Avoid cooking these dishes in a pressure cooker
The pressure cooker is commonly seen as a quick and convenient cooking method, but it is not suitable for all foods. The pressurized environment inside the vessel can potentially harm the ingredients and compromise the dish's taste and nutritional value. Understanding these limitations empowers better cooking decisions for optimal results. Before taking out your pressure cooker, ensure you're not preparing these ingredients or dishes.
Starch-rich foods
Some of the foods that are most frequently cooked in a pressure cooker include rice and potato. However, cooking this way is unhealthy. It is said that in a pressure cooker, these food items produce a toxic chemical called acrylamide that can cause a variety of ailments. Try steaming them or cooking them in open-lid utensils such as a kadhai or handi.
Dairy products
Experts warn against cooking dairy products in the pressure cooker. Dairy goods, such as milk or cream, can curdle and separate when subjected to high pressure and temperature, giving your food unfavorable textures and flavors. In fact, anything with a creamy sauce is a no-no in a pressure cooker. Ideally, dairy products should be added after the pressure-cooking operation is finished.
Fried chicken
Pressure cookers are ideal cooking tools for moist heat, but dry heat cooking is never a good idea. And thus the crispy and juicy classic fried chicken can turn into a pallid, soggy mess when you cook them in an enclosed, moist environment like a pressure cooker. Instead, use an air fryer or deep fryer to make simple, crispy chicken tenders.
Fish
Since fish has a delicate texture, there is a considerable risk of overcooking it when you prepare it in a cooker in the form of curries. The fish could become dry and lose its flavor, and taste terrible. It is advisable to cook it in open-lid utensils instead. The case is no different for seafood such as shrimp and oysters.
Cookies
Pressure cooker is ideal for steamed or watery desserts like cheesecake. Cookies baked in a pressure cooker, however, won't have the chewy edges and pillowy inside due to the pressure and moisture build-up inside the pot. Additionally, the bottom surface of the pot is too small to accommodate enough cookies for a single batch. So, stick to the oven.
