Pressure cooking lentils, split peas?
Banded Krait
not to try to cook lentils and split peas in a pressure cooker. They claim
the foam produced when cooking these can clog the pressure regulating valves
of the pressure cooker.
This evening, I was browsing through the cook book section of a local
Borders book store, and I came across a very recent cook book on pressure
cooking. This book claimed such fears are unwarranted. It contained a
fairly large chart listing the various beans and other legumes along with
soaking and cooking times. It seemed to suggest that you should not soak
lentils, but just cook them directly in the pressure cooker. It also had a
tip about cooking the foamiest beans/legumes; it suggested putting several
(I didn't write down the amount) spoons of oil in the water, first.
How about it? For the experienced pressure cooking cooks out there, is it
safe to cook lentils and split peas in a pressure cooker? If so, what is
the "recipe" you follow (soak/not soak/cooking times, pressures)? Thanks.
Becka Currant
> How about it? For the experienced pressure cooking cooks out there, is it
> safe to cook lentils and split peas in a pressure cooker? If so, what is
> the "recipe" you follow (soak/not soak/cooking times, pressures)? Thanks.
I've never had any trouble cooking lentils in a pressure cooker - the only
problems I've had is finding the right amount of time between bullet hard and
mushy pulp!
Becka
--
Becka Currant
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"There is nothing so demoralising as a long, flat road in the rain" Lance
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Jean P Nance
cooker by obeying the instructions in a book on pressure cooking
carefully. But, how much time have you saved? Lentils and split peas are
done enough for anything but mush, in about half an hour after they start
boiling. You can use that time to prepare other ingredients in the dish,
or the rest of the meal, or just read a book or listen to some music.
Becka Currant
> Probably you can cook lentils and split peas safely in a pressure
> cooker by obeying the instructions in a book on pressure cooking
> carefully. But, how much time have you saved?
It takes 45 seconds to cook green lentils in my pressure cooker once it's
reached pressure, compared with the usual 45 - 60 minutes they take in a
normal pan on the stove so I save quite a lot of time.
zippo
> How about it? For the experienced pressure cooking cooks out there, is it
> safe to cook lentils and split peas in a pressure cooker? If so, what is
> the "recipe" you follow (soak/not soak/cooking times, pressures)? Thanks.
Just use care not to overfill the cooker and make sure the vents aren't
clogged before the next use.
Usually the max fill is 2/3 of capacity, but make it max 1/2 for legumes.
It is the foaming/frothing that the warnings refer to. If the vents get
filled it will harden and be hard to remove. If vents are plugged it
creates an overpressure potential.
The Roving Reporter
took a very strange color crayon and scribbled:
>It seemed to suggest that you should not soak
>lentils, but just cook them directly in the pressure cooker. It also had a
>tip about cooking the foamiest beans/legumes; it suggested putting several
>(I didn't write down the amount) spoons of oil in the water, first.
This makes sense. Oil rises to the top and would discourage foaming.
Actually, I've cooked lentils in a pressure cooker before. I didn't do
anything special, but I wasn't following any particular instructions
so I can't answer your question as to method. Just use approximately
the same amount of time you would use for other beans, allowing for
the fact that these are smaller ones and would thus require a bit less
time to cook through. You can also cook them for 15 minutes, let the
pressure down, check for softness, and if need be, re-start the
cooking process. Don't let them get dry or they'll burn.
--
Therese Shellabarger / The Roving Reporter
tls...@concentric.net / http://www.concentric.net/~tlshell
simy1
> Jean P Nance wrote:
> > Probably you can cook lentils and split peas safely in a pressure
> > cooker by obeying the instructions in a book on pressure cooking
> > carefully. But, how much time have you saved?
>
> It takes 45 seconds to cook green lentils in my pressure cooker once it's
> reached pressure, compared with the usual 45 - 60 minutes they take in a
> normal pan on the stove so I save quite a lot of time.
It takes a lot less if you presoak them, and if you use "french"
lentils, which are the best anyway. Plus, you can get them just right
and with the extra flavor given by a little garlic or onion sauteeing
at the start. I think a pressure cooker is too coarse a cooking tool
for lentils (or frozen peas). It is borderline for adzuki or navy
beans, and I can recommend it only for larger pulses than that.
BenAlias
>All the older vegetarian cook books and books on nutrition which I have warn
>not to try to cook lentils and split peas in a pressure cooker. They claim
>the foam produced when cooking these can clog the pressure regulating valves
>of the pressure cooker.
They are right for the pressure cookers of their day. The foam plus
the bits of "skin" that come off the peas or beans can clog the
valves of older pressure cookers and cause them to explode. Very
dangerous.
>This evening, I was browsing through the cook book section of a local
>Borders book store, and I came across a very recent cook book on pressure
>cooking. This book claimed such fears are unwarranted.
It is not so much a matter of being "unwarranted" as it is a matter
of a pressure cooker manufactured in 1958 being (probably) very
different from a pressure cooker manufactured 40 years later. The old
ones could explode if you tried to cook beans in them. The newer ones
probably have three, four, or five redundant safety features built in.
So cooking beans in the modern pressure cooker is a totally different
proposition from cooking beans in a 1950s model pressure cooker.
> It also had a
>tip about cooking the foamiest beans/legumes; it suggested putting several
>(I didn't write down the amount) spoons of oil in the water, first.
That is probably a prudent safety precaution.
>How about it? For the experienced pressure cooking cooks out there, is it
>safe to cook lentils and split peas in a pressure cooker? If so, what is
>the "recipe" you follow (soak/not soak/cooking times, pressures)? Thanks.
I would say the answer depends on the model of pressure cooker you
have, its design, and its age.
C'ya.
Ben
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Victoria
<Mod snip>
> safe to cook lentils and split peas in a pressure cooker? If so, what is
> the "recipe" you follow (soak/not soak/cooking times, pressures)? Thanks.
Lentils, as well as other legumes are no problem in a pressure cooker
if you follow 2 basic rules when cooking dried beans and peas. Don't
fill the P/C over halfway full and always use 1-2 tablespoons of oil
to minimize foaming.
LENTIL SIDE-DISH
2 cups dried lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 bay leaf
2 large garlic cloves OR 1 TBL, minced
1 tablespoon oil
6 cups water
2 to 3 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
½ cup finely minced fresh parsley (cilantro)
salt and pepper to taste after cooking
Combine all ingredieants except the mustard, cilantro and S & P in the
pressure cooker. Bring up to full pressure, reduce heat to stabilize,
and cook for 7 minutes at the first red ring, or at 10psi. Using quick
release check for doneness. If lentils are not done to your taste,
lock the lid back in place and return to high pressure for a minute or
two. Use the quick release method to drop the pressure and open the
lid. Remove the bay leaf. Drain off most of the cooking liquid,
reserving and freezing it for soup. Stir in mustard, cilantro, and
salt & pepper.
Hundreds of Pressure Cooker Recipes at the
Pressure Cooker Recipes website
http://pressure.spinnaweb.com/
Globe City
boiling point. And thus destroy many vitamins and minerals!
Wendy
http://www.prophecyspirit.com/vegetarian-meatless-recipes.html
Lawrence Tracey
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Lawrence Tracey
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria
> No matter when a pressure cooker was made, they all cook at highter than the
> boiling point. And thus destroy many vitamins and minerals!
Actually your statement isn't in keeping with current dietetic
practices. Using a pressure cooker takes only 1/3 the amount of time
as a regular stovetop pot. Any dietician will tell you that it isn't
so much the cooking method that is important, but the amount of TIME
it takes. The longer the cooking time the more nutrients are lost.
http://thriveonline.oxygen.com/eats/experts/joan/joan.08-05-97.html
Globe City
>so much the cooking method that is important, but the amount of TIME
>it takes. The longer the cooking time the more nutrients are lost.
Nevertheless, I learned many years ago cooking above the boiling point at
ordinary altitudes destroys many nutrients. Thus my mom, a doctor, normally
only used her pressure cooker to cook dry soy beans, which take a long time to
cook in a kettle. She had a very large one, and also used it for canning.
The value of low-heat cooking can be seen via the microwave oven. Which cooks
much lower than the boiling point. And thus all food cooked in it tastes
differently than cooked in a kettle, pan, or oven!
Wendy
ben
bigwheel
ben;1913754 Wrote:
> If you want timings, you could try this site: 'How to pressure cook
> anything: Accurate pressure cooking times and techniques for all
> ingredients.' (http://www.pressurecookingtimes.com)
We know the timings. What else do they have to offer? Are you trying to
trick us into clicking on a link?
--
bigwheel