Duo 4-quart:

Took 1 minute 20 seconds to come to pressure. 3 minutes at pressure and 5 minutes natural pressure release.

The rice seems virtually the same and the rice in the stove-top cooker is ready in less time.

First experiment down. Stove top pressure cooker triumphs over electric. The pluses for the 3-in-1 -- the removable insert is easy to clean. For some, the fact that it's nonstick teflon will be a plus. I prefer the stainless steel myself.

Until I adjust to using the 3-in-1, I am likely to continue most of my cooking on the stove. But it will be good for testing recipes for my book The Veggie Queen Goes Green: Pressure Cooking Basics.

Watch for more on the 3-in-1 trials, triumphs and failures.

Save Money with Your Pressure Cooker and Vegan Cooking

Having just paid $4.99 per gallon for diesel for my car, I am looking for ways to save money. Luckily I am already happily ensconced in pressure cooking.

I think that most people don't realize the many ways that the sky-rocketing fuel costs are going to impact them. It is going to mean rising food costs. So, to save money, you may have to go with my eating beans and grains once a week (or more) plan.

I'd like to see everyone adopt vegetarian or, even better, vegan eating at least once a week. OK. This may mean eating rice and beans but they don't have to be ordinary rice and beans.

Did you know that it only takes about 5 minutes at pressure to cook pinto or black beans (if they aren't really old)? More recently harvested beans cook more quickly but if you don't have the luxury of buying beans from a local farm or heirloom bean grower such as Rancho Gordo or Tierra Vegetables, you won't likely know the age of your beans.

Last week I demonstrated how to prepare red rice and beans (instead of red beans and rice) in the pressure cooker. The rice (which is whole grain) took 9 minutes at pressure and the beans took 4 minutes at pressure. You can season either any way that you like.

I also made a quick vegetable dish that included scarlet turnips, watermelon daikon, spring onion, garlic and yellow squash which took just one minute at pressure.

My complete meal hardly used any fuel at all, except for the cost of getting the vegetables. But these days I am on my bicycle so the energy that I burn is my own, therefore I am using my fuel well.

I encourage you to do the same -- get a pressure cooker, play with it and enjoy many meat-free days, saving time, money, energy and maybe even your health. And if you feel like it, ride your bicycle.

Acutely Aware of Alliums and other A Vegetables

It's spring and that means a new beginning. And the beginning of the alphabet starts with the letter A. Perhaps that's why this is the season for alliums, artichokes and asparagus. Of course, none of the alliums start with the letter A but it's fun to have some alliteration here.
My market finds this morning included many A veggies including spring onions, green garlic (mostly adolescent but more about that later), garlic scapes, uncured shallots, chives (all alliums) and artichokes.


Currently I am cooking my small artichokes in the pressure cooker. I added a bit of olive oil to the cooker and put in a minced cured garlic clove (first of the season but not local to me), a minced stalk of green garlic, salt, pepper and vegetable broth. The artichokes were sliced in half. After 9 minutes they were tender and delicious and no chokes but just a few tough leaves. I'll do them again if I can get them.

But the green garlic and garlic scapes (the top flowering part of the garlic) are done. And we will move past the A vegetables and get to the rest, including the Zs for zucchini. Oh, I can't wait because that means that tomatoes will also be on their way.

When I Say PC, I Mean Pressure Cooker

For some, PC means politcally correct, but not for me. My PC is pressure cooker. And I am not speaking about the type that comes with the political environment.


I mean that one that you actually use for cooking. For cooking that's fast, easy, tasty, economical, energy saving and more nutritious.


I recently joined a Yahoo pressure cooking group when the moderator contacted me about my DVD. Ray is going to have a contest and wants to offer my DVD, Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look http://www.pressurecookingonline.com/, as a prize.

From what I can tell of the group, they need more instruction on cooking vegetables, beans and grains. Many of the recipes that i have seen so far are very meat-oriented. Or maybe I am just not meat-oriented and notice it more.

Honestly, to be perfectly PC (and this time it does mean politically correct), everyone ought to be cutting back on meat as a way to correct the imbalance in our environment. So, maybe it's time to go PC.

Pressure Cook for More Nutrition

One of the main reasons to use a pressure cooker is because it's so fast but it also makes your food more nutritious. The quick cooking time helps retain nutrients.

The following is from a New York Times story titled , Finding the Best Way to Cook All Those Vegetables
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By TARA PARKER-POPE
Published: May 20, 2008:

That report did not look at the effects of microwaving, but a March 2007 study in The Journal of Food Science looked at the effects of boiling, steaming, microwaving and pressure cooking on the nutrients in broccoli. Steaming and boiling caused a 22 percent to 34 percent loss of vitamin C. Microwaved and pressure-cooked vegetables retained 90 percent of their vitamin C.

Now, that's impressive. The article also had other information that I liked reading, one tidbit stating that including avocadoes with your salad will help you absorb more nutrients. Since I really like avocado, that's good news.

But now I'm off to pressure cook some vegetables so I can improve my nutrition. I hope that you will, too.

It's really not scary and can improve your life in many ways.

Pressure Cooking is So Scary

Well, I would agree that using an old-fashioned pressure cooker like your mother or grandmother owned, was scary. And the stories of beef stew or split pea soup on the ceiling and walls are true.
But the new spring-valve, shiny stainless steel pressure cookers aren't like the old ones. They are quiet, don't hiss or pop, and they have so many safety features that they just can't blow up. I do believe that some of my junior college cooking students have tried to make it happen but without success.
The one drawback to them is that they are so quiet that it's possible to walk away from your cooker and forget that it was ever on the stove. In that case, you'll likely have a very burnt-bottomed pot that requires a lot of work to get it clean. But it will come clean.
And so will I -- I am a pressure cooking teacher. I sing the praises of pressure cooking whenever and wherever I can. That's why I am here.
I also have a pressure cooking website http://www.pressurecookingonline.com that you can check out.
I am going to post more about pressure cooking here, along with some recipes. I hope that you'll decide to join me on this green journey.