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She’s been described by both Nigella Lawson and by Si King of the Hairy Bikers as the queen of pressure cooking and she really knows her stuff. People have said, “I’ve never tasted broccoli that tastes so much like broccoli” — it really accentuates the sweetness. Catherine Phipps - How To Soak Fruit in the Pressure Cooker This is a really useful thing to know this time of year. I've been using a stove-top pressure cooker to steam my Christmas puddings for a few years now, and I had never pre-steamed them.Phipps shows that high-pressure cooking isn’t only quick and economic, but a tool to treasure flavour.

Traditionally, Christmas puddings are boiled on the stovetop for 8 hours, continuously releasing steam into your kitchen and having to keep an eye on the water level. Stefano Arturi, of the Italian Home Cooking blog, adds: “I can make dishes that would otherwise take hours [stews, chickpeas] in a fraction of the time, and with no loss of flavour – in fact, pressure cooking intensifies how things taste. The recipe I’m sharing today is a pressure cooker version of a recipe from Catherine’s earlier Chicken book and reduces the cooking time down from an hour to 20 minutes all in. They reach temperatures of 120º degrees and cook food 70 % faster on average than conventional pots.Garnish with fresh coriander, green chillies if you want extra heat and wedges of lemon for squeezing. I think there is a misconception that because they save time, they must be deficient in some other way, but it honestly isn’t the case! Reader review*********************************************************************************************** ******Those who lead a busy life and often cook in a hurry will appreciate any time-saving kitchen hack.