#ILoveMyPressureCooker: Ashley Rodriguez of Not Without Salt Makes Rustic French Pork and White Bean Stew

Photo Credit: Ashley Rodriguez

This week we celebrate the modern pressure cooker and our new book, Pressure Cooker Perfection. Check back daily for tips, tricks, videos, and recipes that will help you get the most out of this essential kitchen time-saver.

Welcome to #ILoveMyPressureCooker week! In the spirit of all things pressure cookers, every day we’ll be featuring a new blogger, and their experience pressure cooking. We sent 6 of our Best Buy pressure cookers to bloggers all across America, allowing them to try out recipes from Pressure Cooker Perfection. They fearlessly tackled soups, stews, sides and roasts—without any previous pressure cooking knowledge. And the outcome? Well, if they weren’t already convinced pressure cookers are the new, modern kitchen appliance, they are now.

“At this point I know nothing of pressure cooking except that it uses pressure to cook which somehow makes the process faster and that I’ve seen a couple of them bubble, spurt and explode. It may have been on cartoons where I saw this but it still has made me feel anxious about the idea. But you’re here and I’m under the highly respectable guidance of the fine people at America’s Test Kitchen. So, I’m feeling okay and yet I have the odd desire to don some goggles and a helmet.”

“It’s unlike me to start with reading through directions in their entirety but in this case I think it best. Immediately there’s a bit of relief as I read, “Why you should own a pressure cooker” from the forthcoming book by America’s Test Kitchen. The number two reason says, They’re safe. I already feel better. A few of the other reasons; it’s fast, more concentrated flavors and it is economical as it requires less energy and you can really utilize the tough cuts of meat and dried beans which are often quite a bit cheaper. All right, I’m cooking now. I read MOST of the instructions and I think it’s safe to proceed. I just put the lid on and have not taken my eyes off of it as I’m waiting for the pressure valve to lift its head to tell me that high pressure has been reach. At that point I reduce the heat and let it cook for 30 minutes. Wait a minute. Have I even told you what you are cooking with me? We are making a French Pork Stew using 3 pounds of pork butt and dried beans (soaked overnight) and they tell me it will be done in 45 minutes. Can you read my skepticism?”

“My house smells better than expensive French perfume. It’s meaty and bright with white wine. Fragrant wafts of lavender and rosemary escaped through some of the steam and have me reaching for a glass of wine. It’s not too early, right? For a mere 45 minutes I eagerly waited to taste and now is when I wish you REALLY were here with me because, you guys, it’s amazing. Even better than I had hoped. It doesn’t just taste as if its been on the stove for hours, it tastes as it it was on the stove for hours the day before because we all know stews are better the day after. The carrots taste sweeter, the meat is incredibly tender and the broth is thick and rich. It’s a quick weeknight meal that tastes good enough for Sunday dinner.

And just like that I’m a believer. Turns out all the hissing and steam – perfectly normal. Oh pressure cooker, I’m really sorry I ever doubted you and spent all those wasted years being afraid of you. I blame cartoons.”

Read more from Not Without Salt: Pressure Cooking: French Pork Stew with White Beans.