Topic: First try with the new pressure cooker disaster!

[chewytikka]

Hi James
You've answered most of your own questions in your OP.
If you did the recipe in a normal stockpot without the required liquid and due care you would have had the same burnt result.

On your spinning weight
PC Test, Add 500ml of cold water,clamp lid on, turn to highest heat, your pressure indicator should pop up after 4 to 5 minutes, leave on high heat and you will see the weight start to spin and the longer you leave it on high heat the faster it will spin. Now turn the heat down to very low and the weight will slow down and eventually stop and may simply rock a little as it regulates the pressure.
Theres nothing wrong with your PC at all.

Base Test
A few months ago I uploaded a simple "All in one Base" or curry for beginners,
Using a bought curry powder (Bolst Hot)

Curry in a Hurry, Pressure Cooked base ?

1)-200ml vegetable oil, infused with Tej Patta and Cassia
2)-500 ml of tap water
3)-3kg Onions.
4)-1 medium carrot,
5)-Third medium Green capsicum .
6)-Third medium Red capsicum
7)-A quarter of white cabbage. (Small)
8 )-A handful of fresh coriander stalks.
9)-Half bulb of Garlic.
10)-2 inch piece of fresh ginger.
11)-2 Green Chillis
12)-3 tbsp of a tube of tomato puree. (M&S Italian)
13)-1 tbsp of salt.
14)-1 tbsp of Haldi. (Tumeric Powder)
15)-1 tbsp of Bolst Hot Curry Powder.

watch it here Curry in a Hurry

This one turns out more like a medium curry with the extra spice and infused oil.

Hope this helps, Chewy

 **Phil what make of PCooker do you own?

[RubyDoo]

Useful info there Chewy. Thank you.

The manual item 12 page 4 clearly indicates how much liquid should be put in  the PC . Ie min 300 ml AND that this is for max 15 mins. Extra cooking time demands an increase in additional minimum liquid by 150 ml for every extra 15 mins.

Hope this helps.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Phil what make of PCooker do you own ?

Fagor, I think : can't check at the moment as it is hot and full of ox kidney ...
Yes, Fagor : now confirmed. 
** Phil.

[Petrolhead360]

if there was pressure in the pressure cooker (which would of itself require liquid in order to generate that pressure, unless it were purely pressurised air), why did the weight not spin ?  When the safety valve blew, PH, was there copious steam or virtually none ?

** Phil.

When the safety valve blew there seemed to be a good amount of steam but when I opened the PC everything was dry.

[Peripatetic Phil]

When the safety valve blew there seemed to be a good amount of steam but when I opened the PC everything was dry.

OK.  I think you have identified the real cause earlier in the the thread, where you refer to the manufacturer's specification for the minimum amount of liquid per unit time.  As it would appear that you were well below that, it now seems very likely to me that the pressure cooker /was/ fine (whether it still is is moot) and so you have no valid claim under the "Not of merchantable quality" clause of the SoGA.

** Phil.

[Petrolhead360]

Useful info there Chewy. Thank you.

The manual item 12 page 4 clearly indicates how much liquid should be put in  the PC . Ie min 300 ml AND that this is for max 15 mins. Extra cooking time demands an increase in additional minimum liquid by 150 ml for every extra 15 mins.

Hope this helps.

Had another go tonight making a Spicy lentil and tomato casserole (Page 22 in the user guide).
The cooking times are all over the place i.e.Total cooking at full pressure 22 mins but in the method it says cook at full pressure for 4 mins.

But what that did demonstrate, not knowing which time to use, was the weight stopped spinning at about 10 min after reaching full pressure.
On opening the PC the dish was acceptable but heavily burnt on the base. All the water had gone.

Therefore my conclusion is when the weight stops spinning the liquid has dried up.
By the way this recipe had a pint of chicken stock added to the mixture.
So much for 15 min cooking per 500 ml of liquid.
Of course I could have had the gas turned up too much.

I will try cooking a whole chicken tomorrow night 

[Petrolhead360]

C2G.   I tend to make the 3 litre version but do it in the 7l pressure cooker as I then later make it up to around 6l when adding the water. I actually fill to a little over halfway with onions when doing this. Why do I do this? Simples. The largest pot I have is only 7l

Thanks for that I'll have a go at the 3L version

[Petrolhead360]

PC Test, Add 500ml of cold water,clamp lid on, turn to highest heat, your pressure indicator should pop up after 4 to 5 minutes, leave on high heat and you will see the weight start to spin and the longer you leave it on high heat the faster it will spin. Now turn the heat down to very low and the weight will slow down and eventually stop and may simply rock a little as it regulates the pressure.
Theres nothing wrong with your PC at all.

I ran this test and the weight spun freely and was controllable by increasing/decreasing the gas.

Thanks for the Base video and ingredients. I will make this base too.

Cheers

[goncalo]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but thought I'd run a question seeing as OP seems pretty much in the right direction.

I got myself a prestige pressure cooker, the model whose manual was linked by Phil early in this thread. Looking around the manual, I can't find any labels indicating how to "regulate the pressure", it points to where the regulator is, but there is no labels whatsoever. Regarding PSI, the manual also states it works as 7 lbs but can go up to a maximum of 14 lbs. What is the PSI exactly and how does it affect the cooking and what is the recommended?

[Peripatetic Phil]

According to the manual, it comes with a +7psi weight but the maximum safe working pressure is +14 psi.  I take this as meaning that there is an intrinsic 100% safety margin.  The boiling point of water at sea level is 100^oC; at sea-level + 7psi is circa 112^oC; at sea level + 15 psi is circa 120^oC. 

As a general rule of thumb, for every 10