Some Days...

[ThePieMan]

I dunno what happened to me today, but as I was about to let the little beastie (Tianxi S/S Pressure Cooker, with silicone ring seal and spring loaded safety release valve) I just didn't like the sound of the frying chicken in the cooker. I really got the heebie-jeebies and had to take the lid off fast. That was 20 min. ago and my stomach is still tied in knots.

Now, nothing happened, the lid was clean, all the safety features checked, the pressure Gauge was in working order, etc. but I just couldn't shake off the feeling that today, was not the right day for this activity.

Chicken cooked nice, breading stayed on, everything as it ought to be, but I just couldn't leave the lid on, no way, no how. Oooooohhh… some days…

[Ken_Griffiths]

Ha ha.. I think those are the signs of a person, who has maybe burnt or over-cooked their chicken once or twice in the past. Yes I've been there and done that ..and it pays to shorten the cooking time as the oil gets older and filtered/re-used.

I've often thought it would be nice to have some kind of viewing window into the pot, so we could all see the sharks swimming around the chicken and know exactly when to get the pressure down and the lid off.

It's like being in a darkened room, with no light at all... completely blind.

Digital timers and thermometers and experience over time helps, but even then we all still sometimes burn things ... it pays to even stick to the same brand of oil that you get used to.

[mpmn04]

I once had a bad experience while pressure cooking a stew. I thought it boiled dry and removed the top too soon. Well, the remaining water all foamed up and over the top while it was still on the stove, just like pouring warm coke in a glass. Thank god it wasn't oil..

My concern with pressure frying is the not knowing the temp.of the oil. Would an infra-red thermometer reading on the exterior of the pot, below the internal oil line, be accurate at all?

mpmn04

[Ken_Griffiths]

mpmn04..

I wouldn't think it would be an 'accurate' reading as the inside of the pot is probably hotter than the outside, but it might provide a good reference p-temperature for you to make a note of to keep a check (watchful eye) on things.

Is there any member here who has had a bad experience with their pressure fryer, I wonder?

I've not heard of anyone being badly burned by these things on any of the KFC forums, but that should not stop people from treating their fryer, or the cooking process with all the respect it deserves.

Safety 'first', chicken comes 'second', every time.

Ken

[ThePieMan]

to quote a(n) (in)famous youtuber, "Welcome to Ma la ba toi where Safety is Number One priority..."

[Randie]

I've never had a melted gasket or a safety plug blow out. Really, if these were unsafe, they just wouldn't be sold. I have used old oil before and it generated a lot of foam. When venting, it started ejecting the hot foam. After trying to let out a bit of pressure at a time, I finally gave up and put it in the sink under running water. The moral of this story is don't use the oil too many times, or you might encounter the hot foam fountain!

The problem with the infrared/laser pointer temperature guns is that pressure cookers are made from shiny aluminum or stainless steel. As such, pointing the gun at them results in wildly inaccurate readings. At least in my experience, I wouldn't depend on readings from any shiny surface (aluminum, stainless steel, mirrors, etc.). I've often thought of ways to put a sensor inside the pot. The leads would have to attach to, and go through the vessel's side walls to a connector. While I'm sure it can be done, I am concerned that drilling holes in a pressure cooker is not a very good idea (even though there are already three holes in every lid). Perhaps a better idea is a thermocouple that connects via Bluetooth. The problem with this obviously temperature, pressure, and a signal strong enough to go through the metal. And besides, I'm not running a high production facility, so that's a bit overkill. It's probably best to use the tools we all have and not some custom, questionable contraption.

I'm found that it's only through trial and error can you figure out how your cooker and gas/electric interact together. It always seems to come back to measuring before the lid goes on and then measuring when it comes off. My advice is to write down exactly what you did, when you did it, which burner, dial setting, how long, how much oil, how much chicken, and every temperature point you can think of.

Ken is right: Safety first! You can always cook something a bit differently next time. And while your cooker will never explode, it will vent your food and oil if necessary. And what a mess that makes of both you and your cooktop!

Randie

[Ken_Griffiths]

Sound advice Randie ...

I too have my times and temperatures and use a timer etc. It's definitely best to write the 'settings' down and to adjust things, by experience. That way the chicken then become near-perfect everytime.

I've certainly had a few disasters to get to the point where I'm fine with things at home. The only issue I have is when I'm asked to cook at a friends house and their stove is like a propulsion rocket and their lowest cooker setting is still like a huge blowtorch.

(Keith if you are reading this ... you know you definitely need to change that old gas burner... and it is definitely not 'a collectors item' ..ha ha)

But it has taken a while to get to a position at home, where I am fully happy with things.

The one real issue I had, was finding a decent brand of flour here in the U.K.

I have mixed and matched so many different flours with/without cornstarch etc. So many flours that I have lost count. I have now solved that matter with a local supermarket brand of sponge flour ... and it's just fine straight out the bag, without mixing it with anything.

I reckon I searched for well over a year or more to find the particular flour and knowing my luck, it will more than likely disappear from the stores shelf in the not too distant future... that happens a lot here in the U.K.

Once they realise the public like something, they stop selling it!