Simple green
I’ve had my pressure cooker for over two years now, and I still haven’t quite gotten the hang of cooking meat in it, but it is the ultimate device for making greens. It’s like a rice cooker for greens, only better, since the greens, no matter how tough, are done in ten minutes.
Yesterday I went to Trader Joe’s and got one of their two-dollar bags of mixed braising greens. I threw the entire bag into the pressure cooker and, working off the recipe on the back of the bag, added one 5-ounce can of tomato juice, a sliced onion, and salt. I brought it up to high pressure and left it there for eight minutes, then let out the pressure. The greens (a mix of mustard, turnip, kale, and spinach) were perfectly cooked—even the stems. I served them with shrimp and grits, I would have eaten them as dinner.
If you have a pressure cooker, give this a try. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, I’m not sure I can recommend getting one just to cook greens. But if you know someone who cooks a lot of greens…well, this is the one I have.
Comment by Liza
I like this, from the product description:
Shorter cooking times and the tight seal cooking method preserve precious vitamins and minerals from escaping your food.
I can see how vitamins might chemically break down, but where have my minerals been fleeing to?
Posted on December 1, 2007 at 8:05 am
Comment by Cam
They’re also the ultimate device for making stock.
Posted on December 1, 2007 at 8:39 am
Comment by mamster
Liza: They swim upstream to the summit of mountain whence they came.
Cam: Good point. How long do you cook your stock in the PC?
Posted on December 1, 2007 at 9:42 am
Comment by Maggi
Wow! That’s a pricey one.
I do love my pressure cooker (I have a Magefesa) and I use it for all sorts of things (like stock and beans and the occasional cheesecake believe it or not.)
Unfortunately, for me it is used in spurts. I pull it out for a recipe and then use it for everything for two weeks. Then it gets put away again. Like I forget that I own one when I am making a big pot of stock or when I am soaking beans etc. If I left it on my stove all of the time, I might use it more. But since it tends to sit in a lower cabinet in my kitchen, it doesn’t get much time out on the field…
Posted on December 2, 2007 at 8:50 am
Comment by mamster
Maggi, the WMF went on sale for $120. I’m pretty sure Cook’s recommended a cheaper one a while back. I’m pretty sure it was this one, which is really much, much cheaper and looks fine.
Posted on December 2, 2007 at 9:34 am
Comment by Andrew
The Fagor gets high marks from the users on chow.com as well. Plus it’s induction compatible, if that means anything to you.
Posted on December 3, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Comment by Karen
ou can make a pretty respectable risotto in the pressure cooker too:
link
Posted on December 9, 2007 at 6:35 am