I'm not one to promote various items on my blog, but this purchase is one that I want to share with the world! "I'm in love I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!" (that's a quote from "Elf") Anyway, here she is in all her beauty... the Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker.
I purchased this bad lady a couple weeks ago after my sis-in-law told me about it. (Thanks again Chelsea!) I was sold after she told me that it was Chef Brad that recommended it to her, he says it's his absolute favorite and he's tried every pressure cooker out there.
Here's why I love it...
1. It's electric! Anybody that has cooked with the other kind of pressure cooker knows what a pain it is to have to sit there and babysit it to make sure the temperature stays where it's supposed to. Not this one, you set it and walk away!
2. It has a keep warm setting that comes on automatically after it is finished cooking. So you can leave it sitting there with dinner ready all day if you want. So cool!
3. It's super easy to clean. The nonstick removable pan comes right out and rinses clean in a snap. Nothing sticks to it. Plus it's the only pan you use, you can saute, simmer, cook and keep warm all in the same pan. Only 1 dish to clean! That's my dream come true.
4. It's fast! You can cook a pound of hard pinto beans, without having to pre soke, in only 30 minutes. Brown rice takes only 20 min.
5. It's healthy! You don't have to cook with as much liquid so veggies keep their nutrients.
6. Everything cooks perfectly! If you follow the guidelines your food will always turn out great. Food has so much more flavor and meats are so much juicier.
7. The price is right. I purchased mine a couple weeks ago from Costco for only $69.95 The sad news is that there were only 20 left at the mesa Costco on Sossoman the day I bought mine, and that was the last store to have them in stock in the east valley. However, I did look and you can purchase them online through Costco for $84.99 (shipping and handling included) I feel like it's totally worth it. Other pressure cookers will run you $150-$300 or more. I have one of them, and I don't like it as much. ***Update- My friend Anna went and purchased one today (1/20) from the Costco on Sossoman and she said they had 18 left***
All in all, I love simple meals that are fast but they also have to be healthy, and I feel like this helps me accomplish both. Everything that I have made, my family has loved! I stash veggies in everything and my kids don't even blink an eye because it tastes so good. Mostly I love it because it's easy. Here's an example of how easy I'm talking... this is what I made for dinner.
One pot spaghetti
I threw 1/2 a pound ground beef in the pot and set it to simmer. I hurried and chopped 1/4 onion and threw it in. Before it was done browning I threw in a jar of spaghetti sauce, a half a bag of whole wheat wide noodles (uncooked) a cup or 2 of water, and one raw zucchini quartered and cut 1/2 an inch thick. I closed the lid, set it to high pressure for 5 min. and walked away. (I even used a paper plate to cut the onion and zucchini on so I could throw it away-that's how badly I hate dishes)
PS- my sis-in-law throws uncooked quinoa in with this recipe and the kids don't have a clue that they are eating it! (A great tip from Chef Brad)
That was all I did. The machine took over. It always takes a few minutes to pressurize, then it began cooking, it beeped when it was done and sat on warm until I was ready to open it up. Because I made pasta it's recommended that you use the quick release method, which makes it even faster. You just turn the nozzle and the steam escapes. It unlocks when it is totally released. I opened it up and here's how it looked...
It was a huge hit. Now I am fully aware that spaghetti is normally a pretty easy meal, but never has it been THIS easy! I'm trying to talk everyone I know into getting one so that we can all share recipe ideas. Heck, maybe we can start a blog about it!
Email your husbands the link to this blog post. Let me sell them on it. You can thank me later.
Happy Valentines Day, and happy pressure cooking!
I'm not one to promote various items on my blog, but this purchase is one that I want to share with the world! "I'm in love I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!" (that's a quote from "Elf") Anyway, here she is in all her beauty... the Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker. 
