What to Do With My New Pressure Cooker & Food Processor?

[CarlyK]

I just got both of these and I was wondering if anyone had any tips to share with me about what to use them for, recipes, etc. I am just at a loss at what to do with them other than make veggies!

 

[soonerchef]

I use them for veggies...one thing that I have not done yet but want to try is cooking whole artichokes in the large one. I was told that it will hold 2 artichokes and you put them in with a couple tablespoons of water, couple cloves of garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice an pop them in the microwave for about 10 minutes and you will have perfectly steamed artichokes.

 

[cmdtrgd]

I know it takes 2 mintues in the large cooker to perfectly steam broccoli - with a tablespoon or two of water and salt to taste.

 

[Wendyss]

white ringI love my microcookers but was wondering if everyone else has a white ring in their cookers. My m-in-law asked me if this was normal and I just assumed it was b/c I had it too.

You can do mac & cheese in the microcookers. I think it's 1 3/4 cups water for about 9 minutes stirring every 3 for the packaged powdered mac & cheese.

 

[Marg]

I brown my ground beef in the microcooker. 2 minutes then stir, repeat until done and it's soooooo much easier to drain the fat!

 

[Erin M]

melt chocolate

 

[CarlyK]

Wow, thanks for all of these tips!
You can actually brown meat in that? Does it come out the same? I am intrigued now!
Also, has anyone melted chocolate in it? Does it come out okay?

 

[Marg]

Yep - the meat looks just like you've browned it in the skillet!
And, yes, I melt chocolate in mine all the time!

 

[jenpartain]

love themI use them all the time to melt butter, heat up canned vegs then drain water. If you got left overs, put it in there & saran wrap it then put lid on and put in ref until you are ready to eat the leftovers, just remove the saran wrap & heat it up.

It's so useful! I use them everyday!

 

[Lisa/ChefBear]

Has anyone ever had a guest ask about Plastic safety with micro-cookers??At a show I had this past weekend I had the guests from H@@@ who were loud and disruptive and obnixous about products and problems with products, that weren't actual problems, but them using them wrong!! Anyway, one of the ladies made this HUGE deal out of dissing the Micro-Cookers and Rice Cooker as I was talking about them, as "they are plastic and UNSAFE to cook in. Haven't you heard, plastic put TOXINS in your food??" I went on to say that lower grade of plastics can 'cause probelms, but I didn't really see PC selling an unsafe product, which she then went onto "our PC cookware and it isn't safe and how Dupont is in trouble for their products killing people." I was trying to be polite and todl her I was sorry she was mis-informed about our cookware and she needed to read the USA today article how the EPA is after the Corporation for poor ventaliation with the workers.

I was so frustrated by that point I wanted to cry and I was trying to stay polite and be nice but firm and truthful in my answers and she turned to someone else there and said, "Wow, she'd didn't hem and hah, and she didn't yell at me like the other girl did" So she must do this at every show she goes to.

I hope NOT to see her again, I was polite and asked if she wanted to book, but was praying to God she'd say no, which she did.

But, how else could I have answered her??

 

[Lisa/ChefBear]

Just to clarify - I LOVE and use my cookers all the time!!I just wanted to be sure I said that.

I love mine, you will get a white ring around them, if you do certain foods in them, can't remember what 'caused mine to change.

I use them for veggies, re-heating, and before the rice cooker, I did rice in them.

Lisa

 

[pcjulie]

I believe I read somewhere that if you melt things (like butter and chocolate)in them to the boiling point it will cause marks in the cooker that are harmless. I melt my butter and chocolate until almost melted and then stir them until completely melted. HTH!

 

[chef_leeanne]

I use the small cooker to make scrambled eggs. 2 eggs, splash of milk, whisk together, cover and nuke for 2 - 2 1/2 minutes. Fluffy scrambled eggs without added fat!

OR

use the large cooker and do 3 eggs, 1/3 cup milk, whisk, cover and nuke for 3 minutes.
Lee Anne

 

[tiffanypc05]

I cook potatoes(2-3) and cover with water, cook with 15 minutes and they are ready to eat.

I cook boneless chicken breasts for about 10 minutes and they are ready to eat(they are so delicious if you add a little lemon juice or itatlian seasoning)

I cook noodles for about 5-6 minutes and they are ready to go into spaghetti

I cook hamburger meat for 6-8 minutes if thawed 10 minutes if frozen

I also reheat leftovers in it, cook candied yams in it, make tea in it, make grits in it, and cook vegetables in it.

This is my one of my favorite products other than the cookware...these are my #2 seller.

 

[soonerchef]

At a show I had this past weekend I had the guests from H@@@ who were loud and disruptive and obnixous about products and problems with products, that weren't actual problems, but them using them wrong!! Anyway, one of the ladies made this HUGE deal out of dissing the Micro-Cookers and Rice Cooker as I was talking about them, as "they are plastic and UNSAFE to cook in. Haven't you heard, plastic put TOXINS in your food??" I went on to say that lower grade of plastics can 'cause probelms, but I didn't really see PC selling an unsafe product, which she then went onto "our PC cookware and it isn't safe and how Dupont is in trouble for their products killing people." I was trying to be polite and todl her I was sorry she was mis-informed about our cookware and she needed to read the USA today article how the EPA is after the Corporation for poor ventaliation with the workers.

I was so frustrated by that point I wanted to cry and I was trying to stay polite and be nice but firm and truthful in my answers and she turned to someone else there and said, "Wow, she'd didn't hem and hah, and she didn't yell at me like the other girl did" So she must do this at every show she goes to.

I hope NOT to see her again, I was polite and asked if she wanted to book, but was praying to God she'd say no, which she did.

But, how else could I have answered her??

For a guest that does this, I would playfully tell her..."You know what, if you keep heckling me you will have to sit in the naughty corner" and then go on to ask her what her favorite product is and maybe try to lighten her up a bit!

 

[jdavis]

I had one guest (now my best customer) who tells everyone it is her favorite, she said she has 5 because everytime she needs one it is dirty so she just bought them all so she will always have at least one clean, lol.

I do cheese dip in them from start to finish, brown the meat, drain, add the cheese and salsa, talk about 1 pot wonder (if it's not for work I have to make a little to satisfy cravings at home). IMO I like the small one better because the lid locks on lots better, best for draining. I am always raving about them myself, it's inexpensive and everyone could use it, like to cook or not.

 

[AJPratt]

Andrea, where were you at my last show?!

Lisa, I just had a show like that. I was rolling out some dough and talking about the roller and one lady said, "Haven't you ever heard of take out?" Everyone started to laugh and I felt like an idiot. I couldn't take her any more and I finally said, "Actually, my husband just lost his job and we can't afford take out right now." She was quiet the rest of the night. My husband had just lost his job and everyone there knew it. Including her. What a witch! She had something to say about everything and then spent $30, including tax and shipping.

 

[Lisa/ChefBear]

Reply from Home Office about Micro-CookersHere's what I rec'd back from HO after sending them an email asking about safety of plastic micro-cookers.

There is a lot of misinformation circulating on the internet, and
usually we are questioned about toxins/dioxins and John Hopkins doing a
study. You may gain some helpful information by going to Snopes.com,
which is a myth-busters web-site for urban legends such as this. We
have pasted the link below, which specifically talks about John Hopkins.
At the end of this Snopes article, there is a link to John Hopkins which
also can be a helpful piece of information. We have also attached that
link.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp

http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/articles/halden_plastics.html

Our micro cookers and rice cooker are made of a high heat polypropylene
plastic and the colorant is FDA approved. The plastic is talc filled
(which is what helps give it the high heat capabilities for the
microwave) and this talc is encapsulated into the food safe plastic and
does not disseminate into the air.

Regarding dioxins, they can be found in beef, dairy products, milk,
chicken, pork, fish and eggs. You would need to avoid a lot of common
foods to avoid dioxins. The "danger" of dioxins is found in the food
chain and not in cooking vessels. There is information on dioxins at the
usda.gov web.

We hope this helps.



The Pampered Chef Test Kitchens

 

[h_simcox]

WOW, thanks for the great info. I love to be prepared if anyone ever says things like that to me! Personally, I only have the rice cooker. I did a show the other day where this mother of 3 yr. old twins raved about how much she loved them. She told everyone she had 2 of each size and they were the only way to go to get supper on the table after a long day at work! I ended up selling 6 sets of both sizes at that show. I just love when the customers do your work for you!

 

[sailortena]

Can anyone tell me the real difference in the cooking styles of the micro-cookers and rice cookers? I tried to explain this at one show and didn't do so well. I didn't recommend they cook cakes in the microcookers. And the rice cooker is more of a steamer thing. There has to be a good reason for the big price difference between them all!

 

[CarlyK]

Wow, thatnsk for that additional information about the plastics and such! I will definitely have it on hand and I shll be prepared if anyone ever asks me about that.

I know that you can cook cakes in there, but I don't have any cake recipes. Does anybody have any that they are willing to share?

 

[SummerG]

I use my small micro-cooker for preparing canned soup. Also like others have mentioned for veggies and melting chocolate. Makes it so simple!