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What Can You Cook in a Pressure Cooker? (Complete List)

Are you confused and wondering about which food to put in your pressure cooker to be benefitted from the fast-cooking process?

Nevertheless, you will be amazed at the variety of food that can be cooked in a pressure cooker. From retaining prominent nutrients to saving up energy, pressure cookers are the finest gadgets to purchase.

What can you cook in a pressure cooker?

Pressure cookers can enhance your cooking and food preparation process by reducing the cooking time and by giving flavor, texture, and delicious taste to your food. 

In addition, one of the biggest benefits of cooking your food in a pressure cooker is that pressure cookers allow the food to retains almost all of the nutrients.

Ribs:

Nothing can be better than some deliciously glazed ribs cooked at a very convenient time. You do not have to wait for a long time to get your ribs done with a pressure cooker. 

In addition, all you need to do is to add some veggies on the bottom of the cooker and place the marinated ribs on top, and eventually, you can enjoy fall-off-the-bone tendered ribs.

Brown Rice: 

One of the most convenient and functional foods to cook in your pressure cooker is brown rice. You just need to add some water, salt, and rice and your delicious brown rice will be ready in no time.

Beef Curry:

Beef curry usually takes more time to cook but not with a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker not only cuts down the cooking time by 2/3 but also helps to absorb all the flavors and nutrients of the beef.

Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker

Creamy Chicken Pasta: 

Another best food to cook with your pressure cooker is creamy chicken pasta. Within just 10 minutes, you can have the creamiest pasta ready to devour. 

Chicken Stew:

Just by adding onions, oil, veggies, herbs, and seasoning in the pressure cooker along with the chicken itself, you can cook up one of the tenderest and nutritious chicken strews with less effort. 

In addition, by being cooked in a pressure cooker, the chicken stew will have the flavorful aroma of all the herbs and onion preserved due to the structure of the cooker. 

What food can you cook in a pressure cooker?

Pressure cookers make your cooking more versatile and functional. Pressure cookers allow you to spend less time cooking tediously and more time enjoying the cooking process. The possibilities of the verities of food that can be cooked in a pressure cooker are endless.

Rice:

Rice can be cooked in a pressure cooker and one of the most intriguing reasons for cooking your rice in a pressure cooker is that a pressure cooker can within few minutes give you fragrant and well-cooked rice. 

Frozen Chicken:

Frozen chicken is usually cooked in a pressure cooker especially for speeding up the cooking process. In addition, the taste also remains the same and within 20-40 minutes, you will get well-tendered chicken. 

Pasta:

You can definitely cook pasta in your pressure cooker however, you have to constantly monitor them. Additionally, this is also effective cooking as all you need to do is to throw in all the seasoning and the pressure cooker does the rest. 

Corned Beef:

A pressure cooker is the best equipment when it comes to cooking up some delicious and tender corned beef. In addition, corned beef can be cooked in a record time with a pressure cooker. 

IMUSA USA A417-80801W Stovetop Aluminum Pressure Cooker 7.0-Quart,Silver

Dumplings:

Pressure cookers can prepare dumplings in a quick and convenient way. Whether chicken dumplings or beef, nothing can beat the tender and chewy taste that you can get by cooking dumplings in a pressure cooker.

Tamales:

This very unique cuisine can be cooked effectively in a pressure cooker. Just cooking or steaming your tamales in the pressure cooker for 15-20 minutes can offer you a delicious result. 

Beans:

One of the best foods to cook in a pressure cooker is beans. Beans normally take time to cook but pressure cookers reduce the cooking time and give the beans a delicious, soft taste.

Steak:

You can cook some delicious, juicy, and tender steak with the help of a pressure cooker. You can within just 15 minutes cook tasty and fresh steak and the taste will remain the same. 

Whole chicken:

You can very effortlessly cook the whole chicken in your pressure cooker that will give the whole chicken a fall-off-the-bone tenderness. Moreover, you can also cook rotisserie chicken in your pressure cooker. 

Ham:

Ham can be cooked very tenderly in a pressure cooker which will give the ham a very crispy flavor on the outside and a soft and tender flavor on the inside. Additionally, you can cook your ham within just 7 minutes.

Turkey:

You can definitely cook a turkey in a pressure cooker. Cooking turkey usually takes a lot of time but with the help of the pressure cooker, you can cook your turkey under high pressure in less time. 

Ribs:

You can get some pretty delicious fall-off-the-bone tendered ribs when it is cooked in a pressure cooker. However, the length of the ribs is something one needs to consider before putting the ribs in pressure cookers. 

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Eggs:

You can also cook eggs in your pressure cooker but you have to make sure not to assign much time to cook the eggs otherwise the eggs can get ruined.

Bacon:

You can cook some crispy, chewy, and delicious bacon in your pressure cooker. Bacon not only comes out good but pressure cookers also make bacon cooking less messy. 

Brisket:

With pressured and a slow cooking process, you can prepare tender and smoky brisket with your trusty pressure cooker. Additionally, your brisket will be ready in less than 60 minutes.

Spaghetti: 

Spaghetti can be cooked in a pressure cooker which will leave your spaghetti very flavorful within just ten minutes. 

Noodles:

You can cook noodles in a pressure cooker but there is a slight possibility that your noodles may get mushy especially if you boil them for a long time.

Pinto Beans:

If you want creamy, tender pinto beans without all the hassle that comes with preparing pinto beans, then the best option for you to do is to cook them in your pressure cooker within just 15 minutes. 

Crab Legs:

Delicious seafood like crab legs can be cooked in pressure cookers and based on what kind of crab you are cooking, the time will vary from 2 to 4 minutes. 

Ground Beef:

You can cook flavorful and seasoned ground beef in your pressure cooker just by putting the ground beef on the trivet and by adding the seasoning to finish off the cooking.

Quinoa:

Just like rice, you can also cook quinoa with a pressure cooker. By adding water and by seasoning with salt, your quinoa will be ready within 1 or 2 minutes.

Meatloaf:

You can definitely cook meatloaf in your pressure cooker just by adding some water at the bottom of the cooker and by placing the marinated meatloaf on the wire trivet. 

Grits:

Grits take a lot of time to cook however, to reduce this cooking time, you can use a pressure cooker to cook the creamiest grits which will not contain lumps. 

Oatmeal:

Instead of having overnight oats, you can cook oatmeal in a pressure cooker more effectively. In addition, you do not have to wait for a long time as within just 10 minutes, you can have your oatmeal ready. 

What food can’t you cook in a pressure cooker?

Pressure cookers can cook varying types of food however, it is not wise to put such food in a pressure cooker that can get soggy or mushy within few moments due to the high pressure.

Being knowledgeable about which food to put in a pressure cooker can save you unwanted surprises. 

Roast:

Roast is something that tastes good when it is crispy on the outside however, there are some limitations of cooking the roast in a pressure cooker as it can compromise the flavor.

Presto 01362 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

Fries:

Pressure cookers are not functioned to be able to cook fries. Fries need to be submerged in oil for them to be crispy but the pressure cooker does not provide this function.

Beef Jerky:

Beef jerkies have a unique dried-out taste and look but a pressure cooker does not have that function because the pressure cooker’s environment on the inside is very humid. 

Foods that can or cannot be cooked in a pressure cooker:

Food Can Be Cooked
RiceYes
Frozen MeatYes
TamalesYes
BeansYes
DumplingsYes
PastaYes
Corned BeefYes
SteakYes
RibsYes
Pinto BeansYes
NoodlesYes
EggsYes
SpaghettiYes
Crab LegsYes
BrisketYes
BaconYes
Frozen FoodYes
Dried BeansYes
GritsYes
QuinoaYes
HamYes
FriesNo
GreensYes
Corn On The CobNo
With BeerYes
Ground BeefYes
FishYes
WingsYes
MeatloafYes
Fried ChickenYes
OatmealYes
Minute RiceYes
MeatYes
OnionsYes
RoastNo
Brown RiceYes
VegetablesYes
Frozen VegetablesYes
TurkeyYes
With OilYes
Jacket PotatoesYes
BreadYes
Beef JerkyNo
VeggiesYes
With VinegarYes
Sous VideYes
VenisonYes
Frozen VenisonYes
Black-eyed PeasYes
Boiled EggsYes
Egg NoodlesYes
Scrambled EggsYes
Chicken FrozenYes
PastaYes
With CreamYes
With LardYes
Rib-eye SteakYes
KaleYes
Kidney BeansYes
OctopusYes
QuornYes
OxtailsYes
Great Northern BeansYes
MacaroniYes
MeatballsYes
MenudoYes
Steak And Kidney PuddingYes
Lasagna NoodlesYes
Navy BeansYes
Chicken NuggetsNo
Jasmine RiceYes
GammonYes
GumboYes
Green BeansYes
Frozen RoastYes
Turnip GreensYes
Short RibsYes
JamYes
SoupYes
Ground TurkeyYes
Unsoaked BeansYes

Are pressure cookers healthy? 

Cooking food in pressure cookers can provide both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages range from the fact that pressure cooker tries to absorb and preserve some of the good nutrients in the food therefore, it is healthy for you.

In addition, as pressure cookers take very little time to cook, they can also retain all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

Pressure cookers also make seeds and grains healthier and more digestible for you however, cooking different vegetables in a pressure cooker can take away some of the necessary nutrients.  

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Does a pressure cooker destroy nutrients? 

Pressure cookers do more good than harm and pressure cookers also sometimes destroy some necessary nutrients from food. Some vegetables sometimes lose their significant nutrients due to the pressured cooking process. 

In addition, if you cook your starchy food in a pressure cooker, it will cause the food to form a chemical called acrylamide which when consumed for a long time can cause some severe illnesses. 

Does a pressure cooker make meat tender?

One of the best blessings that a pressure cooker provides is that it cooks meat in a record time while giving the perfect fall-off-the-bone tenderness.

In addition, it is the pressured and slow cooking process that penetrates the steam through the connective tissues of the meat and softens it and thus tenderizes the meat perfectly.

Final Thought:

To conclude, nothing can beat the effectiveness that your pressure cooker can provide. It saves your precious time by reducing the cooking time, saves energy, keeps the kitchen cooler, and offers you a variety of cooked food with all their natural nutrients.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why Does Water Come Out from a Pressure Cooker?

Why Do Pressure Cookers Have Plastic Handles?

Do Pressure Cookers Release Steam and Make Hissing Noise?

Are Pressure Cookers Dishwashers Safe?

Pressure Cooker, Instant Pot, Crock-Pot- Are They Same?