Cook's essentials CEPC660 Owner's Manual page 14

COOKING WITH YOUR PRESSURE COOKER
12. Once pressure is released, regardless of method, slide the Safety
Lock to UNLOCK. Remove the Lid, tilting it away from you to avoid
steam. Check the food to see if it has been cooked sufficiently. If not,
replace the Lid and slide the Safety Lock to LOCK. Repeat
PRESSURE COOKING Steps 4-8, cooking under pressure an
additional 2-3 minutes.
13. To pressure cook foods like vegetables, add water to the Removable
Cooking Pot. Place a small heat-resistant steaming rack or basket
(NOT INCLUDED) in the Removable Cooking Pot. Place the food on
the rack. For best results, do not overfill or pack the food down.
Follow the same procedure for cooking under pressure. See
PRESSURE COOKING Steps 3-8. Use the Quick Steam Release
Feature for releasing the pressure.
14. Since steam is hotter than boiling water, always take care when
opening the appliance after cooking under pressure. Never place
your face over the Pressure Cooker when removing the Lid.
Also, be aware that hot, boiling liquid increases in volume when
under pressure.
CAUTION: Never attempt to open the Pressure Cooker before the
red Pressure Indicator Rod has dropped.
When opening the Pressure Cooker after making soups and stock, let
the food sit several minutes before releasing the pressure and
removing the Lid to make sure the hot liquid will not boil over.
15. Since overcooked food cannot be corrected, it is advisable to err on
the undercooked side by cooking an unfamiliar food for a shorter
period of time than you may think necessary. You can always go back
and continue cooking under pressure a minute or two longer if need
be (see PRESSURE COOKING Steps 4-8).
16. It is easy to adapt your favorite recipe for use in the Programmable
Pressure Cooker. For the most part, soups, stews, braised and slow
roasted meats and legumes, steamed and braised vegetables, and
slow-simmered recipes like tomato sauce, provide the best results.
Instructions and Timing Charts for cooking commonly prepared foods
under pressure can be found in the following Section.
Bear in mind that the amount of cooking liquid used when adapting a
recipe will be much less since you will be cooking in a sealed pot for a
much shorter time. You must, however, use sufficient liquid, since the
Pressure Cooker is constantly building steam during the entire
cooking process. If you run out of liquid, and continue cooking, the
food will not cook properly and may burn. While there is no universal
guide for adapting recipes, trial and error will come into play until you
understand how your Pressure Cooker cooks.
When adapting other pressure cooker recipes, use the HIGH
PRESSURE MODE and cook for the shortest amount of time you
expect it might take. If food is not fully cooked, replace the Lid, and
slide the Safety Lock to the LOCK position. Repeat PRESSURE
COOKING Steps 4-8, cooking under pressure until done.
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