Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

I was pleasantly surprised this Christmas to see that my husband paid attention to our kitchen equipment gift guide – especially when I found a pressure cooker under the tree.

It took me a while to finally give the cooker a try.  Sam (my youngest) and my DH started to wonder if I was afraid to use it . (I was! I've never seen anyone use a pressure cooker except on TV and I kept envisioning a kitchen explosion if I put the lid on wrong.) Amy kept assuring me it was foolproof – and she was right (see her recipes for Midwestern Vegetable-Beef Soup, Shrimp Curry and Potato Soup.) I am now a convert!

I took the plunge with a pot roast. Every time I cook one in my slow cooker it comes out a little dry. Not so with the pressure cooker. This roast was moist and packed with flavor. The boys loved it and there were hardly any leftovers.

The cooking process was pretty fast and easy –  once I got the hang of turning on the pressure cooker. It shut off on me twice after just a few minutes. I eventually realized that I didn't let the cooker cool off long enough after browning the meat and sautéing the onions.

After solving this problem, it was smooth sailing. I did text Amy at the end of the cooking process to figure out if I really needed to follow the manufacturer's recommendation for using the Natural Pressure Release when cooking roasts. This is when you let the pressure reduce on its own (as opposed to releasing it all at once) while the cooker is on the "keep warm" setting. This method also extends the cooking time.

I ended up doing a quick release after letting the pressure cooker sit for about 20 minutes and I'm glad I did. The roast might have become dry if it continued to cook much longer.

So, dear readers, do you use a pressure cooker? What's your favorite recipe for this kitchen appliance?

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

1 3-pound pot roast (bottom round)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup beef broth, low sodium preferred

Use a sharp knife to score (or cut an X into) any large portions of fat on the beef. Season beef on all sides with salt and pepper.

My Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker. 

**Note: If your pressure cooker does not have the brown and sauté functions, simply use a large non-stick skillet to brown the meat and sauté the onions, and then place them into the pressure cooker.

Select browning function on the pressure cooker. Add olive oil to cooking pot. When hot, add meat and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove meat and put it on a plate.

Change setting to sauté, and add onions and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add thyme, basil and oregano and cook for another 5 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and beef broth an cook for another 5 minutes.

Return the meat to the pot and cover with some of the onions and tomatoes. Let cool for 5 or 10 minutes.

Cover with lid and lock into place. Select High Pressure and set timer for 99 minutes. When beep sounds, do a quick pressure release. Be sure to tip lid away from you when you open it, to let the steam escape.

Place the pot roast and most of the tomatoes and onions on a serving platter and keep warm. Skim fat from sauce in pot. Select simmer function and cook for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken.

Slice pot roast and serve with sauce.

2015 Holiday Gift Guide: Kitchen Equipment

Today's memo to Santa includes our favorite kitchen equipment. (BTW, in case you missed our previous installments, we have you covered on cookbooks and kitchen gadgets, too.)

Let's get cooking...er, shopping!
Erin, Amy, and Andrea

Disclaimer: These ideas are solely the opinions of your favorite bringers of hot dinner. No companies or manufacturers asked us to provide reviews or compensated us for writing about their products.

Erin's Favorites:

Immersion Blender: This handy tool makes pureed soups a whiz. Before I had an immersion blender, I had a bit of an incident pureeing hot soup in a regular blender. Let's just say I was cleaning soup from under the cupboards for years. Now my soup prep is mess-free. Use it to make Curried Butternut Squash Soup, a Berry Smoothie, or even baby food. --Erin

Le Creuset Dutch Oven: The husband bought me a 5 1/2 quart Le Creuset dutch oven several years ago, and it's one of my all-time favorite pots. Perfect for making Beef Stew, Pot Roast, or Andrea's Cincinnati Chili. If I had to choose one pot or pan to use for the rest of my life, this would be it. --Erin

Amy's Favorites:



Cuisinart PerfecTemp Stainless Steel Steel Cordless Electric Kettle: Last year, I had to give up coffee for health reasons. I switched to tea and this electric kettle helped me through those dark java-free mornings. It heats up water super fast, doesn't take up space on your stove top and has an automatic shut-off. Plus, there are settings for different kinds of tea -- black, white, green, oolong and delicate. There's even a French press setting for you coffee drinkers. --Amy





Instant Pot 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker, 6 QT: I buy myself a lot of cooking gifts and last year this was one of them. Totally worth it. In fact, for a while I  was saying I was cheating on my slow cooker with my pressure cooker. Truth is, I couldn't feed my family on the regular without both handy appliances. This model is easy to use and cleans up like a dream. See our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide post on cookbooks for a pressure cooker cookbook recommendation. As for what to make in yours, check out my Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle  Soup, Midwestern Vegetable-Beef Soup and Shrimp Curry Under Pressure. --Amy



Vitamix Professional Series 500: I'm not sure what I could write to convince you go pay upwards of $500 on a blender. It makes no sense except it does. It beats paying $200 on a blender that you will never use. The Vitamix -- the one with programmable settings for smoothies, hot soups and frozen desserts -- is a fine machine. I'm sure we will have it years; it comes with a seven-year warranty. For the first year and a half or so, I used my Vitamix daily for smoothies for me and my husband and then we tired of smoothies every single day. I still use it a lot for smoothies. I also use it when I need to emulsify ingredients -- i.e. recently for a mole chicken chili. I have also used it to make banana ice cream. (Note to self: post smoothie and banana ice cream recipes to this blog.) Next year, I want to make more nut-based vegan creams and for that the powerful Vitamix is super handy because you don't have to soak the nuts in advance. --Amy

Andrea's Favorites: 

Cuisinart Pro Custom 11-Cup Food Processor: The more I cook, the more uses I find for my food processor. The tool makes so many preparations so much easier. I love using it to slice apples for Apple Crisp or Apple Pie. The list is endless. For those who love to cook, a food processor does it all, from chopping, slicing and grating to mixing and blending. I use mine to make everything from Triple Almond Chocolate Banana Pudding to Green Rice. --Andrea

Crock-Pot Programmable Touchscreen 6.5 Quart Slow Cooker: Thanks to the Slow Cooker Revolution cookbooks from America's Test Kitchen, I'm using my Crock Pot more than ever before. This model works beautifully and I like the digital count down for tracking the cooking time. The most recent meal I made in my slow cooker was Erin's Beer Braised Pot Roast. It's also great for Pork Tomatillo-Verde Tacos and Thai Peanut Pork. --Andrea

Ninja Professional Blender: This model offers 3-way speed control and a single serve blade. It comes with two single serve cups which are perfect for whipping up smoothies. The Ninja does a great job chopping fruit and veggies. It's perfect for emulsifying Berry Vinaigrette and Thai Dressing. And it's the next best thing to an immersion blender when you need to finish off Butternut Squash Soup. --Andrea