Comments on: Is it worth it to get a pressure cooker?

By: Darroch Tait

Darroch Tait — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 22:30:53 +0000

Hi, hopefully someone can help. My best mate and I are circumnavigating over the next four years. We cook with our pressure cooker pretty much every day as our staple diet is beans, lentils and root vegitables.
I recall reading in a few books (possibly by the Pardey’s) the mention of an old recipe book primarily aimed at cookin beans/pulses in a pressure cooker.
I cannot remember the name but THE BEAN COOKBOOK rings a bell.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as all the reference books are aboard the boat (in Greece) and I’m back in the UK for a few months and it’s the best place to do lots of online shopping.

Thanks in advance.

Daz

By: Meri Faulkner

Meri Faulkner — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:04:08 +0000

My mother used a pressure cooker at home to cook pinto beans and that’s all I new how to cook in it. When my family of four moved aboard for full-time cruising, my mother’s handy pressure cooker came along. I have since learned to cook meatloaf, stroganoff, pork roasts, beef and chicken curries, stews and chowders… you name it, I can pressure cook it in a fraction of the time it takes to bake. Propane conservation and heating up the cabin are major considerations. Breads? You bet! Mix the dough, let rise, punch down, place in a greased stainless bowl that fits your cooker on top of trivet (or inverted tuna cans work well), let rise again, add water to bottom of cooker, cook 15-20 minutes… Viola! How much do I depend on my pressure cooker? When the gasket disintegrated and I couldn’t find a proper replacement(I was in a foreign country), I bought a new pressure cooker.

By: Sandie Parker

Sandie Parker — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:21:31 +0000

All you need is a nice crock pot. Forget the pressure cooker, you can cook veggies and tons of things on the grill. Have aluminum foil on hand also, to steam and or cook potatoes, vegetables and meats on the grill.

By: Daria Blackwell

Daria Blackwell — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:59:04 +0000

I had a pressure cooker aboard for three Atlantic crossings and a year of island hopping in between. I used it once, even though I grew up with my mom using it often. I guess I just had enough gas and cooked things that didn’t take much time for the most part. I think I’d use it for soups and stews in cooler climates like this summer in Ireland and Scotland.

Can anyone share how one bakes bread and makes cheesecakes and sponge cakes in a pressure cooker? I’d love to try that to avoid using the oven.

By: Jane Morgan

Jane Morgan — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 20:52:40 +0000

I have cruised extensively and been the cook of everyone’s choice on voyages where crew shared all expenses and duties sailing from Austaralia to NYC. Also worked as a charter cook/mate for a couple of seasons in the BVI. A pressure cooker for me is the only kind of large pot to have if you live aboard, passage-make and go to far away places for all of the reasons the other contributers mention. I make great creme caramels, flans, sponges and cheesecakes: both sweet and savoury that make potluck gatherings very special.

By: Sherry, sv Soggy Paws

Sherry, sv Soggy Paws — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 08:27:34 +0000

I have been a pressure cooker fan for 20 years, ever since we first went cruising. It is great for the ‘less than perfect’ meat cuts you get in 3rd world countries, and will make a stringy chicken just fall off the bone in about 10 minutes of cooking.

Most often, I use it to ‘pre-cook’ stuff I’m going to BBQ… like chicken legs or ribs. Cook 8-10 mins in pressure cooker and then put on the grill with BBQ sauce. Also, when only whole chickens are available, put the whole chicken in the cooker and cook it up–debone everything (easy, it falls off the bone) and use it in your favorite recipe.

Also, soups, stews, and the kind of stuff you’d put in a ‘slow cooker’ at home. AND doubles as our ‘biggest pot’.

By: Bob & Beth, sv Sisiutl

Bob & Beth, sv Sisiutl — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:07:26 +0000

We have two and use them most of the time. Canning does really require one for food safety. Daily use saves gas and one pot meals are a snap with a pressure cooker.

By: Beth Anderson

Beth Anderson — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 22:15:18 +0000

I brought a Presto pressure cooker on board my cruise in 2009 and used it frequently. It really saves time and gas for the stove. I probably would not have used it much if I hadn’t brought along the great Lorna Sass cookbook “Cooking Under Pressure”. One recipe in there, a ziti dish, was one of our standbys as we could substitute different ingredients based on what was on board.

Our boat was small (only 29 feet) so I got a 4-qt cooker – it just barely fit in our sink. I will say that my husband was afraid that the thing was going to blow up every time I put it in the sink to quick-release the pressure.

Since our boat was small, the pressure cooker also doubled as our large pot when needed. Overall I would recommend one.

Many cruisers we met use the pressure cooker for baking bread, especially during long passages. I never did this as we spent most of our time in the Bahamas were almost every island had a local who baked bread for cruisers.