Try It, You'll Like it! Pressure Cooking 102

OK, this is not pressure cooking 101 because at this point you already have your pressure cooker, and you already have read the instruction manual and/or watched a DVD about how to use your pressure cooker. This blogpost isn't about how the pressure cooker works, it's about how to make pressure cooking part of your weekly cooking life. This is what you do, and I promise, if you actually do as I suggest, then it can, and will, change your cooking life.....

First, make a commitment to use your pressure cooker at least once a week for 1 month. I know with all we've heard about old fashioned pressure cookers and it can be scary....truly I know, I was scared too! But, get over it! I think you'll find that after your first experience you'll be anxious to do it again, once you see that it's not that bad! Pick a day of the week, make a commitment, and without fail make it happen. I don't want to hear, "Oh, I tried that pressure cooking thing one time....I didn't like it!"

Second, pick one or two recipes, and stick with only those. I suggest a "one pot" meal like chili, a hearty soup, or a pot roast, and then something like a polenta, rice dish, or multi grain breakfast cereal.....one meal that will take up to 20-30 minutes, and one recipe that takes less than 10 minutes. By repeating the same recipes (not more than two, please) you start to memorize the order of things, and very quickly make adjustments depending on the ingredients you have on hand....therefore creating you own recipes!

Practice and consistency. The best recipe is no recipe! These are the keys to effortless cooking!