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Joined: November 14th, 2009


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October 5th, 2022

Crispy Garlic Crumb Steak from All Recipes

Terrific technique which I'm looking forward to trying with chicken and pork. I even overcooked the steaks to try and get enough color on the crumb coating, but the pounding out (and the coating) saved... read more >


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hipcook's Reviews


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8 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 8Sort by: Title | Date | Rating

Fagor Pressure Cookers

By Fagor America, Inc
Fagor America, Inc - 2000

27th December 2011 (edited: 27th December 2011)

Beef Stock : page 23

Another winner for the pressure cooker! Admittedly, I was on a "cleanout the freezer" binge and used nearly double the meat called for. It turned out a luxurious stock, with a fraction of the time and energy used on the stovetop.

useful (1)  


29th May 2011 (edited: 29th May 2011)

Beef Bourguignon : page 33

A very nice take on the French classic. I used a round steak instead of stew meat, which broke down into a tender stew. The sauce is luscious and rich (probably because it's finished with a half-stick of butter...)

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A passable pot roast in half an hour of cooking time. The flavor is good, but my attempt turned out dry. I suspect this has to do with which parts of the roast were covered in liquid and which weren't.

I'll probably make it again for the convenience, but I have other pot roast recipes which pay off the long braise with superior flavor and texture.

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6th December 2010

Herb Pork Roast and Potatoes : page 39

I've been reluctant to try the "roasts" in the pressure cooker cookbook - but since my favorite pork roast recipe is really a braise, I thought this one was worth a shot.

And it's well worth it. The pork came out perfectly moist and tender. The herbs added intense and complimentary flavor. I used small sweet potatoes, which came out pretty mushy but were still a hit.

If I have a quibble with the recipe, it's that it makes a very small amount of very tasty gravy (which ended up as sauce on the potatoes). I'm wondering if upping the liquid would make enough sauce for the meat.

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11th October 2010

Chicken Stock : page 23

I usually think of chicken stock as an all-afternoon project, one where I break out the biggest stock pot I own and all the frozen chicken carcasses I've been saving for months, then boil (and cool) for hours. This recipe is a completely different take - with 2 pounds of chicken bones and 30 minutes at pressure, you get 6 cups of stock. Hopefully, this recipe will help with my freezer space, and lead to me eating more soup.

useful (1)  


25th July 2010

Lemony Garlic Lamb Stew : page 43

A serviceable recipe from the pressure cooker manual. It's a light stew, appropriate for a spring or summer dinner, with only meat and sauce. I made it with a beef flank steak instead of lamb stew meat and it worked just fine. It might benefit from an herbal note - maybe a bay leaf.

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5th December 2009

Beef Stroganoff : page 41

Another revelation from the pressure cooker manual. A quick recipe that turns out tender beef and fully-flavored sauce. Since cooking this one, I've tried a couple of "quick stroganoff" recipes - and all were more work than this way.

Also the recipe that taught me to watch the heat in a pressure cooker like a hawk. The first time I tried this recipe, I scorched the beef a bit but chose not to wash out the pot. Wrong choice. The bitter flavor of burnt meat smoke was infused into every tender bite. Since then, I've been careful that any error gets completely washed out of the pot before the recipe continues.

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18th November 2009

Coq Au Vin : page 47

This is the recipe which convinced me I'd spent my money well on a pressure cooker. It's just as good as any coq au vin I've made, but it's ready in well under an hour instead of after a 3-hour braise. And frankly, a lot less work than some of the deconstructed "weeknight coq au vin" recipes I've seen.

One thing - don't skip that step where it says to brown the chicken before adding the wine. Or do skip it, and when your chicken comes out purple, call your geek friends and declare it "Romulan Chicken." Tell them to bring the Saurian brandy. Purple chicken tastes as good as brown, but, well... it's purple.

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