Pressure Cookers

TeamCaffee · May 30, 2013

While at a friends house this past weekend they used an electric Pressure Cooker that caught my interest. The pan inside the cooker was very similar to the pan inside my rice cooker and looked easy to clean.

I have never used a pressure cooker and was fascinated by everything they use theirs for. My memories are of a big metal pot on the stove that made hissing noises and always made me wonder when it was going to blow up.

While talking with Lisa and Kevin they discussed how easy the electric pressure cooker is to use compared to the stove top model and that it also doubles as a slow cooker. Now that really perked my ears and I like multi functioning gadgets in the truck.

Has any one ever used one of these or considered one for the truck? Here is a list of the top ten:

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Slo-Ride · May 30, 2013

TeamCaffee said:
I have never used a pressure cooker and was fascinated by everything they use theirs for. My memories are of a big metal pot on the stove that made hissing noises and always made me wonder when it was going to blow up.

Has any one ever used one of these or considered one for the truck? Here is a list of the top ten:

Valid concern as far as wondering when the pot will blow. Growing up I can remember the pot getting out of control and Grandma becoming very concerned. With the old pots you had a ticking time bomb if care was not taken especially the old Aluminum pans that could split open under pressure.
I know pans/pots are being built with more safety in mind but there is still a huge concern with em..
1..A failure of the ring that seals the lid.
2..The safety valve sticks..
3..Someone opening the lid before its time..

For sure they make great food and can reduce cooking time but for someone that never used them would be well advised to learn how dangerous they can become.
Kinda wondering if a bouncing truck would make this unstable?? Not sure I would want to go down the road with one cooking behind me..

xmudman · May 30, 2013

You know pressure cookers are weapons now, right? Don't be caught in NYC/Chicago/etc with one

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AMonger · May 30, 2013

I saw an infomercial on then years ago, on which it was demonstrated how to cook spaghetti: put uncooked spaghetti, a pound of ground beef (still frozen), a jar of spaghetti sauce, and some spices & water inside, seal it up and let it do its thing for a few minutes. Release the pressure, open it up & stir. Everything's cooked, hot, and delicious.
So I went out & got one. That was about 5 years ago.

Never used it.

TeamCaffee · May 31, 2013

The electric pressure cooker I was looking at sure did not look like the pot my Grandma used.

I am not sure why bouncing down the road would affect the pot.

I believe that to open the pot the steam must be released by squeezing the handle.

The research continues!

davekc · May 31, 2013

Since it is the terrorist new weapon of choice, I would have reservations of one in the truck. Especially doing any kind of military/government loads. Imagine a border crossing and they are doing the x-ray scan. Might clear out a parking lot.

layoutshooter · May 31, 2013

davekc said:
Since it is the terrorist new weapon of choice, I would have reservations of one in the truck. Especially doing any kind of military/government loads. Imagine a border crossing and they are doing the x-ray scan. Might clear out a parking lot.

Not if it had a pot roast going!

AMonger · May 31, 2013

TeamCaffee said:
I am not sure why bouncing down the road would affect the pot.

Pressure cookers are for quick cooking. I can't imagine cooking with one while on a trip. Meals are usually done within minutes, so it's something you'd use while stopped anyway.

EASYTRADER · May 31, 2013

When I was a kid my dad had a microwave pressure cooker. It was pretty cool. It worked like a charm, but we only cooked a couple of things in it.

Pot roast, shredded taco meat, sloppy joe, It sure took the boiling time out of shreded beef.

It would disintergrate a chuck steak in about 5 minutes, this used to take hours of boiling.

He bought it at a "home show"

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EASYTRADER · May 31, 2013

Just imagine a 5 minute yankee pot roast.

He also cooked rice in it, and potatoes for whipping.

The microwave ones are made from a thick heavy plastic.

layoutshooter · May 31, 2013

It depends on what you are using it for. We have used ours for meal that take an hour or so.

skyraider · Jun 1, 2013

AMonger said:
I saw an infomercial on then years ago, on which it was demonstrated how to cook spaghetti: put uncooked spaghetti, a pound of ground beef (still frozen), a jar of spaghetti sauce, and some spices & water inside, seal it up and let it do its thing for a few minutes. Release the pressure, open it up & stir. Everything's cooked, hot, and delicious.
So I went out & got one. That was about 5 years ago.

Never used it.

lmaorof,,,,funny

AMonger · Jun 1, 2013

skyraider said:
lmaorof,,,,funny

I keep it right next to the treadmill, barbell set, and exercycle.

TeamCaffee · Jun 1, 2013

Really I cannot imagine using the Pressure Cooker going down the road.

Cooking while going down the road seems like a recipe for disaster if the truck has to stop fast.

What I like about the Rice Cooker is that I can cook something pretty quickly once we stop compared to a slow cooker. Cooking a roast though is something I do not do often due to the time involved. The pressure cooker seems to me that it would solve a lot of these problems and I could cook a meal pretty quickly once we stop. Since I have never used one I believe there is going to be a learning curve.

layoutshooter · Jun 1, 2013

We don't cook like that while rolling. We will use the microwave. We don't carry the pressure cooker on the truck. It's too big and it requires a gas stove anyway.

Turtle · Jun 1, 2013

A couple of days ago in Dearborn the Adoba Hotel (about 800 rooms, I think) had to be evacuated because housekeeping discovered a hot pressure cooker in the bathroom of one of the guest rooms. After a three hour evacuation the police determined the pressure cooker contained.... food. They then declared the cooker nor the food posed a threat to the area.

Almost any food that can be cooked in steam or boiling water can be cooked in a pressure cooker, and cooked more quickly. Steam and boiling water cooks at 212° F, but under pressure the boiling point of water rises with the pressure, so that you are cooking at around 250° F with a pressure cooker. Pressure cookers cook at an additional 15psi above the normal atmospheric pressure, same as the radiator and cooling system does on your truck, and for the same reason - to increase the boiling point. Pressure cookers can reduce cooking times to about one-third of normal times. Low pressure at 3 psi gets you to about 220° F, medium pressure of 10 psi gets you about 235° F, and high pressure of 13-15 psi gets you to 250° F.

Electric pressure cookers are essentially third-generation cookers, and makes pressure cooking brain-dead easy. Set the pressure and the time and it tells you when it's done. Easy peasy.

I, too, cannot imagine running a pressure cooker while running down the road.

runrunner · Jun 4, 2013

My Mom was a fantastic cook (everyone's Mom was or is of course) she swore by her pressure cooker, it was old school, I say that because it was thick and heavy. I'm sure Modern cookers are not and I bet you can eat better with one in the Truck because of reduced cooking times.

Deville · Jun 12, 2013

The NSA is defiently watching this thread.

Guest just for this post · Jul 11, 2015

I know this thread is a couple of years old, but people DO successfully use electric pressure cookers in their trucks. They are very, very safe, and nothing like the old days. Yes, they cook quickly, but can also keep the food warm for up to ten hours. I agree, you wouldn`t use one while actually travelling. I have an Instant Pot and love it. It can also act as a slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker and you can saute in it. Here are a couple of links to real truckers who use Instant Pots on the road:
http://www.today.com/food/trucker-loses-65-lbs-cooking-his-vegan-meals-road-t30931
http://lovintruckin.com/10-minute-pasta-in-the-pressure-cooker/
One clip shows most of the meals prepared at home and just cooked on the road. The second shows doing all the work in the truck. Of course, you can make any recipe you want.