what 'modern' convenience have you given up?, page-80

Lady GGA, I've been wanting to get a pressure cooker; not just for braising, but also for cooking up dried chic peas and other beans to a tender state that's not tough. I make the chic pea curry called channa, which is the big number 1 dish for most Indians. Normal soaking and then boiling is not enough to soften these tough mongrels, so the trick is to add a bit of bicarb soda to the simmering water. Works by almost dissolving the tough skins, but can also leave a slippery soapy taste, hence I want the p/cooker...

I suspect p/cooker sales would now be rocketing with people wanting to cut down on their power costs. - CLub_sharer

Um...firstly, thank you for the honorific but per'aps would be better used on Lady michele instead because I am a defective lady - ie. XY chromosomes instead of the more robust XX.

Yah, yah, yah! THe PC is currently my second favourite cooking utensil - your beans and legumes will yield to your pressure! I love (mild) Indian cuisine as well, full of carcinogenic spices, tasty, and healthy (OK, mebbe not Butter Chicken). I tried making my own dhal but discovered I'm crap at Indian cooking. Regardless, the lentils and multi-bean mix I put in were rendered...edible. No overnight soaking, no multiple hour cooktime - I'm an impatient lad. Just washed them, soaked for about 7 minutes (about as long as it took me to prep the spices and fry off in oil), chucked it in, 45 mins, done. I've never heard about the bicarb trick, all I used to do was soak overnight. I have to say tho', there were more 'ruptured' beans/lentils than the professionally done dhal, so the 'mouth feel' may be different.

A site I find useful:

http://missvickie.com/howto/beans/bean-categories.html

If I do say so myself, I think it makes great mash but IMHO, whatever amount of time you think is adequate for steaming cruciferous veggies, halve it, or you'll end up with Masterchef-level puree! I find even my rice done in the 'Pot in the Pot' method tastes better (could be confirmation bias!).
http://missvickie.com/howto/cooking101/pipinfo.html
I'm still loving the lamb shanks, pot roasts etc. and experimenting (eg. PC steamed eggs [in the shell] have this weird 'burnt but not burnt' colour) but what I'm really looking forward to is this :-) :

http://www.hippressurecooking.com/dulce-de-leche-pressure-cooked-condensed-milk/

I'm just looking for a suitable glass jar to start (I don't want to be eating no BPA from the tin!).

RE: your last sentence. The PC community (I know I was!) so ticked off with those Boston Traitors that turned an object of nourishment and sustenance into one of murder, mayhem and massacre.

PS. You would be familiar with my (still) favourite cooking utensil - the tabletop convection oven :-D.

Now, onto the next cooking adventure (& Modern [In]Convenience) - the sous vide! I. Want. My. Steaks!

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Alan Partridge and peaceAKKI, I bow to you in Luddite respect! I'm starting to detach from my microwave as well - for perceived health reasons.

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My mother is dead and lives on a cupboard in the laundry.
I don't have any aunts - at least I don't think I do.
I don't need to impress anyone as far as I know with a spiderwebless environ. - pintohoo

So is mine (R.I.P). Without a 'civilising' female presence, I'm reverting back to caveman life, buying normal groceries but eating only the meat & letting the fruits and veggies lapse into rottenness, eating directly from pots & pans...

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Watching a bit of 'Better Homes and Gardens' now, the landscaper dude is tidying up the shed with home-made on-the-wall storage. For those of you with experience, any recommendations/praise/criticism of systems? For example, ELFA.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/roundup-ten-best-looking-elfa-77706 (Caution: quite a picture-heavy link)