The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Under pressure and light as air Two trendy kitchen gadgets to try now
It’s Valentine’s Day. And while kitchen gadgets don’t rate high on the list of romantic presents, here are two you’re bound to love — an air fryer and an electric multicooker like an Instant Pot.
“It’s pretty much the big rage,” said food consultant Linda Funk. “You can make yogurt in there. You can make rice. It’s a pretty amazing appliance.”
Whip up steel-cut oats or slow cook osso buco.
“It can do almost anything,” she added. “I gave away my CrockPot. You don’t need it anymore. It becomes a Crock-Pot. It’s also a pressure cooker that’s not scary.”
And pressure cookers save time.
“The pressure cookers and electric cookers are becoming really popular because people want to cook quickly,” said New Jersey chef Johanna Outwin, who recently taught a pressure-cooker class with “fall-off-the-bone” chicken and beef stew.
“The beef stew if you make it on the stove or you make in a slow cooker, it takes hours,” she explained. “It took us 35 minutes for the beef stew. It is really, really good.”
Outwin favors a stovetop pressure cooker because “they’re not dangerous anymore,” and “I have everything else,” she said. However, “if people are starting on their own or don’t have much equipment, the electric cooker would be great for them because they can do a lot.”
Want to eat healthier, but can’t resist fried foods?
With an air fryer, “you’re not using any extra oils to make it nice and crispy,” described Funk. “You would not believe how good it tastes!”
Think cheeseburgers, Cajun shrimp and even chocolate cake.
“It’s easy, easy, easy,” she said. “It’s forced hot air. It’s almost like convection, if you will, but it’s this little air fryer that sits on the counter.”
Sure, you can make chips and fries, but veggies taste great too. Try “the brussels sprouts you will fight over” by Christina Verrelli, a Pillsbury Bake-Off winner, food blogger and Kitchen Aid on-air guest for QVC.
The bottom line, according to Funk: “People who don’t have big, expensive kitchens can still do fabulous things in these appliances.”
For Digital First Media
Pressure-Cooker Beef Stew
INGREDIENTS
1½ pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes ¼ cup flour 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 cups beef broth 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Pressure cooking 101
Chef Johanna Outwin shared these tips for pressure-cooker success:
Read the manual. All the pressure cookers work the same way, but operating each one is different.
Always have at least 1 cup of liquid when cooking overfill it.
Clean the air pipe and the vent pipe very well after each use (a pipe or straw cleaner works great). It will not be safe to cook with clogged vents.
Oil the rubber gasket or sealing ring every time you use it, so it doesn’t dry out.
Cooking frozen food is not recommended, but if you do, the cooking times are going to vary a lot.
Watch the heat. Some stoves are not calibrated correctly. Medium-high on one stove can be high on another, and that will ruin whatever you are cooking. Just keep an eye on it and never walk away when using a pressure cooker.
If you have a new pressure cooker, don’t be afraid to use it. Read the manual and practice. The more you use it, the more you’ll love it. and don’t