LOVE IT TENDER?

Pressure cooking is economical in terms of energy use, as it removes about two-thirds off the time it takes to cook food conventionally. So it will not only save you time, but money, too, and of course your kitchen will stay cooler.

The food, the liquid and the resulting steam sealed in the pressure cooker during cooking reach a very high temperature – higher than normal – which softens the fibres in the food, with flavoursome, tender results.

For this reason, pressure cookers work wonders with cheaper, secondary cuts of meat; tough meat is tenderised in no time at all. Ask your butcher what cuts he has that are suitable for stewing or braising – you’ll be surprised how inexpensive they are. Older (tougher) chickens, often called ‘boilers’, are a bit hard to find these days, but they make full-flavoured soups and casseroles when cooked in a pressure cooker.

Pulses of all types – dried beans, peas and lentils – tenderise quickly in the pressure cooker, even without