FREE/BARGAIN - Cookbooks - 2015

[koland]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

Thank you for reposting! There is a pressure cooker recipe book in there. I haven't seen many of those for free so I grabbed it.

I've been eyeing the do-it-all Instant Pot. Does anyone use one? Do you like it?

I have one and like it.

Here's one recipe/review I did for it - http://glutenfree.booksontheknob.org...pot-chili.html (affiliate links at that site)

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by koland

I have one and like it.

Here's one recipe/review I did for it - http://glutenfree.booksontheknob.org...pot-chili.html (affiliate links at that site)

Thank you for the link - and great review! I don't have a counter space restriction, but only having to wash one pot is a huge benefit.

[KyBunnies]

I use a pressure cooker all the time during the summer for canning and whatnot but I have never used one to make chili. both of my pressure cookers are rather large to hold the canning jars. I honestly do not know if I would enjoy an electric one.

Loved the post about the electric pressure cooker. I added this to my wishlist. Thanks!

[koland]

Originally Posted by KyBunnies

I use a pressure cooker all the time during the summer for canning and whatnot but I have never used one to make chili. both of my pressure cookers are rather large to hold the canning jars. I honestly do not know if I would enjoy an electric one.

Loved the post about the electric pressure cooker. I added this to my wishlist. Thanks!

Keep in mind, this one is a pressure COOKER (as are all the electric versions available), not a pressure CANNER. I have several canners (all large to huge) that I use, along with a small electric canner (which only does things that would work in a boiling water bath canner and is very restrictive in it's recipes, I found). You can't use a cooker for canning (for several reasons: you don't have the volume required inside to get even pressure, you don't have pressure that can be calibrated for the values required by canning, etc), but you can cook in a canner (not that I personally every do - I don't like aluminum for cooking, wouldn't want to pit my canner, and they are big and bulky and heavy).

The Instant Pot is my favorite all-in-one device, so far. One pot (plus the steamer basket I modified), does several things, small footprint for camping, plus the inner pot and steamer can be used on their own as mixing bowl and colander. I've had other electric pressure cookers in the past, but they use non-stick pots (not stainless) and are larger. My old slow cooker had a glass liner (heavy and breakable); it was nice that it was larger (and had a divided pot, if you wanted to try two things at once), but that also meant it didn't work quite as well when wanting to make a smaller amount.

Not that the chili was a "smaller" amount - that pot was pretty full and fed five adults (one that had been hiking all day) with plenty left over.

[GA Russell]

I have a four-burner electric range over my oven. Can someone recommend a really good pressure cooker that does not offer many options, and is therefore relatively inexpensive?

For me, quality is more important than price, but I don't want to pay for options that only more sophisticated cooks would use.

PS - I'll be buying this from Amazon.

[treadlightly]

The beauty of the Instant Pot (or the idea of it - I don't own one yet!) is that the unit itself maintains the pressure automatically. I have a stove-top pressure cooker (Lagostina) and it requires a lot of trial and error to learn to manage the heat applied to the unit from the burner to maintain enough pressure to cook the food but not scorch the bottom of it. I like the idea of starting the unit and walking away, rather than having to stick around and monitor hissing sounds.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I have a four-burner electric range over my oven. Can someone recommend a really good pressure cooker that does not offer many options, and is therefore relatively inexpensive?

For me, quality is more important than price, but I don't want to pay for options that only more sophisticated cooks would use.

PS - I'll be buying this from Amazon.

I have several six-quart pressure cookers that I use all the time. In terms of build quality, this one by Presto wins. It's made of thicker steel than my others and I'm less liable to scorch the food. The downside is that the pressure valve is covered by a weight, so there's no safe way to drop the pressure quickly without moving the whole thing to a sink and running cool water on it. There's also an aluminum version that's less expensive, but I've never used one.

I also have two that look similar enough to this one that I think they're from the same German manufacturer. I bought those at Aldi for $40 each. If you're near an Aldi, they have a sort of rotation of kitchen gadgets that get sold once a year. Pressure cookers were last sold in November, I think, so you'd probably have to wait almost another year to get one there. In terms of build quality, they're clearly inferior to the Presto and I originally got the first one as a backup because it was relatively cheap. I ended up using it a lot more than the Presto, though, because I like the steam valve without the separate weight. The first one that I bought is now three years old and has started to leak steam around the edges of the valve while it's pressuring up (it still works and reaches pressure just fine, though). The second one I just got before Christmas (like I said, I think it was November) and it's almost the same as the first, but it has a rudimentary pressure indicator. It's just a cylinder with two lines (one for each ~10psi and ~15psi), but I like having it, especially while the pressure is dropping after cooking. There's also a pressure lever that can be moved in steps to release the pressure relatively quickly without the scalding contents shooting out of the valve. Aside from build quality, the downside to this one is that the lid isn't supposed to go into the dishwasher, unlike the simpler Presto.

Though I haven't used it, one that you might consider is this one. It's a Presto, but has the other features that I like.

[koland]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I have a four-burner electric range over my oven. Can someone recommend a really good pressure cooker that does not offer many options, and is therefore relatively inexpensive?

For me, quality is more important than price, but I don't want to pay for options that only more sophisticated cooks would use.

PS - I'll be buying this from Amazon.

Something like the Presto (stainless or aluminum, depending on your preferences - I use stainless for cooking) is fine on a range top. If it is induction or glass, you have to be a bit pickier as to the construction, of course (and the total weight).

A lot depends, of course, on if you want it for COOKING only or also for canning (which will raise the price significantly and get you something so big you don't want to use it for cooking, at least most of the time).

Electric, though, is the way to go for most of us - fill it, turn it on and walk away. No monitoring from the area to listen for the pressure to be correctly maintained (too low and nothing cooks, too high and you get to do ceiling repair, at the best).

[GA Russell]

Thanks folks!

[GA Russell]

The Egg Cookbook - 99 cents
http://www.amazon.com/Egg-Cookbook-C...e+egg+cookbook

(N. B. No pictures.)

[koland]

B&N daily deal - five cookbooks. most are slightly cheaper at Amazon, as well.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/?dre...3478&view=grid

[GA Russell]

OK, lovers of coconut cream pie...

Last edition out of print, but new edition coming October 1...

Dawn Wells - Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook (paperback - $13.46)
http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Anns-Gill...wells+cookbook

[GA Russell]

Olivia Newton-John - Livwise

kindle - $12.49
http://www.amazon.com/Livwise-Olivia...-john+cookbook

hardback - $11.00
http://www.amazon.com/Livwise-Easy-R...1374146&sr=8-2

softback - $$4.48 + $3.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...qid=1421374355

[koland]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Olivia Newton-John - Livwise

kindle - $12.49
http://www.amazon.com/Livwise-Olivia...-john+cookbook

hardback - $11.00
http://www.amazon.com/Livwise-Easy-R...1374146&sr=8-2

softback - $$4.48 + $3.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...qid=1421374355

Out of curiosity, how is this (and the post above), a "deal"?

full price and the one above doesn't have an ebook....

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by koland

Out of curiosity, how is this (and the post above), a "deal"?

full price and the one above doesn't have an ebook....

Karen dear, I post because it pleases me to do so.