Pressure Cooker!
From a previous post, you know we have started introducing solid food with Erik. So with the assistance of my mum-in-law, Katy, and her introduction to cooking with pressure cooker. It made making food for Erik so darn easy and within 15 minutes from start to finish that I want to share it out there for parents.
So for those who haven't used pressure cookers or don't know what it is. Here's a brief intro. Pressure cookers is your basic pot aluminum or stainless steel pot but the lid has a extra seal and allows steam to escape as pressure builds. The liquid inside the pot comes to a rapid boil and high temperature as pressure builds in relateive short time. As a result, steam, pressure, and boiling liquid infuses the food inside as fast as possible thus the food cooks rapidly.
So, I was doing some research on how nutrients were affected by various cooking methods. So from the least to the best of how much nutrients/flavonoids are retained after cooking:
So I tried the middle option last night. Chhimi bought home some fresh sweet potatos that he got at a nearby farmer's market and I was able to dice them up into small chunks. Place them in the pressure cooker & covered with water just barely and within 10 - 15 minutes, the potatoes were really nice and soft! I pureed it and added a little bit of filtered water just to mix it to a right consistency due to the startch in the sweet potatoes. It tasted yummy without any seasonings!! I'm amazed, that for one small sweet potato, I was able to make 3 super-large servings for Erik so I froze two of them and left one in the fridge for tonight's dinner :-). YAY! My goal is to really start making Erik's food myself and build up my skills in cooking with the help of Grandma Katy.
Below are some links about pressure cooking and baby foods (for those who may be interested, of course, my mum-in-law is the expert in this!):
How to Make Your Own Baby Food
Pressure Cooker Outlet - I think this is the brand we have.
Some Misc. Recipes (non baby food)
Baby Food Recipes
So for those who haven't used pressure cookers or don't know what it is. Here's a brief intro. Pressure cookers is your basic pot aluminum or stainless steel pot but the lid has a extra seal and allows steam to escape as pressure builds. The liquid inside the pot comes to a rapid boil and high temperature as pressure builds in relateive short time. As a result, steam, pressure, and boiling liquid infuses the food inside as fast as possible thus the food cooks rapidly.
So, I was doing some research on how nutrients were affected by various cooking methods. So from the least to the best of how much nutrients/flavonoids are retained after cooking:
- Microwave - loses about 97%!
- Boiling - nutrients are lost in the water (so retain the water and you're good)
- Pressure Cooked - very good! food is cooked in short amounts of time.
- Steam - Great! food is cooked within its own juices!
- Steamed & Pressure Cooked - Excellent! Retains more than 90% of the vitamins!!
So I tried the middle option last night. Chhimi bought home some fresh sweet potatos that he got at a nearby farmer's market and I was able to dice them up into small chunks. Place them in the pressure cooker & covered with water just barely and within 10 - 15 minutes, the potatoes were really nice and soft! I pureed it and added a little bit of filtered water just to mix it to a right consistency due to the startch in the sweet potatoes. It tasted yummy without any seasonings!! I'm amazed, that for one small sweet potato, I was able to make 3 super-large servings for Erik so I froze two of them and left one in the fridge for tonight's dinner :-). YAY! My goal is to really start making Erik's food myself and build up my skills in cooking with the help of Grandma Katy.
Below are some links about pressure cooking and baby foods (for those who may be interested, of course, my mum-in-law is the expert in this!):
How to Make Your Own Baby Food
Pressure Cooker Outlet - I think this is the brand we have.
Some Misc. Recipes (non baby food)
Baby Food Recipes
posted by Tabitha | 10:29 AM
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