little pressure cookers

[Tahiti Rover]

Hello, Gord:

There are so many variable in food preparation, particularly in the ingredients themselves. But in general, I would reply to your question and say "NO."

Quick release is most often used when cooking vegetables and tender ingredients that come to doneness quickly. Total cooking time is usually 2-3 minutes under pressure. Almost always under 5 minutes. The better method to most accurately control doneness is to to cook for the prescribed amount of time under pressure, do the quick release so that the top can be removed safely, taste it for doneness, then transfer the food to a platter. That stops further cooking. Sometimes, owing to variances in the ingredients themselves, they may not be completely done after the release of pressure. Should that be the case, the burner beneath the already secured cooker is re-lit and a minute or two more cooking brings the meal to perfection.

Wrestling a hot and heavy pressure cooker in a sailing environment with a lot of motion is a tricky thing. Completing the pressure release while the cooker is still securely fastened to the stovetop is the safer approach. There's really no need to cool the cooker beneath running water, and besides, you really can't control the rate of cooking that way either.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Robbie