Pressure Cooking for Everyone [Paperback]

Rick Rodgers (Author), Arlene Ward (Author), Kathryn Russell (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2000

The pressure's on! These days who isn't looking to get a great meal on the table without a lot of time in the kitchen? Fast, foolproof, and extremely versatile, Pressure Cooking for Everyone is the answer for every busy cook. Now that pressure cookers are safe and easier to use than ever before (gone are the days of spaghetti-sauce-on-the-ceiling fiascos), author and acclaimed cooking teacher Rick Rodgers is here to prove that nearly everything can be cooked betterand fasterunder pressure. An enclosed system, pressure cooking locks in flavor and nutrients. From Hearty Lentil and Pasta Soup to Five-Spice Pork Roast, Butternut Squash Risotto, and even creamy Orange-Chocolate Marble Cheesecake (who knew?), Pressure Cooking for Everyone reveals the secrets behind dozens of succulent dishes. Chock-full of great information and lavishly illustrated with beautiful color photographs, Pressure Cooking for Everyone is the perfect companion to every pressure cooker.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While pressure cookers have been around for years, the new generation of quieter, safer and more efficient cookers is part of the inspiration for this collaborative cookbook. The book re-introduces this amazing appliance as a means of delivering a broad range of gourmet cuisine in a fraction of the time normally required, without sacrificing flavor or elegance. Authors Rodgers and Ward also point out the energy efficiency of shorter cooking times and the many health benefits of this versatile tool, noting that vegetables in particular lose fewer vitamins, retain their color and typically require less salt. The recipes, which emphasize simple, wholesome ingredients, are often variations on traditional dishes: hearty standards like 15-minute Garlic Mashed Potatoes, lighter fare such as 11-minute Tomato Basil Pasta, and Lamb Chops Dijonaise. Ward especially promotes made-from-scratch preparations, with numerous recipes for soups and stocks that have a more intense flavor for being homemade. Some of the recipes are of a newer breed: surprisingly delicate desserts such as Apricot Cheesecake and Ginger Cr?me Br?l?e can be made perfectly in the steamy interior. Not promoting instant cooking, the authors rather reconceptualize a very practical kitchen appliance. (Jan. 1)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Rick Rodgers is a well-known cookbook author, cooking teacher, and radio and television guest chef. He is the author of several cookbooks, and his recipes have been featured in such publications as Food & Wine and Woman's Day. He lives in New Jersey.

Arlene Ward is a cooking teacher who has been teaching the pleasures of pressure cooking for many years. She lives in New Jersey.

Kathryn Russell is a Los Angeles-based photographer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811825256
• ISBN-13: 978-0811825252
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.6 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rick Rodgers is one of the most versatile professionals in the food business. Through his work as a cooking teacher, food writer, cookbook author, freelance cookbook editor, and radio and television guest chef, his infectious love of good food reaches countless cooks every day.

Rick has been guest chef on the national television shows Today, CBS Morning Show, Good Morning America, Cooking Live with Sara Moulton, Food Network Challenge, and many others, including media appearances in every major local market.

Rick's combination of down-to-earth humor and solid information brought him the prestigious Bon Appetit Food and Entertaining Award for Outstanding Cooking Teacher. In addition to his publishing work, Rick teaches sold-out cooking classes from coast-to-coast, as well as the occasional international stint (including Korea and France) and he is a speaker at many festivals and seminars.

Rick lives in the New York City area. His website is www.rickrodgers.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 103 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Prepare your favorite meals in a fraction of the time! February 11, 2001

By Daniel F. Moore VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I have purchased several cookbooks for pressure cooking and have found only a few recipes that interested me. Rick Rodgers has rekindled my interest in the pressure cooker. This book gives clear instructions and recipes for many popular recipes. What I have been looking for and until now failed to find, is a cookbook that gives directions for making traditional 'American cuisine'. You will enjoy recipes for pot roast, barbequed chicken, beef stew with carrots and potatoes, beans, spaghetti and meatballs and a host of other favorites. And no pressure cooker book is complete without a sinfully delicious cheesecake recipe. Mr. Rodgers gives us Orange and Chocolate Marbled Cheesecake and you won't be disappointed. If you are looking to trim your cooking time and still be able to serve some of your favorite traditional meals, then this book will be a delightful addition to your kitchen library.

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!!! April 9, 2003

By GothCrone

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am relatively new to pressure cooking (about 1 year) and what led me to THIS book was the fact that I'd just purchased the crockpot/slow cooker cookbook written by Rick Rodgers and was truly thrilled to find a book that held crock pots to a "higher standard" - it's a very very good book if you want excellent results from your slow cooker. . . but this review is about THIS book - again written partly by Rick Rodgers -- and once again, I was not disappointed!

Great recipes - above and beyond the bland and ordinary. My kids have eaten everything I've made from this book (they have been introduced to a lot of unusual foods as well so they're not at ALL picky) -- anyway - their favourites so far are spaghetti w/meatballs (incredibly fast to prepare, particularly if you make the meatballs the night before!), beef bourginon (sp?), and the 3-meat bolognese pasta sauce. I usually up the garlic and some of the spices because we like rather highly seasoned food - but the basics here are very sound - not found one recipe yet that we didn't sit down to where we were floored as to how good the result was. I have to say, I am now using my pressure cooker more than my crockpot or any other form of cooking.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, fun and informative! July 24, 2002

By Rabecca K. Larson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This cookbook has a quality not normally associated with pressure cooking: glamour! These are not Grandma's pressure cooking recipes! New techniques, great pictures and graphics made this book a joy to read and use. I haven't had a chance to try many recipes yet, but I'll be using this one a lot. I went straight to the rice pudding, a favorite comfort food of mine. It was done in 11 minutes and tasted great, with no added fat besides milk. I can't wait to try some of the more fancy desserts, like Black Forest Croissant Pudding and Cafe' Con Leche Flan. I need to get a springform pan and try the cheesecake, as well (I noted in my pressure cooker review that it would be great if the manufacturers made custom inserts for this! I may be dreaming...)

I'm giving this book 4 stars simply because no one cookbook can cover it all. For the basics, and for more "family" type meals, you may want another book. This book really does reflect the way my family eats (with a baby and 4-year-old) but we also eat a lot more basic soups, steamed vegies, and grilled seafood (one thing that doesn't work in the PC.) I usually improvise, and in fact I found a few of these recipes were nearly identical to meals I've cooked recently (beet and orange salad, Mexican chicken tacos).

I'll skip the red meat recipes, but the bean recipes are fresh and wonderful, and there are some great chicken recipes as well (Moroccan chicken, Mexican chicken in soft tacos). I recommend taking a class in pressure cooking, but if you can't, this is the next best thing. I'm not surprised that pressure cooking seems to be experiencing a revival, but I am surprised it took this long. I love my pressure cooker (see review) and would be hard-pressed to cook most meals without it!

Bon appetit!

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rick and Arlene are the best! March 6, 2001

By Barbara Barrese

Format:Paperback

I bought this book and took a pressure cooking class at Arlene's school in Wayne, NJ - Adventures In Cooking. She and Rick Rodgers are really the experts when it comes to pressure cooking. The recipes in this book are wonderful - my favorites are the risottos. I still can't believe that risotto could be so easy - only 8 minutes and no stirring! I'd recommend this book to anyone who hasn't the time to spend in the kitchen, or just likes great food prepared quickly. And if you're in NJ, check out the pressure cooking classes at Adventures In Cooking and see Rick and Arlene together in person.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gourmet Taste from A Cookbook February 12, 2001

By Linda I. Vickers

Format:Paperback

I bought several pressure cookbooks to go with my new Faberware Electronic Pressure Cooker. The first one to arrive was this one. After cooking a great roast from a recipe in the reviews on the same cooker, I decided to try a seafood recipe. A trip two years ago to Del Mar in California left me with wonderful memories of my first taste Cioppino. The North Beach Cioppino recipe in this book brought back that wonderful memory. The flavor is unbelievably good. Seafood never tasted so naturally sweet. My only addition was to cook up some fresh Linguine pasta to put it over as in the restaurant version. Thanks for the memory and I can't wait to make more wonderful dishes with this unbelievable book. Cookbooks promise so much and usually deliver only different; this ones delivers great.