you’re cooking foods that expand
during cooking (for example rice
or other grains).
2.
Never fill the pressure cooker more
than two thirds full. It is necessary
to leave enough space in the cooker
for it to be able to build pressure.
Fill only halfway when cooking with
foods that will either expand in size
and/or produce foam as they cook,
such as dried beans or other legumes
and grains. Also fill only halfway when
preparing soups or stock.
3.
You can add food and liquid
directly into the pressure cooker, or,
optionally, you can steam your food
in a steamer basket (steamer baskets
sold separately). To use a steamer
basket, place a metal support trivet
on the bottom of the pressure cooker,
add at least half a cup of liquid, and
place the steamer basket containing
the food on top.
Closing the Lid and Cooking
1.
When you’re ready to start cooking,
place the lid on the pressure cooker
pot by aligning the mark on the lid
with the mark on the top of the pot
handle (Fig. 6). Once these two marks
are aligned, press the lid down lightly,
then slide the lid handle to the left
(clockwise), bringing the pot and lid
handles together. Push the pressure
lock button up towards the center of
the lid to lock it (Fig. 7). If you don’t
push the lock to the closed position,
the cooker will not build any pressure.
This is a safety measure designed
to prevent accidental opening of the
cooker while under pressure. The lock
will block automatically as soon as
the pressure indicator has risen, and
will unblock only when the pressure
indicator has dropped again.