Sophisticated, New Pressure Cookers Are Gaining Wide Acceptance

I like food that isn’t fussy, fatty or flat. Give me robust flavors, fork-tender meat and liberal doses of well-seasoned vegetables and grains.

And give them to me quickly.

--Lorna Saas, “Cooking Under Pressure”

When pressure cookers made a great comeback in the late ‘80s, store owners were skeptical that they would be welcomed. Memories of notorious dishes--explosive ribs, bean bombs, ceiling cranberries, rice pop-ups--started rolling back. However, proven safe with modern technology, the sophisticated, smart new cookers were indeed happily accepted. Today, interest in this fast and nutritious way of cooking hasn’t simmered down, instead a few cooker favorites are going full steam ahead.

“Surprisingly, pressure cookers are doing quite well,” said Judy Warfield, store manager at Cookin’ Stuff in Torrance. “The new ones are very safe, I don’t even know what to do with them to make them explode; we haven’t had any bad reports.”

Who are buying pressure cookers?

“Those who want home-cooked meals,” Warfield said, “people in their 30s, ‘the yuppie age,’ who are so health conscious that they stay away from junk food. I remember my mother didn’t want to come to my home when I would use the pressure cooker.” Warfield also said that buying enthusiasm is found in people coming from other countries; there are, for instance, a lot of immigrants from India, who have been used to using this method of cooking in their country.

The missing element in pressure cooking was a modern pressure cooker cookbook. Many cooker owners complained that after exhausting all the recipes in their manufacturer’s cookbook, they needed new recipe ideas. Lorna Saas provided this need in her timely book called Cooking Under Pressure (William Morrow: $18.95). A food columnist, consultant and historian, Saas started pressure cooking after her mother carted one home from India and began cooking zesty bean and grain dishes.

In her book, Saas explained that these three safety features are present in all pressure cookers available today:

--The lid must be locked securely in place before the pressure will rise.

--An expanding rubber gasket makes it impossible to unlock and remove the lid until all of the pressure inside the cooker has been released.

--An over-pressure plug and/or back-up vents begin to release steam (preventing pressure from continuing to build) if you forget to turn down the heat after high pressure has been reached, or in the unlikely event that the vent becomes clogged with food.

Throughout the book, Saas provides helpful tips with various recipes.

In cooking beans, for instance, she writes, “Beans are considered ‘forbidden foods’ by some pressure cooker manufacturers since foaming action can push a bean or loose skin into the vent and clog it. Use 4 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of oil (which controls foaming) for each cup of dried beans and you won’t experience any difficulty. When the cooking time is up, quick-release the pressure under cold water to avoid foaming or sputtering at the vent.”

In tune with healthful eating, the dishes feature newer grains, interesting vegetable preparations and low-fat meats. Also included is a dessert chapter with sweets that do well in the cooker such as chocolate cheesecake, Kahlua bread pudding and rice pudding custard.

As far as what cooker to buy, Saas says, “The new cookers are gorgeous. Go for the one that makes you happy.” The modern user-friendly pressure cookers boast similar features: Besides being simple to use, they make little or no noise. Most have stationary valves (instead of the removable regulator that rocks and chugs in cooking), plus indicator rods that tell you when the pressure is up. They have quick pressure-release levers that replace taking the pot to the sink to release pressure under water (the trade-off of course, is an extra burst of steam in the kitchen.) So, what’s out there?

From Lentrade, there’s the Chantal Speed Cooker (from $160 for 6-quart), a clean-looking cooker that comes in either enamel-on-steel (in bright blue, white, red, black, almond and matte gray finish) or gleaming stainless steel. One advantage with enamel on steel, which comes with a stainless lid, is the speed in bringing something to a quick boil, thereby reaching high pressure more quickly. The Chantal Cooker features a Unimatick valve that removes oxygen/air from the cooker during the preliminary heating period. It is the first pressure cooker to be designed with a main valve system consisting of only two pieces, the valve itself and the valve holder.

Warfield’s recommendation is the Tefal Sensor (from $90 for 4.7-quart). “It’s easy to use and opens so beautifully; we haven’t had to replace any cooker, or any gasket or other parts,” she said. Available in 18/10 stainless steel with black handle, the Tefal Sensor has a unique pressure-sensitive locking mechanism in the handle. As soon as cooking begins, the build up of pressure automatically activates the lock; once locked, the lid is impossible to open.

Available with a waffle-textured interior that prevents food from sticking, the Duromatic Pressure Frypan from Kuhn-Rikon (from $129 for 2-quart) has a fully automatic, self-regulating three-stage fixed valve. To release total pressure, the heat-resistant cap at the top of the pressure indicator rod is simply pressed down with the fingertip or spatula. Doubling as a braising pan, the Swiss-crafted Duromatic Frypan has an optional standard glass lid for cooking without pressure.) For more information call the Swiss Kitchen at (415) 461-1011.

Another 18/10 stainless steel pressure cooker is the Efficient Speed Cooker from Bra (from $199 for 3 1/4-quart), a cookware manufacturer in Spain. The cooker offers a three-way safety valve. The cooking indicator is color-cued to show internal pressure. For even and efficient heating, the cooker has a triple-layered base, sandwiching aluminum between stainless steel.

Also from Bra is the Pressure Cooker Bravo (from $175 for 4 3/4-quart). Cumbersome with its intricate-looking lid, this heavy-duty cooker doubles as a pressure canner; it’ll also deep-fry to produce commercial-style fried chicken.

The Bra pressure cookers are available at Pioneer and Lucerne Hardware (Beverly Hills).

The Chantal Speed Cooker is available at Robinson’s and Williams-Sonoma.

The Tefal Sensor is available at Cookin Stuff, Robinson’s, May Co and Broadway.

For source information on the Duromatic Pressure Frypan call (415) 461-1011; to order send $149 (freight and tax included) to the Swiss Kitchen, 228 Bon-Air Center, Greenbrae, Calif. 94904.