All About Pressure Settings

Converting Stovetop Recipes to an Electric Appliance Temperature and Pressure ConversionTable Non Standard Pressure Cookers Produce Unsatisfactory Results

Recipes Are Designed For 15psi Most pressure cooker recipes are made to cook at the standard of 15psi, in fact this setting is so common that most recipes don't even need to mention it. This setting is the standard as determined by the USDA way back in 1917 when all pressure cookers had just that one 15psi setting. That pressure setting still remains as the standard today. Many inexpensive pressure cookers made today still provide only one pressure setting, this is especially true of the old-style jiggle top models. Some of the new and improved, 2nd generation pressure cookers offer multiple pressure settings. Do you need more than one pressure setting? Maybe not, the vast majority of recipes still use the same, original 15psi setting, We are all familiar with oven temperatures, but in pressure cooking we talk in terms of pressure settings rather than temperatures, so you must know the settings of your particular brand. Some manufacturers use LOW - MED - HI settings and this is doubly confusing because they vary between brands and do not correspond to standard recipe directions. Recipes that are designed for some electric cookers may have directions that state LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH pressure. This makes it very confusing when trying to use recipes other than the few basics included in the owner's manual. Carefully read through the information provided in your owner's manual and try to determine the actual pressure settings or temperatures used, and then match them to the table below. When considering which pressure cooker to buy you may want to review my observations. Be sure to read the product information carefully. There are many heavily advertised, so-called "pressure cookers" that only cook at low pressure (Turbo Cooker, some Prestige brand Pressure Cookers). Others, mostly of European manufacture that state they cook at high pressure in fact only reach 10psi (WMF brand from Germany), the Chef's Design pressure cooker is limited to 11.6psi, or the 13psi T-Fal which will only attain 11psi. Also Fagor's Magic Pressure Fryers only go to 10psi, but that is a safety factor when cooking with so much oil. If you buy one of these non-standard pressure cookers you may find some recipes included in the box. However, for all other recipes, including the hundreds of recipes on my website, you must increase the cooking times, but that often produces inferior results Temperature and Pressure Equivalent Conversion Table Many cooks aren't aware of what pressure their cookers operate at, or how critically important the pressure setting is. Keep in mind that most pressure cooker recipes use the standard of 15psi. If you try to cook a recipe designed for 15psi in a non-standard pressure cooker the results will be far different than intended. For instance, using a non-standard pressure cooker that operates at only 12psi means that the timing will have to be increased by 20%. Twenty percent is a huge amount of time in pressure cooking! Not only does the increased cooking times result in foods that are overcooked, it costs more money to operate and results in a significant loss of vital nutrients. Pressure Settings Pounds Per Square Inch (psi) Temperature Equivalent To use a standard 15 psi recipe increase the cooking time by: For every 10 minutes of cooking time stated in the original recipe increase the cooking time by: Use Low 3psi 221°F 80% 8 minutes Fish, shrimp and other delicate seafoods, some tender-crisp veggies   5psi 227°F 75% 8 minutes   6psi 230°F 60% 6 minutes Medium 8psi 8.5psi 236°F 237.5°F 47% 7 minutes Some recipes for steamed`rice, puddings or custards. Beware of brands that cook at lower PSI settings. You will have to modify every recipe and the results are often less than expected. Pressure cookers that use less than 15 psi defeat the speed of cooking, cost more money in cooking fuel, and lessen the nutritional value of moods, not to mention wasting your valuable time.   9psi 239°F 40% 4 minutes   10psi 240°F 33% 4 minutes   11psi 245°F 27% 3 minutes   12psi 248°F 20% 2 minutes   13psi 251°F 14% 2 minutes High 15psi this is the standard 257°F none none Unless stated otherwise, most pressure cooker recipes use this setting NOT SUITABLE FOR MOST RECIPES The more pressure, the higher the temperature and the quicker the food will cook. Higher pressures equal higher internal temperatures and less cooking time. At sea level the temperature of steam is 212°F. for each pound of pressure increased, the temperature increases by 3°F. To convert temperatures to the matching pressure settings see the table below.  Using Stovetop Recipes with an Electric Appliance Tips For Owners of Electric Pressure Cookers The makers of electric pressure cookers do not adhere to any standard. Operating instructions vary widely even between models made by the same manufacturer. With so many makes and models I do not propose to give detailed operating instructions one each and every one of them. Follow the directions in your owners manual for basic operating instructions. Also locate the temperature or psi settings used by your appliance when it is under pressure and then use the chart above to see the corresponding settings. In general, you can use the BROWN setting to do any initial sauteing or browning. Then program the appliance for HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer for the same amount of time recommended in the recipe. If the recipe calls for a cold water release by putting the cooker under cold running water, ignore this instruction. Instead, press the pressure release button in very short spurts, taking care to keep your hand and head away from the escaping steam. If liquid is ejected from the valve, wait a minute longer before proceeding. Use the Quick release mechanism if this is called for in the recipe. Natural release means to wait until the pressure drops on its own. Use the BROWN setting to do any finish cooking after pressure is released. Non Standard Pressure Cookers Produce Unsatisfactory Results if you are using any pressure cooker that does not meet the 15psi standard, be prepared for unsatisfactory results. There is no hard or fast solution to converting standard pressure cooker recipes designed for use at 15psi to work with lower pressure settings and produce comparable results. The best advice I can give to owners of nonstandard pressure cooker is to err on the side of caution, and try to avoid overcooking if possible. unfortunately, this may mean a great deal of trial and error before you come up with a suitable combination of cooking time and proper temperature. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness, and do not rely exclusively on timing or you will end up with a dry, tough piece of meat. The most obvious differences between a standard, and nonstandard pressure cooker can be seen in longer cooking times, increased fuel bills, and a loss of important vitamins and nutrients in the food you cook and serve to your family. The greatest benefits of pressure cookery is the extremely fast cooking time. This is important because it translates into less time in the kitchen, less energy used in cooking (and cooling a hot kitchen) and that means more money in your pocket at the end of the year. Pressure cooking also helps retain the maximum nutritional benefits of foods. Longer cooking times will affect the final result of the foods you cook by changing the taste, appearance, texture, producing an unsatisfactory and disappointing final dish. Meats especially, can become dried out from over cooking when using a pressure cooker with less than 15psi. It sounds odd, but even when meat is cooked in a broth, it can become dried out, tough and stringy. As meat cooks, the muscle fibers shorten in both length and width and eventually squeeze out the juices they normally hold, so the longer it cooks the worse it becomes. See more... To avoid this problem, test for doneness using a meat thermometer near the end of the normal cooking time. At 160ºF (71ºC), a roast will be cooked to medium. At this temperature, some of the tougher connective tissue breaks down to gelatin, which helps “lubricate” and tenderize the meat. Meat that cooks at too high a temperature, commonly seen when users of jiggle top pressure cookers let the pressure rise so that the regulator weight is spinning rapidly..