Pressure Cooking Techniques  Return to the Main Menu for More Information Phased Cooking Tiered Cooking PIP Cooking Infusion Cooking Pre-Cooker Infusion Cooking "Infusion Cooking" - do you like this term? If you are considering buying that very high priced pressure cooker of the same name, you'd better like it a lot because that's what your paying for - just the words. So what's "infusion cooking" all about? It's a marketing plan to get you to spend a lot of money on something that EVERY pressure cooker does. That's right, you can spend $300 on the overblown, highly marketed, brand name or you can run down to the nearest Wal-Mart store and buy ANY pressure cooker starting from about $45.00, and still have infusion cooking. What's The Secret? There is no secret to infusion cooking, all pressure cookers infuse the flavors of the liquid they are cooked in. The trick is to cook the food you want to infuse with flavor in a well seasoned, flavored liquid rather than plain water. See a list of infusion flavoring liquids for suggested liquids to super-marinate your foods. A tasty combination of herbs, spices, seasonings and flavor enhancing liquids are used to super marinate foods. Pressure cooking forces the liquid to penetrate deep inside foods and also creates a richer tasting sauce or gravy. Infusion cooking is appropriate for thinner cuts of meat like chicken pieces, chops, steaks, or cut fruits and vegetables. It is not as effective on thicker cuts of meat like a roast. Example: In a pressure cooker we can force a marinade to penetrate any food that is in the liquid because it is cooked under pressure. So lets take chicken, brown it on both sides in a tablespoon of oil and then add a marinade consisting of 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of Soy sauce and enough water or lemon soda pop to make about 1/2 cup liquid, add some spices and herbs and we're ready to go. Bring to pressure and cook for 8 minutes and we now have the most flavorful Lemon Chicken you have even eaten. Cooking under pressure forces the lemon marinade inside the chicken and gives it a very intense lemon flavor that is not at all like the mild lemony taste of simple marinated chicken. The pressure cooker will intensify the flavors of the cooking liquid, making the food flavorful all the way inside not just on the outside. Pressure cooker users know this 'secret', but it seems advertisers have just discovered it. Here's The Trick They Don't Want You To Know There are pressure cooker manufacturers that tout their brand as if infusion cooking under pressure was something new that they just invented. Wrong! Any old pressure cooker will infuse foods with the flavor of the liquids, seasonings, herbs and spices they are cooked in. This super marinating will penetrate deep into the food if it is covered my the flavoring liquid. When your recipe calls for water you can often substitute other liquids with added spices, herbs and seasonings to enhance the food. As the flavoring liquids become infused into the food it will also add flavor to the sauce or gravy for an added bonus. I Don't Want Everything Infused We just learned that foods pressure cooked in a flavoring marinade or liquid infuses an intense flavor deep into the food. Conversely, if you don not want to infuse foods, or prefer not to mingle the flavors of two separate foods you can do several things: Use the cooking rack and raise the food above the liquid and cook it in the steam Wrap the food separately in aluminum foil packets Place food in a separate dishes The rack or trivet that came with your pressure cooker is used to keep foods above the water so they will steam. Use a steamer basket to stack one food on top on another. At the same time you poach a salmon steak, steam rice in a separate bowl and a side of broccoli in foil and the flavors won't mix. You can see why a large pressure cooker would come in handy for making these one-pot meals. You can also cook combinations of foods with some foods in the marinating liquid and other food in the steam without mingling flavors. This way you could cook a bowl of steamed white rice at the same time you cooked that lemon chicken. Infusion Flavoring Ideas Think about it, flavorings may be added to foods in a variety of ways.  Either in the cooking liquid, which may be water flavored with a bouillon cube or herbs and spices, fresh stock or wine, or by marinating foods before steaming.  Spices such as ginger, chile, cumin and coriander may be added to savory recipes, and nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and mint to sweet dishes.  Herbs both fresh and dried, citrus juices, wines, spirits, oils, condiments and fruit juices may also be used to make interesting and flavor-enhancing marinades for many foods before steaming.  It is therefore useful to always have a selection of these on hand.  As the flavors are kept within the cooking vessel, the resulting dishes are quite intense and enjoyable.  Simple steaming suggestions include flavoring vegetables with a squeeze of citrus juice or a sprinkling of chopped herbs, garlic or shallots, or a drizzle of flavored, good quality oil. And whatever you do, don’t neglect the vegetable stock! fresh from your steamer's "retainer", it provides a highly nutritous base for soups and other dishes. Suggested Flavor Combinations Food Suggestions Poultry Add 1/3 cup lemon juice to water. Mix 2 Tablespoons of orange juice concentrate with water. Mix half and half water with fruit juice such as raspberry, pineapple, peach, etc. Mix half and half water with white wine. Substitute 7 UP or any lemon, lemon/lime soft drink for the water. Substitute Dr. Pepper or root beer for water. Beef Substitute beer or ale for all or half of the water. Substitute Dr. Pepper or any cola soft drink for water. Mix half and half water with red wine. Mix half and half water with cranberry juice. Add 1/3 cup Jack Daniels or other whiskey to the water for BBQ recipes. Beans Add 1/2 cup of balsamic or wine vinegar to the water. Add 1/3 cup Jack Daniels or Southern Comfort to the water. Pork Mix half and half water with apple juice or apple cider. Mix half and half water with pineapple juice. Add 1/2 cup apricot or peach nectar to the water. Substitute Dr. Pepper, Cherry Cola or any cola soft drink for water. Add 1/3 cup bourbon to the water for BBQ recipes. Seafood Add 1/3 cup lemon juice to water. Mix half and half water with white wine. Substitute 7 UP or any lemon, lemon/lime soft drink for the water.