Pressure Cooking - Whole Meal Magic

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One of the handiest advantages of pressure cooking is being able to prepare an entire meal at one time, in only one pot! By using the cooking rack to keep certain foods out of the cooking liquid, each food - whether it's an entree, side dish or dessert - retains its own individual, delicious flavor.

Ideally, you should select foods which require the same cooking time when planning a pressure cooker meal-in-one. The size of the food pieces, of course, will affect the cooking time. For instance, 1/2 inch slices of potato cook in 3 minutes, while 3/4 inch slices take 5 minutes. So, you can adjust cooking times by cutting your foods into larger or smaller pieces.

If the foods you select for your meal-in-one require widely different cooking times, you can easily make adjustments. For example, when your menu features barbecued chicken (8 minutes) with corn-on-the-cob (2 minutes) and green beans (2 minutes), follow this common sense cooking schedule:

1. Place chicken in pressure cooker with desired amount of cooking liquid. Close cover securely. Bring cooker to pressure and cook for 6 minutes.

2. Quick cool the pressure cooker under cold water until pressure is completely reduced. Remove the pressure regulator and then the cover. Place corn and green beans on cooking rack in pressure cooker.

3. Close cover securely. Bring pressure cooker back to pressure and cook 2 minutes more.

4. Quick cool the pressure cooker until pressure is completely reduced, remove the cover and "presto!" Dinner is served!

You can adapt this easy cooking method for dozens of delicious meals-in-one with your pressure cooker. It's almost like magic!