Have you used a pressure cooker? It's a serious pot--whether old-fashioned "jiggle-top" or newer spring-loaded--that cooks much faster than other methods, saving time and energy [yours and the stove's]. And it does healthy foods like grains and beans [even risotto] in a speedy fashion.
I've never used one, but my friend Barbara Werner, a chef at the Millburn-Union Whole Foods, did a class this evening called "Take the Pressure out of Cooking." My friend Anne and I were going, but Anne had a crazy day, so I went alone--and ended up taking notes. It was that good--as was the Thai dish Barbara made with dried chickpeas, sweet potato chunks, coconut milk, garlic and fresh basil. She spooned it over raw veggie "pasta" that Kristine Nicholson, Whole Foods healthy eating specialist, made using a contraption called a spiralizer, which turned zucchini, carrots and summer squash into slender ribbons that are a light alternative to linguine. [As many people stopped by the kiosk to ask about the spiralizer as about the pressure cooker.]
Barbara's entree took 18 minutes in the pressure cooker, but would have needed at least an hour over the heat otherwise. That's fast.
All the Steamy Details
But being in a pressure cooker isn't good when it's an analogy for life, and that's how mine feels right now, between worries about Dad at the nursing home, Figgy and H. I can't be everywhere at once, and I have to do my work, too--not to mention other things, like take a shower and brush my teeth. Some pressure-cooker lingo hit home for me [goes to show, you never know where you'll find insights]:
I was also intrigued by the vegan cookbook by Alicia Silverstone of Clueless movie fame--it's called The Kind Diet. I plan to check it out, and I would be lying if I said it didn't have to do with a.) the fact that she's so pretty and b.) the Mixed Berry Cheesecake on the back cover. Here's the link: http://www.thekinddietbook.com/.
Good night.
I've never used one, but my friend Barbara Werner, a chef at the Millburn-Union Whole Foods, did a class this evening called "Take the Pressure out of Cooking." My friend Anne and I were going, but Anne had a crazy day, so I went alone--and ended up taking notes. It was that good--as was the Thai dish Barbara made with dried chickpeas, sweet potato chunks, coconut milk, garlic and fresh basil. She spooned it over raw veggie "pasta" that Kristine Nicholson, Whole Foods healthy eating specialist, made using a contraption called a spiralizer, which turned zucchini, carrots and summer squash into slender ribbons that are a light alternative to linguine. [As many people stopped by the kiosk to ask about the spiralizer as about the pressure cooker.]
Barbara's entree took 18 minutes in the pressure cooker, but would have needed at least an hour over the heat otherwise. That's fast.
All the Steamy Details
But being in a pressure cooker isn't good when it's an analogy for life, and that's how mine feels right now, between worries about Dad at the nursing home, Figgy and H. I can't be everywhere at once, and I have to do my work, too--not to mention other things, like take a shower and brush my teeth. Some pressure-cooker lingo hit home for me [goes to show, you never know where you'll find insights]:
- Gasket. As in He really blew his gasket. This is the rubber ring that expands as the steam builds up. You do not want someone to really blow a gasket. It would be scary and dangerous--a hot mess. But gaskets are flexible, designed to expand and contract with the heat--when they're too old, you need to replace them. Hmmm....not sure how to replace the gasket in a pressure-cooker life. But I do see the value of being flexible.
- Fresh start. Every once in a while, you want to take the lid apart and clean it and put it back together, Barbara said. Okay, I can do that--by taking a walk, doing yoga or clearing my mind. Take the situation apart, so it's not so overwhelming. That should help clean it, before I put it back together so it can function and get cooking again.
- Hot stuff. Add the acidic ingredients last, Barbara said. They have a tendency to burn if added first. She was talking about tomatoes, but I'd say that advice could apply to red-pepper sarcasm, bitterness, spitefulness, controversy--start with the basics, add those with caution. Remember, they have a tendency to burn.
- Flame tamer. To prevent your pressure cooker from working too quickly and scorching the food, you can put this over the flame; it helps evenly disperse heat. H. and I could use one of those. Sometimes things get too hot to handle.
- Presence. You should always stay with the pressure cooker--you shouldn't leave, Barb noted. That too is true, though I would often like to run from the stress. I guess driving far, far away--to a place where I know no one--would not really solve these problems. No, it would not.
- Safety. Barb's pressure cooker has built-in safety valves, to prevent any disasters. I'm not sure what the safety valves are in my life, but they probably involve phone-a-friend, phone-a-sister, go-to-boot-camp or take some deep breaths to vent the steam.
I was also intrigued by the vegan cookbook by Alicia Silverstone of Clueless movie fame--it's called The Kind Diet. I plan to check it out, and I would be lying if I said it didn't have to do with a.) the fact that she's so pretty and b.) the Mixed Berry Cheesecake on the back cover. Here's the link: http://www.thekinddietbook.com/.
Good night.
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