Text 15005, 123 rader
Skriven 2007-05-04 09:06:58 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Carol Shenkenberger
Ärende: RICE COOKERS AND70504
=============================
 -=> Quoting Carol Shenkenberger to Dale Shipp <=-

 CS> I know you like your wok (grin) but I have no desire to have one and
 CS> would never take up primary kitchen storage space with one.  It someone
 DS>  
 DS>   We use our wok a lot.   Kind of hard to do decent Chinese stir fry
 DS>   without one.

 CS> Well, I seem to do the same well enough but my cookery is varied in a
 CS> different direction so this one seems to not be needed for us.  I have
 CS> other things though we need almost daily with others here would find
 CS> 'expendable' I am sure!
 
A curved wok bottom allows small quantities of spices and garlic to be
fried in a little pool of oil before adding the onions and other
ingredients.  Then turning the contents is also simpler.  A flat
frying pan is better for meatballs and suchlike, as they can be spread
out and browned evenly.
 
 CS> Humm, summer back in Norfolk, our outdoor use of the grill seems to
 CS> relate more to it being either 'too hot' or short on charcol.  It's a
 CS> built in brick type, not one of those other types.

I have a gas-powered one on wheels, which is easy to move out of the
garage to under the orange tree.
 
 CS> Don's got teeth problems so softer food is a norm here and has been

That is where the pressure cooker comes to the fore.  You can easily
cook meat fairly quickly to whatever stage of softness you prefer, all
the way to soup.
 
 CS> Might add, I have a pressure cooker but it's dusty too. I 
 CS> just didnt grow up with that type of cookery so am not all 
 CS> that good with it, nor have i tried much.
 
 CS> I still have one and I think of it now and again. It seems like it
 CS> would be a good unit if I had a better feel for how to use it safely. 
 CS> I'm just scared I might blow it up (and me) or something. I think I
 CS> need to see someone who has one and is used to it, actually *use* it so
 CS> I can see what the thing is supposed to do.

This is a common attitude towards pressure cookers, and often results
from an early exposure to a disaster.  I can assure you that the
modern ones are nowhere near as dangerous as depth charges, high
explosive shells and other "bangs" that you handle every day!

 CS> Like, '8 mins at 15 lbs'.  Ok, I turn the stove on then it heats and
 CS> when is 8 mins starting?  Dunno.  But if I did, this might be a useful
 CS> item for a potroast?

Like when operating a 6 inch Naval gun, there are certain safety rules
which have to be followed.

1. Always have enough water in it so that it will not run dry.  If it
does, the fusible plug will melt and the contents will spray out over
the kitchen.  This happens to most users once only. (G)  Although
spectacular and messy, it is not dangerous.

2. After loading and putting on the lid, heat the cooker on high until
the weight or safety valve begins to lift, start timing, and turn down
the heat to just enough to keep steam coming out.

3. At the end of cooking time - 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how
tough the meat is - carefully take the cooker off the stove and sit in
cold water in the sink until the pressure drops and the lid loosens
and can easily be removed.  If the meat is still not sufficiently
cooked it is OK to put the lid back on and return it to the stove for
a few more minutes.

4. Most pressure cookers run at 12 - 15 pounds per square inch,
although I once found a French one which ran at about half that.  Some
have two weights or settings to allow both those pressures.  I also
have a large one suitable for canning, which has a pressure gauge and
adjustable safety valve allowing up to 25 psi.

5. As a pressure cooker has a thick bottom, it is very easy to brown
things like lamb shanks or ox tail in a little oil before adding the
other ingredients and liquids and putting on the lid.

Now, be brave, and give it a go!

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: OXTAIL SOUP (In pressure cooker)
 Categories: Indonesian, Meat, Asian
      Yield: 6 Servings
 
      1    Large oxtail
    500 g  Carrots, sliced
      4    Sticks of celery, cut up
      5    Medium onions, sliced
      1 tb Butter
      2 ts Ground black pepper
      2 ts Ground nutmeg
     10    Whole cloves, or 1 ts ground
           Salt to taste
      4 tb Soy sauce
    1/2 c  Cornflour
 
  Trim fat from the oxtail and separate the joints if necessary. Brown
  sufficient butter on a medium heat in pressure cooker. Fry the oxtail
  in the butter until the pieces are brown. Remove the pieces of
  oxtail. In the oil remaining in the pressure cooker, gently fry the
  onions and carrots for 2 minutes, then add celery, pepper, cloves,
  nutmeg, salt. Fry on the same heat for another 10 minutes. Add oxtail
  and heat for 5 minutes. Add soya sauce and turn heat to high for 2
  minutes, stirring. Add water to cover, stir and put lid on pressure
  cooker. When steam starts to come out, reduce heat and start timing.
  After 35 minutes take off stove and cool down and remove lid. If you
  want to thicken the soup, mix the cornflour with hot water and stir
  into soup. Simmer for another 10 minutes without the lid, while
  stirring.
  
  Serve with rice.
 
MMMMM
 

___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR]

--- FLAME v2.0/b
 * Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)