Does anyone else use a pressure cooker for camping meals? It makes a nice change from fired and bbq'd meals and you can make some great meals in a short time (saving on propane). I have done meat loaves, spare ribs, pot roasts, stews, chicken and dumplings etc. etc. Especially when camping at this time of year, the more substantial meals are awfully nice. The longest cooking time I have come across so far is about 35 minutes for a pot roast. If you haven't tried one it is worth considering -- one pot filling meals. It can be hard to find recipes -- I have actually found 2 pressure cooker cookbooks in the library discard sales, so I guess they are not trendy right now. I have made a convert of my neighbour and am keeping an eye out in thrift shops for one for her.

Just a thought for those who like to cook (and eat).


Rosemary

Interesting topic, Rosemary. I think we had a discussion long ago, now lost to last November's hacking.

The subject did come up again in this What's in your pantry? topic. Raunie mentions something about baking in a pressure cooker. That's particularly intriguing.

Admittedly all I know about P.C.'s is I remember my grandmother using one for canning, when I was younger.

I too wonder how many Fiberglass-RVers take their pressure cooker along.

Pressure cooking has been used by campers for a long time. Many high altitude hikers and climber use a small pressure cooker to improve efficiency of their small stoves and small amount of fuel they can carry. Here's what most carry. Sometime I might get one, I sure don't need any bigger than this one is.

That has to be the cutest pressure cooker I have ever seen Byron. Mine is just an old Presto one, now I covet that little one.

Rosemary,
Allrecipes.com only lists 3 recipes for pressure cookers, but they all look good. This one might be too complex for camping, but it sound intriguing.

http://chicken.allrecipes.com/az/PrssrCkrChicknwithDckSc.asp

Tom Trostel

Yum, that recipe looks delicious -- I will try it at home before giving it the ultimate test in the trailer with 2 Brittany Spaniels wrestling at my feet. Thanks for the link.

Rosemary

I remember back during the 40's & 50's my mother had 2 of them 1 big that she used for canning and a small one she made meals with and that was about the time when more and more women started to work outside the home, she claimed it cooked a much faster meal. I know my wife had one and when we were first married she cooked a lot with it same reason. I have to admit though that I think I always liked the taste of conventional cooking better for some reason. The funny thing is I love things cooked in the crock pot especially a pot roast with all the fixins cooked together. that dutch oven stuff ain't bad either .... hmmm wonder whats for dinner tonite

We use one at home for roast beef. There is nothing like it for tenderness and flavor.

We have a Nordic Ware Microwave Pressure Cooker.

There's that microwave again. I keep wondering where that current bush is.

I'm looking into getting one of those too. No wonder my trailer is getting heavy; I have to have 2 of everything... One for electricity and one for propane...

Do camping and electricity mix, other than 12 volt electricity?

Just wondering Byron.... do you ever use electricity? Do you use electricity at home?

Even though we camp, we still love the up to date electric items.. that makes it easier for us to enjoy camping. We still boondock and love it too....

We think everyone should camp whatever way is best for them. Propane, electric, dutch oven, or just over an open fire.. just love what you do.

Microwave, TV, video, vaccuum cleaners.. if it's what you want to do... enjoy!

Camping with electricity in a fiberglass camper?

Camping is done in a tent. Cooking is over an open fire with one pot. Electricity is a flashlight.

Camped all over the country from the back of a motorcycle. Bivvy sack, sleeping bag, and flashlight. The I started adding equipment got a camp stove and a tent.

Now I drag a small air conditioned house around behind a pickup with a generator and solar panel in the bed and its still camping.

Started camping with the Cub Scouts and have continued into my retirement. Equipment has changed and so have I.

The only thing constant is change.

Mark Twain said it best, "only one who likes change is a wet baby"

I really do agree with you that everybody should camp in a manner that's best for them.
Do I use electricity at home? Not very much. My house runs on natural gas where ever possible.

Use electricity camping? I used a woodburning pen once while camping and plugged in, does that count?

Hi Rosemary,

I have to admit, I'm scared of pressure cookers - I think my mother drilled this fear of exploding pressure cookers into me. I need to get over it and get mine out. I bet the seal is all dried out and I should replace it before I try to use it.

I recently purchased a cookbook software called Cook'n. I really, really like the organizer for this software and all the recipes I've tried have been good. (One can add many different cookbooks of recipes to this software.) I noticed that for $19.95, they have a cookbook called

Cook'n Under Pressure

Side Note: Their website is a bit confusing (I think). It looks like one has to buy additional software to run this cookbook but that is only for those purchasing a download. If you buy the CD, the organizational software is included.

Nancy

I hope you had a kevlar glove! Ouch!

I worked at a steam powered radio station once.

I do hear that often when I talk about my pressure cooker to people who don't use one. Seems mothers of a generation ago must have had some experiences because people often mention food on the ceiling after an explosion. I have never had a problem so perhaps designs have changed. I used to use mine a lot when I was working and had kids at home who needed dinner on the table, then got out of the habit. I have recently started using it again and we really like how it cooks cheaper cuts of meat and fried chicken done in it is sooooo tender it falls off the bone. I tried spareribs as well and they don't need the pre-simmer that a lot of recipes call for -- the pressure cooker really makes them tender. Anyway, enough food talk, it's making me hungry. But I will ask for that little camping one for Christmas -- Mountain Equipment Co-op here in Canada has it in their catalogue. I hope I have encouraged you to get yours out again Nancy and thanks for the link.

Rosemary

You have. Thanks, Rosemary!

Nancy

www.recipezaar.com
has a TON of pressure cooker recipes. Just type pressure cooker into the search, and you'll get them all (dinners, desserts, breads, everything).

I really like the way a pressure cooker makes food taste (alot like a crock pot only way faster) I am still using a pressure cooker that is 65 years old and it does make me a little nervous when it hisses and jiggles so i may consider a new one........ not sure yet.
This following site is nothing but pressure cooker recipes and the majority of the recipes are FREE.
(By the way I made Lima Bean soup which i can't stand for my wife....but when done in the pressure cooker it was really good and now i like it.....Go Figure!)
Joe

http://missvickie.com/recipes/recipeframe.html

and yet another pressure cooker recipe page:
http://www.dianaskitchen.com/page/pressure.htm

Pressure cooking while camping saves time for fun, not to mention, propane. When you can "pre soak" the beans in 5 minutes, and cook them in 10 you have saved a lot of propane.

Keep one permanently packed in the trailer.

Lora and i have had a pressure cooker that regulates the temp. automatically for about 25 years.
it was built by Louis Nye in Oakland/Alameda, for canning (in cans). he is a master at all things
in canning and nutrition.
so we have canned a lot of albacore, salmon, beef, chicken, etc.
we also have 2 or 3 other pressure cookers for use at home and in the trailer. recently we bought
a smaller one for the trailer.

I have a small camping pressure cooker (REI model) - so far I've used it for rice and old-fashioned steel cut oatmeal. It works great - although it is very small (and not quite as cute as Byron's).

Rosemary I inherited a "brand new still in the box" old presto pressure cooker....I have the original cookbook that went with it and would be happy to loan it to you for you to go thru and pick out the reciepes you might want to copy for your own..drop me a quick line if you want me to send it off to you Its about 3 x 5 and has 127 pages ranging from soups, veggies, meats, combination dishes, desserts, steamed breads and even dressings and sauces. I have to add this when I went looking at the reciepes I came across poultry and "game" in it there is a reciepe for squirrel (probley tastes like chicken)..The book is very informative and gives alot of info with time tables for all kinds of food. Brandy

oooooh, bring the recipe book to NOG Brandy.... if you remember. I'd love to look at it and copy some interesting recipes.

Only if you show me how to use mine I have yet to use it because I didn't want to blow my house up..I have seen my great grandmother use one but other than that I have no experience. I will go make a few copies that way I can pass a few out. Will trade copies for helpful trailer advice or a good beer .

The gasket on my very old and handed down pressure cooker died a number of years ago and I couldn't easily get a replacement, so I got rid of it. Now I'm wishing I'd held onto it! I think I might put that 3.5 qt model on my wishlist. Or I might hit freecycle for one.

All this talk of pressure cooker meals made me want to try one!

My family likes to eat well when camping and I don't want to spend so much time doing the cooking.

I bought a stainless steel Fagor 4 quart pressure cooker at Macy's yesterday for $39.99 - 10% off ($4.00), plus it has a $10.00 mail in rebate . . . not too bad of a deal, I think.

Maggie

Okay I read the instructions..read them again...then again to make sure I would not blow the house up with an older model presto that I inherited still in the box from my grandma and made the most tender ribs from just thawed pork ribs from my freezer in less than 35 minutes (plus thawing time for ribs) WOW why haven't I been using this befor now...my new favorite kitchen gadget..tonights dinner Lentiles with ham..mmmmm Can't wait to use it camping. Brandy

Finally bought a new pressure cooker! A smaller 3-qt size this time. Saw a recipe for rice pudding in the cookbook and made it the same day. Pretty decent rice pudding and only 25 minutes from dumping ingredients in the pan to dishing hot into a bowl. Next time I'll try my recipe!

I use my pressure cookers a lot, both at home and camping. Most recipes can be modified for the pressure cooker, once you get the hang of how they work, but i have also picked up few recipe books along the way -- these are two of the best.

http://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Perfect-Twe...2032&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Cooker-Gour...2032&sr=1-3

Janice, thanks for the tip! The recipe book that comes with it has all these old recipes, I need some more modern! I've made the rice pudding twice now and I think I have the hang of it. I have pork for BBQ pork in it right now. Usually I put the pork roast in the crockpot, but thought I'd try something different--okay, truthfully, I forgot to take the pork out of the freezer last night to thaw! Oh, and I guess I have a 4-qt, not a 3-qt.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail....D=1227631540653

for $54 Canadian, I'll give it a go. for those that don't have an MEC membership... it's $5 for a lifetime. this is a member owned store that generally offers better quality camping gear.

We just put it on our list of things we'd like for Christmas and it looks like the mother-in-law may buy it for us!

Hi,
Several months ago I purchased my pressure cooker, and began looking for interesting recipes. My favorite author so far is Lorna Sass. He recipes are really yummy, and just alittle different than most.
Check them out!
Marjie

Canadian Tire has a 5.5 litre cooker on for $24.99. and a larger one for 37.99
I got one on Friday and have already used it twice. love it, made stew that was melt-in-your-mouh
and a potroast last night that the family devoured. I may get another to
take to the lake.