On Sun, 30 Jun 2013 19:36:28 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

> Assuming that you do use one. My mom used to have one but used it rarely.
> She was always afraid it would explode. And I've read countless old timey
> stories where they did explode. I gather that the new ones don't do that.
>
> I can't remember what my mom used hers for. I think they are supposed to be
> good for beans and I do make a lot of beans but... They don't take long to
> cook on the stove.
>
> I probably won't get one because don't really need another large thing
> taking up space that I don't have. But if the food would come out in some
> way as better tasting or better quality or something, I might consider it.
> For me, time isn't really a factor. There are plenty of quick meals I can
> fix if I need to. Like pasta or bean tacos.
>
I got one because I wanted to cook more beans from dry and remembered
it taking hours for them to be tender on the stove... so I bought one
and cooked them to mush twice. The second time, I merely brought the
pressure cooker to the pressure point, turned the heat off and then
let it cool down naturally. In the mean time, I guess ordinary
generic packed at the grocery store are a lot fresher than they used
to be and of course bulk beans at the natural food store are very
fresh too.

I'm still skeptical when people say it preserves flavor. I happen to
love the flavor of a slow cooked stock and can't imagine how a
pressure cooker could come close to duplicating it.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.