So when my husband's grandmother gave us her new model, having decided she didn't need to cook so much, I was reluctant. However, modern pressure cookers are made with a higher standard for safety, and there is no longer a threat of explosions nor that horrifying rattle. And hey, it came with a cookbook to boot!
The Ultimate Pressure Cooker Cookbook is written with the Fagor brand in mind, but the recipes should work with any version. The book begins with a history of the pot--the first version was created in 1680 by Denis Papin. Metal (possibly cast iron) and with a lid that locked, this version raised cooking temperatures by 15% over boiling, and accordingly reduced cooking time. However, regulating the steam and temperature was difficult, and explosions common. A hundred and twenty years later, the travails of war led Napoleon to offer twelve thousand francs to someone that could offer a way to preserve food. In 1809 the prize went to Parisian Nicholas Appert who used a version of the pressure cooker to vacuum seal foods in clean jars, leading to the eventual development of the canning industry. His nephew, Raymond Chevallier-Appert improved upon the design by inventing (and patenting) a sterilizer that provided more consistent results in high-steam cookery.
By 1915 ten gallon aluminum pressure cookers became available for home use, and thrifty housewives everywhere had one to help with canning. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1940s, for those making the most of their Victory Gardens. At that time, there were eleven different manufacturers, with some better than others--the not-so-good makers led to the horror stories you hear of exploding dinners and preserves! After the war, however, eating habits changed as food production became more industrialized rather than remaining a largely domestic concern, and the pressure cooker fell out of favor.
They are making a comeback, however, among those interested in preserving the bounty of their kitchen gardens, and those that want to make a home-cooked meal quickly rather than eating yet another drive-through hamburger. This book offers 85 recipes, mostly of a Mediterranean origin. Although preserves are mentioned, there is no actual recipe offered, nor for canning--two areas that I very much wish had been tackled thoroughly.
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