On Fri, 28 Nov 1997 ASconyers@xxxxxxx wrote:
> Beans can be a slight problem in pressure
> cookers, from what I understand, since the bean skins can sometimes clog
> up the vents. I think the workaround is to make less than half a pot at a
> time, but someone with more expertise can probably fill you in on this.
> Good pressure cookers are somewhat expensive, usually $100 and more.
I got my pressure cooker as a shower gift about 2 years ago and I've been
really happy with it. Since it was a gift, I don't know how much it
cost, but I'm sure it wasn't more than $50 or $60.
The booklet that came with it has dire warnings about cooking beans
without oil, but it also includes numerous recipes for tenderizing meat,
so I've pretty much ignored the whole thing. When I got it, I asked for
advice from the list, and the consensus was that it isn't really
dangerous to cook beans in the pressure cooker.
The precautions I take are keep it less than 2/3 or 3/4 full, and to make
sure that the release valve isn't covered by a bean skin when I change
the water halfway through. Since the valve never has been covered by a
bean skin, I think that this is a relatively unlikely thing, so I don't
worry very much.
I pay attention to it while it's at high pressure though, so if
there were a change in its behavior, I would be able to reduce
pressure.
The speed of a pressure cooker is really great! No more planning ahead
to cook beans!
Susan Lehman
UNC-CH
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