I love my pressure cooker, and I'm so surprised that more Americans don't use them anymore! My mother bought me a Fissler pressure cooker in Europe, where's it's one of the best brands available, and I've never had any problems with it. I don't know where you might find a Fissler pressure cooker in the US, but I highly recommend them, especially over Fagor (I have both, and it's like night and day). I use the pressure cooker for stews, meats, steaming veggies, and rice. I even cook pasta in it! Bottom line, since I'm so short on time every night because of work and traffic, the pressure cooker allows me to eat fast meals without eating all the preservatives and other chemical junk that goes into convenience foods. I love it!

I do think traditional risotto is a little better, but to be honest I am not sure I could reliably tell the difference in a blind test. You know how, when making traditional risotto, the creamy quality doesn't start to emerge until rather late in the process? For most of the procedure, you're just stirring hard little rice pebbles that couldn't care less about creamy. With the pressure cooker risotto, you do stir it, but you're stirring at the end, when the rice is ready to get creamy. There is a pragmatic benefit too - if you're juggling lots of courses at once and the clock is ticking, either you do the risotto early when you have time and then it sits and sits, turning into cold paste, or you do it at the end when you're struggling to watch the broiler, tend the deep fryer, work the wok, or whatever foolish mess you've gotten yourself into. Neither is really ideal. With the pressure cooker, you crank the heat 30 minutes before the dinner bell, at T -15 you unseal the cooker, throw in a knob of butter, stir vigorously, adjust moisture and salt and pepper, by T -10 your risotto is done and you've only spent 5 minutes of the crucial "last hour" on this side dish. It is not elegant but it works.

I just happened to run across a recipe I had saved and forgot about having. I have not prepared it but thought you might want to add it to your collection for your pepper loving family. It sounds interesting to me. Chile/Tomato Stuffed Bell Peppers Jamie Oliver 2 Red Peppers, halved lengthwise, deseeded and the stem left on 2 Yellow Peppers, halved lengthwise, deseeded and the stem left on Sea Salt and Black Pepper 1 Clove garlic, peeled and sliced finely 24 Cherry Tomatoes, halved 3 Fresh Red Chillies, 2 sliced and one deseeded and finely chopped 2 Tablespoons Capers, soaked and drained Handful black olived, pitted A Bunch Fresh Basil, leaves picked 2 Tablespoons red or white vinegar Extra Virgin Olive oil Optional: 8 Sliced Pancetta or Smoked Bacon 4 Slices Sourdough Bread 4 Balls Mozzarella Cheese, torn in half 2 Handfuls Arugula The peppers are baked at 400F, then filled with the rest of the stuff. Served on top the bread and with the mozzarella on the side and Arugula on top. There was some disagreement on another site as to whether to stuff raw or cooked. It said to put the pancetta on top and cover with foil. Cook in the oven (375-400) for 15 minutes. Take the foil off. Give them another 10-15 min. Put the thin sliced mozzarella on top. Put the peppers on top of the toast slices & poke them through the bottom so the juices run onto the toast. Sprinkle some more very finely diced chiles over everything. The arugula is served on the side, dressed with olive oil, wine vinegar and S&P. Beverly

Beef and Barley Stew 2 lbs chuck or round roast cut into 1 1/2 cubes 1 cup baby carrots 2 stalks celery cut 1 1/2 pieces 1/3 cup pearled barley 1T olive oil 4 tsp of beef base mixed into 4 cups water 1/2 cup red wine (I use another 1/2 cup of tomato juice) 2 T tomato paste 1/8 tsp ground allspice 1T minced garlic 2 bay leaves 1 tsp dried thyme 1 cup frozen peas 1 onion sliced thin 8 ounces mushrooms halved 2T corn starch mixed into 2T water salt and pepper to taste add all ingredients except peas, onions, mushroom and corn starch in the pressure cooker, lock the lid. Set cooker to high and cook for 20 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes before quick releasing the remaining pressure and remove lid. Set cooker to high or brown with lid off and add peas, onion and mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes Pour corn starch mixture into simmering stew slowly until thickens to your liking. salt and pepper to taste For more traditional beef stew replace the barley with 8 halved new potatoes.