Customer Reviews

Better Homes and Gardens Pressure Cooker Cookbook

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My mom had a pressure cooker when I was growing up in the '50s, and because she worked and had to get dinner on the table pretty fast, a large percentage of our meals were prepared in the pressure cooker. I particularly remember goulash and stews. And Mom's warnings about using it correctly so it wouldn't explode.

I got one many years ago, but was always intimidated by it so rarely used it as anything other than a cooking pot. Recently, though, I decided to start experimenting. I'd bought this recipe book - how can you go wrong with BH&G? - so I hauled it out and waded in.

The recipes are pretty basic - stews, pot roasts, variations on the chicken theme, some soups, and so on. I was looking for a pot roast, so I selected that recipe as my first. And immediately discovered a MAJOR goof in the recipe: It tells you to brown the meat in oil and then remove it before adding the vegetables and seasonings. Then it tells you to put the top back on and cook it under pressure for eight minutes. But it never tells you when to put the meat back into the pot! If I hadn't studied it carefully before I began cooking, I would have cooked the veggies without the meat and the meat would never have cooked. So I improvised and put the meat back in on top of the veggies before securing the lid.

I'm an experienced cook, and I know that it's always a good idea to read a recipe through first. For newcomers, though, a mistake like this could spoil the experience for them. Pressure cooking is supposed to be an fast and easy way to prepare nutritious meals, and it is, IF the recipe is correct!

So while I don't condemn the entire cookbook, I do suggest that you be sure to read the recipe through carefully first, and make sure it makes sense BEFORE you start cooking!

Love this cookbook and has inspired me to dust off my pressure cooker and eat some tasty dishes. Thanks

After trying a pressure cooker you'll agree that all households need one. Energy saving, both of your & the earth's natural resources; healthy, tasty food in much less time than ordinary cooking.

This book explains pressure cooking in an easy to read format with good photos so great results are easy to accomplish.