No Cooking Under Pressure with the Power Pressure Cooker XL

The last six months I have listened to my friends rave about their “lemming” pot. I would read and listen intently and never really thought about it. To me, I thought it was for “larger families” and not my small one. Then one night after the holidays were in the rear-view mirror I woke up to the tele (yes, I’d left it on) and there on my television was the Power Pressure Cooker XL. I have never been as fascinated as I was right then and there (and still am). I wanted to make ribs, macaroni, chili, and everything else in a fraction of the time, in one pot no less; and just like my friends. I wanted to be a “lemming” too!

I have never been so excited to receive a product before. I have become joined at the hip with the Power Pressure Cooker XL. There are a ton of Facebook groups and communities, along with youtube videos from Fusion Life Brands and the chef behind the Power Pressure Cooker XL: Eric Theiss, to blogs and recipe swaps. I have never been a “lemming” before and now that I am I totally get it and see why.

The Power Pressure Cooker XL isn’t just a pressure cooker. It’s also a slow cooker, has a delayed timer, you can do soups/stews – it’s just so versatile and I look at it in amazement. I am constantly thinking: where have you been my whole life! If I cooked a lot before then you can imagine what I’ve been up to the last almost two weeks. It is phenomenal and it infuses the flavor in the items I’ve made unlike anything before. I’ve stopped using everything else. I haven’t needed them. I feel like cooking this way is healthier – not to mention so much easier/faster. I’m so short on time as it is with having therapies to take my son to, or after-school stuff going on for both him and my daughter. No longer do I have several items on the stove top and the oven on or oops I forgot to defrost or they changed their mind. None of that matters anymore. I cannot rave about the Power Pressure Cooker XL enough!

One of the things I have been trying to do is take my own recipes and convert them into the Power Pressure Cooker XL – which, can be trial and error on my part. Some of the things I cook I haven’t exactly found a recipe that is similar to mine or exactly the way I do it. Others are almost spot on. I really thought I was being the clever one when it first arrived and what I had in mind to make. I kept seeing all these recipes for barbecue chicken (legs mainly) and I use boneless chicken thighs (kids – once I made them they/she never looked at a leg again) so I thought I was clever. So, I set about to make them – and pretty much combined the what is called for with my own and I have to tell you it was mouth-watering. Same for the macaroni. I think most of you know that I make my own variation of it. No matter if I cook it on the stove or in the Power Pressure Cooker XL I enjoy scooping it into my ramekins afterwards and adding breadcrumbs on top, sometimes with a little more cheese and sometimes not. Only now I’m able to do all this in one pot and it’s a breeze.

While I work my way through some of the recipes passed down to me from my maternal grandmother/mom and then my paternal grandfather and adapt them to the pressure cooker I’ll share those with you. I’m also teaching my kids how to use the Power Pressure Cooker XL which to me is going to be a very rewarding experience (for them and myself) as most of you know my son is on the autism spectrum. So short and simple tasks really work for him and so far he’s really enjoyed making me dinner and learning a skill.

Hopefully you’ll find something different about my recipes and enjoy them as much as we do. Some may be total fails (on my part) and I’ll tell you about that too (just in case there are tips and tricks) as I learn to convert measurements and seek guidance from groups and others wherever assistance comes from – you’ll know and hopefully it will make navigating/questions easier.

By-the-way, the wonderful people at Tristar Products/Fusion Life Brands graciously have offered a $25 discount off any size of the Power Pressure Cooker XL with the code: SAVE25

I can’t say enough great things about the Power Pressure Cooker XL. I’ve had absolutely zero issues with cleaning it and I’ve yet to have anything stick – it has a non-stick inner pot. The valve releases easily and scared the dickens out of me the first time I used it (water test), however, that was just me as I could and would and have jumped at my own shadow – my kids think this is hilarious. Now I’m used to it and it and reminds me of my dad’s kettle going off without the whistling (depending on what I’m making and how much pressure there is) and while we’re on it, I have run across reading in one of the communities on Facebook where some had some stickiness left over after making macaroni. I haven’t had to try this yet (but the source of who it was that shared it is why I’m sharing it with you): one to two scoops of OxiClean with two cups of water and you can use either the soup/stew OR the canning button [most say] around 10 minutes. Actually, to me, that may be a great way to do an extra-cleaning here and there if need be just to do every now and again (don’t forget it is dishwasher safe) to sanitize. It’s such an easy clean up for me that I’ve been washing it by hand.

So here’s a couple recipes and again, I’ll be back each week with more and more recipes from desserts to meals – just all the things a good “lemming” makes!

Enjoy!

Boneless/Skinless Barbecue Chicken Thighs

• 8 to 10 boneless/skinless thighs
• olive oil
• 2 cups barbecue sauce (your own or favorite brand)
• 1 TBSP. liquid smoke *optional and you choose flavor*
• salt
• pepper
• other seasoning (if you like)

1. Turn the PPC XL on and select Chicken/Meat;
2. When the inner pot warms up add olive oil (I use enough to coat the bottom);
3. I lightly coat the thighs with olive oil too – and then add seasoning (paprika or smoked paprika depending; salt; pepper or white pepper – again depends on what I’m aiming for taste wise);
4. Place the thighs in the inner pot and and brown on all sides;
5. I make my own sauce especially if making spicy (if interested let me know and I’ll share as it’s great on ribs) – cooking for the kids I don’t go this route so I pick out my daughter’s favorite and then I add a few things: dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, splash of orange juice and the liquid smoke – in this case, mesquite;
6. Pour in the barbecue sauce and coat all the thighs by tossing or turning them over to coat;
7. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and lock it. Make sure your valve is set to closed;
8. You’ll see the display still moving as it was when you were browning – it will build up pressure then start automatically;
9. Once done you will hear the pressure cooker beep – this is where you will release the valve (do not do by hand) I do this with either an oven mitt/kitchen towel or even a wooden spoon by given it a nudge on the part of the valve where it is raised up and out a bit; and
10. Let it completely release all the steam before opening and you are done. At this point remove the thighs and if you prefer a little more crunch just transfer to a baking dish for the oven or broiler for several minutes or just serve as is (my daughter does not like them crispy) and enjoy alone, over rice or other and with any sides you made!

With the remaining (if any) thighs I saved them to use in my chicken tortilla soup and it was delicious! I’ll share that soon.

I had a video I was going to share, however, using one hand to hold the camera and one hand to cut the super juicy and tender thighs … it’s not the best quality so I opted not to share this time. Trust me on it being so tender – I used a small children’s fork! If there had been any bones the meat would have fallen off!

Macaroni and Mucho Cheese

I did my recipe backwards for the pressure cooker regarding milk/cream and cheese. It worked, however, I am going to play around with it and see if different ways give me different results (good or bad) and I’ll let you know.

• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 16 ounces of noodles (your choice – this time I used rigatoni although any will do)
• 4 ounces Gruyere (shredded)
• 4 ounces Havarti (Taleggio if you have and shredded)
• 2 ounces Gorgonzola (shredded)
• 2 ounces Parmigiano (you’ll need a tad over if you want to add shavings when complete – all shredded)
• 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs or Panko (fine)
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
•  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cups Water
• 2 to 4 TBSP butter

1. Place the inner pot into the pressure cooker and select the Rice/Risotto button;
2. After it’s warm I pour in extra-virgin olive oil to coat the bottom and then the butter – until the butter is melted;
3. Add the water and then the pasta (I squirt a little more EVOO in and toss the pasta around). Cook open until all or majority of the water is absorbed into the pasta;
4. Add in the salt, pepper, and again a little olive oil and stir – coating all of the pasta;
5. Pour in the milk and heavy cream;
6. Add in all of the cheeses (I did not stir);
7.  Place the lid on the pressure cooker and lock it, making sure the valve is closed;
8. Press the Warm/Cancel button; and
9. Select Rice/Risotto button then time adjustment until 8 minutes is reached.
10. Once it hits zero you will hear it beep and you will need to open the pressure release valve (same way as before – as long as you do not use your bare hands) and the pressure cooker will automatically revert to the KEEP WARM setting. As soon as I’m able to remove the lid I turn off the pressure cooker.
11. I stirred the macaroni and then plated for my daughter and of course I tasted it (a few times *lol*) then I started filling my ramekins. I added the bread crumbs over each ramekin and then if you saved any or would like to add any of the extra Parmigiano you can. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and under the HIGH broiler for 3 to 5 minutes – then serve (or you can do this then store them for the week or skip the broiling and wait to do that part until after you reheat for dinner or lunch during the week; normally I do all the steps and just reheat over the next few days).

It was delicious! I only used ONE pot and I absolutely loved that! I’ve become best buds with the Power Pressure Cooker XL! I actually think I’m in love with it but I try to only whisper sweet nothings when I’m experimenting with my recipes in the hopes that it likes me back just as much and there’s not a big flop at the end.

I’m really looking forward to bringing you lots of different recipes over the coming months – with video too! I can’t wait to can some of our spaghetti sauce or make yogurt and applesauce! YUM! Then all the soups and main courses. I keep asking myself: where this has been all my life then realize I had never “gone with the flow” and jumped on the “lemming” bus before. I can officially say that life as a “lemming” has been a real pleasure and my taste buds, tummy, and kids can all agree with that sentiment!

Again, in case you missed it above, you can order a Power Pressure Cooker XL and save $25 by using code: SAVE25

By-the-way, I wanted to show you the bottom/inside of the Power Pressure Cooker XL after removing all the macaroni from it and putting into the ramekins and/or dishes for dinner (nothing burned):

To order or read more about the Power Pressure Cooker Xl which is available in: 6 quart, 6 quart pro – red or black/stainless steel, 8 quart or 10 quart and the features that each have (including bonus features) head over to Power Pressure Cooker XL‘s website and use code SAVE25 to receive $25 off your order.

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I’ll update next time with various communities and groups and even include some of their youtube videos that may be of help to me as I navigate my way at and through different recipes. These links will include Chef Eric Theiss’ (the genius behind the Power Pressure Cooker XL) cookbook, Facebook and more! Until then: Happy Pressure Cooking, y’all!

*I received a Power Pressure Cooker XL from TriStar Products. This has in no way influenced my feelings about their product. All opinions are my own.