Comfort food or a proper home-cooked meal goes a long way in satisfying one’s appetite, keeping our minds off the COVID-19 pandemic that surrounds us. You get exactly that with a pressure cooker. Basic pots and pans aren’t going to cut it. Make it easy on you.
A pressure cooker is a trendy, unique kitchen appliance to experiment with. Whether you are buying a pressure cooker or already have one, we’ve put together a short list of some of our favourite, easiest, and cheapest recipes.
Dry Beans
Cracking a can of beans, there’s a lot of meat-free protein there. A pressure cooker allows a household to customize the taste of their beans. Buy a pack of dry beans. Don’t go for the can. Soak them the day before. Then, set them up in your pressure cooker on high for 40 minutes to one hour. At the same time, because it’s just water and beans, you can add freshly ground or whole spices like onions, garlic, fennel, herbs, and more.
Pulled meats
If you aren’t into the idea of cooking beans and aren’t a vegetarian, you can make a large amount of meat in a pressure cooker. Chicken, pork, beef, or whatever the case. Cut it, trim it, season it, and put it in the pot. You can cook it plain or soak it in a sauce. Some BBQ sauce is a tremendous addition. A homemade sauce also works. Chicken breasts in a pressure cooker require about 10 minutes while something like a brisket or pork might take closer to an hour.
Baked Potatoes
Baked potatoes in the oven require about an hour to get soft. But not in a pressure cooker. Add one cup of water and place a wire rack inside. Poke your potatoes a few times with a fork, set them on top of the wire rack, and cook on high-pressure for fifteen minutes. Then, release the pressure and you’re done. In fifteen minutes, you’ve got baked potatoes. Just like you would in an oven.
Macaroni And Cheese
Another name a pressure cooker goes by is an Instant Pot. There’s nothing cheesier than a homemade mac n’ cheese. Add in together 2 tablespoons of butter, 4 cups of water, salt, and approximately 1 pound of macaroni. Cook it on high pressure for two minutes. Then, mix in 1 cup of milk and four cups of cheese. You may also want to add in a little bit of bacon, caramelized onions, or other mix-ins. After a few minutes, you’ve got yourself some excellent macaroni and cheese.
Having to maintain social distancing and to isolate is tough enough. You should at least have some quality food to enjoy come mealtime. Visit Living.ca today to get your own pressure cooker.
Featured photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels
