I do a lot of pressure cooking and have both electric and non-electric pressure cookers.

I have not found the electric pressure cooker to be a useful multi-tasker. First, the slow cook function cooks at too high a temp on the two I've owned. I haven't used the steam function, since I pressure cook rice for 6 minutes to perfection. (Pressure cooked risotto is excellent.)

Also, the electric ones I've owned die quickly. If you look at the reviews on Amazon, they are quite mixed for all the brands of electric pressure cookers, save one. There's a new-ish one out, made in Canada and the reviews are stellar. Presumably, all settings work well. I just bought it for my daughter but, she hasn't used it, yet.

I don't know what you paid for it, but if it functions well for pressure, I don't think I'd make the extra trip to return it.

Deborah

Agree with Deborah - they die quickly. Went through 2 of them within a year before giving up on the electric models and back to the stove top. But then I don't have your stove limitations either. I can quick cook anything i want to with my old non-electric Mirro 8 qt. cooker.

Dave

So do you think the water should be boiling after venting the steam? I haven't yet PCd anything but the ham bone (good) and the rice (7 minutes, awful). But $12 plus tax wasn't much, like I said it would cost $5 in gas to return it. I do have another errand or 2 I could run tonight, if Goodwill is still open, so it won't totally be a wasted trip.

I don't know how long it would last, but I was really hoping to free up some storage space in my kitchen by replacing the slow cooker (or 2 - I have 1 larger and 1 smaller than this) and a rather large rice cooker.

So Deborah, how much rice, water, and what setting (psi) for 6 minutes? Quick release I assume (seems like if mine was too mushy at 7 minutes and QR, yours would be too at 6 min and natural release)?

I'm going to have to try PCing some chicken to see how that works. Didn't want to try with frozen thighs, though manual said to add 10 minutes per inch ( and then in a recipe that called for 3 lb beef roast said add 10 minutes - total?).

I thought you were asking if you should return it...tonight so ASAP. Little late now isn't it?

If you have decided to keep it anyway and now want to learn how to cook in it then that is a whole other issue and lots of websites for that info.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Cooking forums - Pressure cooking

Yeah, a little late now and DH decided he didn't really need a 2016 battery.

I was asking Deborah about the rice since she said it comes out perfect, I did 1 minute longer than she did and it was a gloppy mess (white rice). I have looked at Miss Vickie's and have a number of pressure cooking books requested at local library.

But one of the original questions was what temp water I should expect after doing a quick release of pressure - wondering if this thing actually getting up to close to 10-15psi when set on 15, since Slow Cook and Warm temps seem to be running lower than manual says, and Steam takes a while to get just a couple of cups boiling.

I can *try* to return it tomorrow when I'm in town anyway, tell them 2 days wasn't enough to run it through all the modes. I just don't know if this is working as it's supposed to based on the 1 ham bone. It is building up some pressure since the locking pin lifts. I probably wouldn't use anything but the 15psi setting and the Brown function.

The rice was Arborio, for risotto. I sautéed 1/2 cup onion in a non-electric pressure cooker, added a pinch of salt, and 1 cup Arborio rice.

Brown the rice for a minute, add a scant 3 cups stock and a squirt of white wine.

Bring to a boil. Put the lid in place and bring up to full pressure, 15 psi.

Cook for 6 minutes. Quick release pressure.

Stir in smoked mozzarella. Some minced parsley for color doesn't hurt. Serve.

I've done it in the electric cooker the same way. Hope this helps.

Deborah

Thanks. I used plain medium-grain white rice, not Arborio, 1.5C (I think, using 2 of the cups that came with my rice cooker) to 3C of water, a splash of oil to keep it from foaming, set the pressure to 15 psi and time to 7 minutes. Maybe it took longer to come to pressure than yours does, so rice was overcooked? I don't know whether to reduce the water.

OK, you're not going to see it with rice unless you cooked it in a bowl inside the PC, but have you ever cooked anything with a lot of liquid in the PC, and was it still boiling after you did a quick release?

have you ever cooked anything with a lot of liquid in the PC, and was it still boiling after you did a quick release?

That is the norm with pressure cooking. Even jars of pressure canned foods are still boiling after the lid is removed and that is after a proper cool down. So with a quick release as done in pressure cooking of course the liquid would still be boiling.

For rice, see link below.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: How to cook rice in a pressure cooker

That's what I figured. While I never noticed if the water in the canner was still boiling after a natural depressurization, I have seen the food boiling in the jars. Worries me that when I just tried PCing 2C of water in the electric one, it wasn't boiling after quick release.

But they won't take it back - too late, had to have done it last night.

Thanks for the link, I did read that this morning before DD had to go to Girl Scouts and I went shopping, it looks like I used too much water (only supposed to use 1.5x as much water as rice) and also may have done 1 minute too long (following the manual that said 7 minutes) if it doesn't take longer to cook more rice (I used 1.5C of rice and 3C of water, and not in a bowl - that's what I used for steaming but for PCing I just put the rice directly into the PC).

But I got The Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Toula Patsalis at the library today, others coming on interlibrary loan so I will get this figured out. Hopefully the electric PC will work with the recipes (I won't use the manual) and will just need a little longer cooking time due to not coming to full pressure (?).