Available March 2013 • 176 pages • 109 recipes • 300 photos
Bulletproof recipes supercharged with flavor. Order your copy on Amazon.
NEW! Online tips, tricks, videos, and recipes from “I Love My Pressure Cooker” week.
Restaurant chefs know a good kitchen appliance when they see it—and we’re not talking sous vide machines. Far more practical, modern pressure cookers allow chefs the freedom to prepare a wide variety of dishes—far beyond the pot roasts and stews that you’d expect from a pressure cooker—and in record time. Isn’t it about time that home cooks discover how a pressure cooker can transform their own home cooking?
In Pressure Cooker Perfection, the first volume in our new test kitchen handbook series, the editors of America’s Test Kitchen demystify an appliance that to many home cooks remains intimidating—but shouldn’t. Modern pressure cookers are safer, quieter, more reliable, and more user-friendly than old-fashioned jiggle-top models. And they can prepare a wide range of foods—everything from barbecue to risotto—in record time.
It’s true that recipe times are slashed by one-third to one-half when cooking under pressure. But cooking under pressure also results in better-tasting dishes because every drop of flavor is trapped in the sealed pot. This fact, combined with the shorter cooking time, means that your dishes will be supercharged with flavor. In addition, cooking under pressure is versatile. While they’re ideal for roasts and stews, pressure cookers can also turn out perfectly tender beans, grains, and legumes in short order.
Once you lock the lid on a pressure cooker, all bets are off, so the test kitchen took a step back to address and answer questions that may arise before you start cooking. Topics include ingredient substitutions (can one cut of meat be swapped in for another?); how to translate our stovetop-developed recipes to work in an electric model (electric models generally don’t run as hot as stovetop models, which can affect cooking time); and how to scale recipes (it’s not always about doubling the ingredients).
With Pressure Cooker Perfection, home cooks will have everything they need (including confidence) to cook under pressure.
LIST OF RECIPES
Soups, Stews, and Chilis
Farmhouse Chicken Noodle Soup
Farmhouse Chicken and Rice Soup
Old-Fashioned Beef and Vegetable Soup
Old-Fashioned Beef and Barley Soup
15-Bean Soup with Sausage
Hearty Beef Stew
Chipotle Pork and Hominy Stew
Rustic French Pork and White Bean Stew
Pork Vindaloo
Chickpea and Artichoke Tagine
Chickpea Tagine with Dried Apricots and Honey
Chickpea Tagine with Cauliflower and Almonds
Easy Weeknight Chili
Easy Weeknight Chili with Moroccan Spices and Chickpeas
Texas-Style Chili con Carne
Fiery Texas-Style Chili con Carne
Sweet and Smoky Texas-Style Chili con Carne
Mole Chicken Chili
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Tequila and Lime Black Bean Chili
Garden Vegetable Black Bean Chili
Black Bean and Sausage Chili
One-Pot Pastas and Pasta Sauces
Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes
Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and Peas
Macaroni and Cheese with Kielbasa and Mustard
Easy Ziti with Sausage and Peppers
Ziti with Chicken, Peppers, and Olives
Weeknight Meat Sauce with Rigatoni
Tex-Mex Chili Mac
Meatballs and Marinara
Bolognese
Pork Ragu
Beef Ragu with Warm Spices
Garden Tomato Sauce
Puttanesca
Tomato, Vodka, and Cream Sauce
Arrabbiata
Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Fast and Easy Suppers
Braised Chicken in Marinara Sauce
Rustic Braised Chicken with Mushrooms
Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes
Easy Chicken and Rice
Easy Spanish-Style Chicken and Rice
Easy Chicken and Rice with Spinach and Feta
Chicken Curry with Chickpeas and Cauliflower
Classic Smothered Chops with Onions and Bacon
Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Cranberries
Shredded Pork Soft Tacos
Shredded Beef Soft Tacos
Shredded Chicken Soft Tacos
Cuban-Style Beef with Onions and Bell Peppers
Italian Meatloaf
Big Roasts and Fancy Meals
Classic Pot Roast and Potatoes
Weeknight Pot Roast and Potatoes
Sirloin Beef Roast with Mushroom Sauce
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Boeuf Bourguignon
Pomegranate-Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs
Asian-Style Boneless Beef Short Ribs
Asian-Style Short Ribs with Shiitakes
Osso Buco
Whole Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Sauce
Turkey Breast and Gravy
Indoor Barbecue
Smoky Brisket
Kalua-Style Pork
Pulled Pork
Shredded Barbecued Beef
Pulled Chicken
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs
Fiery Mustard Ribs
Easy Barbecued Wings
Easy Asian-Style Wings
Easy Peach-Bourbon Wings
Sides
Parmesan Risotto
Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto
Mushroom Risotto
Creamy Polenta
Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Polenta
Mushroom–Blue Cheese Polenta
Artichokes with Lemon-Garlic Butter
Braised Beets with Dill Vinaigrette
Braised Beets with Sesame-Ginger Vinaigrette
Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad
Braised Collard Greens with Bacon
Braised Kale with Chorizo
Braised Red Cabbage
Mashed Butternut Squash
Mashed Chipotle-Honey Butternut Squash
Mashed Warm-Spiced Butternut Squash
Mashed Maple-Orange Butternut Squash
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Indian Spices
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon and Sugar
Mashed Potatoes
Pesto Mashed Potatoes
Garlicky Mashed Potatoes
Buttermilk Smashed Red Potatoes
Smashed Red Potatoes with Garlic and Scallions
Smashed Red Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon
Warm Potato Salad
Warm French Potato Salad
Warm Lemon-Dill Potato Salad
Barbecued Beans
Boston “Baked” Beans
Cuban Black Beans
MEDIA REQUESTS: Christopher Kimball and the editors of Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country are available for interviews upon request. For more information or for television and/or print interview requests, contact: Deborah Broide Publicity, 973.744.2030, deborahpub@aol.com
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About the Author: America's Test Kitchen
18 Comments
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This is the cookbook I have been waiting for from ATK. Thanks!
Posting the Table of Contents would certainly help me with my buying decision. For instance, what is the ratio between carnivore and vegetarian recipes?
Yippie seems like I have been waiting forever to get this book…
Fabulous! I got a pressure cooker for Christmas and have been voraciously devouring all of the available cookbooks. Can’t wait for this one!
Hi tmaynard, thanks for the suggestion. The book’s full recipe list is posted.
@Christine, Thank you so much! I’ll be ordering the book today. You guys are the best.
Are there product reviews of pressure cookers included in the book?
Yes! There is a whole chapter dedicated to “Pressure Cooker 101″ in the book, which covers all the basics and includes our buying recommendations. Additionally, our full review of pressure cookers is in the January/February 2013 issue of Cook’s Illustrated and online: http://bit.ly/TH9EFt You may also enjoy this video showing exactly how we tested them: http://bit.ly/TH9yOd
Fantastic! Definitely looking forward to this one…
I’ve been looking forward to this one as well. I’m a “poke it and see” and “cook until done” type cook, which makes using a pressure cooker a real challenge. I have a good one but use it only for beans and risotto right now.
Does your pressure cooker cookbook have directions for electric pressure cookers?
HI grover31, yes! Here are our general guidelines.
We tested each recipe in both a stovetop and an electric pot and found electrics always required a few adjustments.
1. To reduce sauces, use the browning setting, not the simmer setting.
2. For recipes with a cooking time of 10 minutes or less, use your own timer rather than the built-in timer, and start time as soon as the pot comes up to pressure.
3. Never let the cooker switch to the keep-warm setting. For recipes that call for a quick release, release the pressure immediately after the pressurized cooking time; for recipes that require a natural release, turn the cooker off immediately after the pressurized cooking time and let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes.
4. You may need to add about 1 cup more liquid before cooking under pressure, then simmer to thicken sauces to proper consistency before serving.
This book is beautiful and extremely easy to understand . Looking forward to many good suppers from this one! My pressure cooker will be coming out of the pantry for sure.
I guess it is now time to take the store stickers off my pressure cooker and try a recipe. I have many other cooking vessels that I feel very comfortable with (most are favorites of ATK) and haven’t given the PC a second thought since I bought it from our now defunct Zellers store here in Canada. Hope to see this book on our shelves soon…..
I was told that you can not use a pressure cooker on a glass top electric stove , that they can only be used on a gas stove , is there any truth in that ? Thank you
Hi gwyrick, I just talked to Lisa McManus. There is no truth to that statement. Pressure cookers work on all cooktops, including induction. They just have to be heated.
Now that I know I can use a pressure cooker on my glass top stove, I think I will buy one after all, thanks Christine for setting me straight.
Just got your pressure cooker perfection book. I live at an altitude of 5400 feet. No where in the book can I find if there are any adjustments for high altitude. Are no adjustments nessessary?