The Pressure Cooker Is Your Friend

This is a pressure cooker. Some people are afraid of them, they don't bite, they don't strike out, what they do is shorten cooking tine for many foods. You can cook potatoes in about 10 minutes, beans in about 15 to 30 minutes, meatloaf in about 30 minutes, and so on. I have used one to cook a turkey before. One thing to remember is that it uses pressure to cook & that pressure MUST be released before you open it. Once the stove is turned off, just let it sit & the pressure will go down on its own. If, however, you're in a hurry (who isn't) you can either run cold water out of the tap over it or with the range hood fan running & a towel placed over the vent hole, remove the little cap (the one you put on it to build steam, usually placed on the center hole) and let the steam escape that way. Both ways work fairly well. Once in a while the cooker may spray & spurt steam or moisture, just cover it with a kitchen towel until the steam stops coming out. You may have heard stories of the pressure cooker exploding. This is rare. The best way to avoid it is to make sure the gasket in the lid is free of cracks & fits properly & it should be fine. Happy cooking!