Comments on: Times are a changing

By: Ralph

Ralph — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:58:10 +0000

Howdy John,

WOW! Your new theme + designs + everything is just WOW!!!

You have to be please with this effort …

Well done, Ralph

By: John

John — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:30:41 +0000

Colin, if the base of your old pressure cooker had become convex, then it was probably aluminium and would never have worked on an induction cooker anyway. If Paul threw it out you should thank him. Modern pressure cookers are different and much better than the old models.

I have two. A 6 litre Fissler Blue Point for the big jobs, and a Kuhn Rikon for the small jobs.

My 2 litre non-stick Kuhn Rikon is no longer available. The nearest is the 2.5 litre model, which is better in some ways.

http://www.pressurecooker.com.au/go-178/Pressure_Cookers/KUHN_RIKON_Inox_-_2.5L_pressure_skillet_24cm

Tonight I cooked a 600gm piece of Virginia beef in my Kuhn Rikon, in 21 minutes.

By: Colin

Colin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:21:20 +0000

My pressure cooker is so old its base has become convex, so it won’t sit properly on a glass cooktop, so I doubt it would work. Paul just laughs at it sitting in the cupboard. Oh, wait. I think he’s thrown it out, the bugger

By: John

John — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:58:32 +0000

Hi Ralph, I’ve redone the picture, and it can now be seen. I have no idea of what went wrong, as the pic showed up as it should in my blog text editor. Perhpas the MySQL database where all that you see is generated from, had a hissy fit.

If your video playback is stilted, an effective workaround is simple. Start the play, then hit the pause button, and go off for a while doing other things. Yes, you could get a coffee, or do your homework, or watch TV, or at this time of the year do your Christmas cards; but what I really meant was do a Ctrl T to open a new tab, and continue on the Internet with whatever has your interest, before coming back to the video.

By: John

John — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:46:37 +0000

Colin, the lack of ultra-low settings on my portable induction cooker is not so much a problem as an incentive to continue my hopes of one day installing a top end induction stovetop in my kitchen. I would not even consider getting an induction stovetop without that feature and 15 settings, as for me it would be an opportunity lost. It’s not just the low settings but the number of settings to make it more likely to find exactly the setting I want. The lowest setting on my Breville is OK for boiling potatoes etc in a saucepan, with the lid on. Taking the lid off, or cooking asparagus in an open pan as I did today, lowers the temp to a gentle simmer.

But the lowest settingon the Breville is too high for my pressure cookers. That’s annoying, as the induction cooker is great for bringing the cookers up to pressure very quickly. But after that, the lowest setting is too high to stop the pressure rising even higher. So I have to turn the cooker off for a minute or two, or release lots of steam. What this means is that I have to pay regular attention to the pressure cooker, which is a bit of a drag if it’s a 55 minute session. With a De Dietrich I would expect to be able to maintain a constant pressure. Maybe I should arrange to test it at the Clive Peeters store where I shot the video.

Now I’m sure that using a pressure cooker is not going to ring any bells with you, or perhaps anyone else who might read this. But take note. They are coming back. I started writing a post on pressure cookers a few months ago, but it’s still just a draft I began. The pressure cooker that I use most, looks like a non-stick frypan, and can cook the best risotto I’ve ever had, in 7 minutes. Or a 750gm piece of beef well done, in 27 minutes.

By: Colin

Colin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:12:05 +0000

I’m glad your induction cooktop is going so well. Is the lack of ultra-low setting still proving to be a problem?