Pressure Cookers

* Never fill your pressure cooker more than half full with foods or two thirds full of liquid. Foods have a tendency to increase in volume under pressure so it is important to never over fill your pressure cooker. Most cookers have a mark stamped on the inside that lets you know when you've put in the maximum amount.
* For extra flavor, brown or sauté foods first just like you would when cooking with conventional methods. For instance brown the meat and onions for a soup, before adding other liquids and cooking.
* Use less liquids than with conventional cooking methods. When cooking under pressure, less liquid evaporates than with conventional or stove top methods. Likewise slightly less liquid is usually required.
* Add different ingredients at different times. Since food cooks so quickly, you will want to add slower cooking ingredients first, then later, release pressure, add faster cooking ingredients, seal and cook more. For some recipes with many ingredients, you may do this "stop and go" technique several times, but it's worth it so the finished products retains texture as well as flavor.
* Be ready to adjust the stove heat. If the pressure builds too high, you will want to immediately lower the temperature so it comes down. This is a easy on a gas range or even today's new electric models. However, if you have a standard electric stove, it's helpful to have one burner set on low heat while you build pressure in the cooker on another burner over high heat. Once you reach the desired pressure, move the pot to the burner with the lower heat in order to maintain the pressure at the desired level.
* Begin counting cooking times when the pressure cooker has reached the full pressure, or PSI, called for in the recipe.
* Estimate cooking times on the low side. Because foods cook so rapidly in the pressure cooker, a few extra minutes and they can turn to mush. If in doubt, check it out - release pressure, open the pot and check to see if done. If it's undercooked, you can always cook it more. If it's overcooked, you are stuck with it.
* Increase cooking times slightly at high altitudes. You should be fine if you live at sea level to 2000 feet above sea level. After that, a good rule of thumb is to increase the cooking time by 5% for every 1000 feet higher than that 2000 foot base.

Releasing Steam
You cannot open today's pressure cookers until you completely release the pressure from the pot - a huge safety improvement over the pressure cookers of yesteryear. Depending on what you're making, you will release steam, and therefore pressure, from your pressure cooker via the natural release or quick release methods. The recipe will tell you which is the preferred method.

The Natural Release Method - This method means you remove the pressure cooker form the heat and wait for the pressure to slowly release as the temperature of the pot naturally lowers. Foods like soups or tough cuts of meat benefit from this extra cooking time, becoming more tender and flavorful.

Quick Release Method - Some pressure cookers have an automatic release method (check the instructions that came with yours). If so simply follow the instructions to release steam and pressure. If your pressure cooker does not have an automatic release method (and don't worry if it doesn't -- many do not), it's still simple to quickly release pressure. All you have to do is move the cooker from the stove to the sink and run cold water over the top side of the pressure cooker until the all the pressure is release It should take less than a minute.