Boiling in the pressure cooker is great for tenderizing tough cuts of meat at a faster rate. The tasteful broth that is produced is useful as stock for gravies and stews.
Steaming is a very healthy cooking method that helps to maximize the preservation of nutrients and retention of flavors. This is usually done by adding a little liquid to the pressure cooker and placing the food on the steamer basket or trivet. You can also use steaming to reheat leftovers by placing them in a bowl on the trivet.
Browning or sautéing helps you to build flavor in your dishes. While you can do this in the pressure cooker with the lid open, it can also be done in regular pans. Many recipes in this book call for browning or sautéing but you may choose to cook the dish without browning or sautéing the specified ingredients.
Poaching is the submerging of food in liquid like water, milk, stock or wine. The liquid used for poaching is not usually part of the dish and is discarded or used to make a sauce.
Baking; A number of “baking” recipes can be adapted to pressure cooking. These include bread, fruitcakes, custards, cheesecakes and desserts that can be made in a mold. Some form of liquid is needed to produce steam in the pressure cooker so you cannot use it to bake food that requires dry heat.
Do not exceed the fill line. Always add the specified amount of liquid and do not fill the pressure cooker beyond the maximum fill line as stated by the manufacturer. Ideally, the pot should not be more than 1/2 full for liquids and 2/3 for meats and vegetables.
Cut pieces of meats and vegetables into uniform sizes so that they can cook evenly.
Thickeners should be added to stews and soups after pressure cooking. Thickeners added before pressure cooking are likely to condense at the bottom and increase the time needed for cooking.