In article . com>,
"aem" > wrote:

> zxcvbob wrote:
> [snip]
> > Yesterday, I pressure cooked the ham hocks by themselves for about 45
>
> > minutes to maybe an hour -- I wanted them to pretty much dissolve
> into a
> > mass of gelatin. I picked the little bit of meat out of them and
> added
> > it back to the broth, added the partially soaked beans, 2 bay leaves,
> a
> > few grinds of black pepper, a pinch of summer savory, and some
> crumpled
> > dried hot peppers. I pressure cooked it for 10 minutes and let the
> > pressure drop slowly without quenching it. Meanwhile, I chopped up
> the
> > fat and skin and bones from the hocks and boiled them in a little
> fresh
> > water to extract the rest of the flavor. When I opened the cooker, I
>
> > strained the ham-water into the beans and stirred it up and tasted it
>
> > for seasoning. (it was pretty good and didn't *really* need
> anything)
>
> > I sauteed a half an onion and a little bit of celery in some
> vegetable
> > oil. Added it to the beans, along with a little garlic powder and a
> > little more black pepper. Simmered, uncovered, for just a few
> minutes
> > and it was done. [snip the rest]
>
> Can't argue when a workman knows his tools. I didn't realize that
> people used the cookers that flexibly. Thanks. Now, can you really
> find a decent one for $20. I looked up some product 'reviews' and they
> seemed to be in the $150 range.
>
> -aem
>
> p.s. the beans sounded great right up until you added celery....
>

<grins> The pressure cooker is more versatile than Sheldon knows.....
I don't know why he got the impression that anyone adds in all the
ingredients at once either! When I make stews or pot roasts, I _still_
pre-brown the meat (and that can be done in the bottom of an open
pressure cooker) then add my onions, garlic and spices, then pre-cook
that first! The other veggies are added later and it takes a fraction of
the time to finish a good pot roast than doing it in the oven or on the
stovetop with the large cast iron pot, and it does not heat up the house
as much in the summer.

I've personally never seen the 6 quart cookers for $20.00. I'd never get
aluminum, just stainless steel. They are more in the $35.00 to $40.00
range but, like any other good kitchen tool, they last forever. You just
have to replace the rubber parts from time to time.

--
K.

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