Cooking with a pressure cooker: which foods to avoid cooking this way and why
The pressure cooker is undoubtedly a very useful piece of equipment to have in the kitchen, allowing for reduced cooking times and avoiding the need for the use of too many taste-enhancing additives (like spices, salt, MSG, etc).
Like all cooking utensils, however, a pressure cooker also has its disadvantages: in fact, a pressure cooker is unsuitable for cooking certain foods (which could lose consistency, flavor or nutrients).
So what are the foods should not be cooked in a pressure cooker? Check out the list below:
1. Dairy products
Putting dairy products into your pressure cooker is not a good idea for two reasons:
- these products tend to splatter and will leak out of the valve while cooking;
- high pressure and temperatures could change the organoleptic characteristics (taste) of these products and also cause curdling.
2. Fish
Avoid cooking delicate fish, shrimp and shellfish in a pressure cooker if you want them to retain their flavor and not take on a soft, mushy consistency due to the pressure.
3. Lean meat
Lean meat cooked in a pressure cooker can easily become tough and stringy. Chose another method to cook meat like this. Rather, use cuts of meat that have a lot of fat, which will be released slowly in the pressure cooker, keeping the meat tender and tasty.
4. Leafy or delicate vegetables
Leafy vegetables and those with a very soft pulp/flesh (such as courgettes) will be turned into mush in a pressure cooker and will lose all their beneficial nutrients.
5. Fruit
For the same reasons as stated above, cooking fruit in a pressure cooker should also be avoided. It is much better to cook fruit (and leafy vegetables) in the oven, a pan or in a pot.
6. Food with skin/peels
Avoid placing any food that still has its skin/peel on in a pressure cooker, as this wrapping could block the safety valve and lead to an explosion.
7. Breaded and fried foods
Breaded foods, fried foods and all foods we expect to be crunchy after cooking cannot be cooked in a pressure cooker. The combination of pressure and water (in the food) will prevent crispy crusts from forming.
8. Dry food
Whatever type food you wish to cook in a pressure cooker (and especially dry food, like rice), never put it inside without the right amount of water. Without this water, you risk burning the food and damaging the cooker.
9. Foods that ferment
Finally, also pay attention to all those foods that could produce lots of fermentation foam (such as beans, lentils and chick peas). This foam could easily block the safety valve, leading to a catastrophe. And if you choose to cook these foods in a pressure cooker, make sure you only half-fill the pot.
What foods do you cook in a pressure cooker?
