Pressure Cooker Beef Stew

We live in an instant society, everything right now. And the same attitude is applied to our culinary desires. That’s why there’s a drive through on every block. There’s call ahead, place the order on the way, when you get there, your prepared food is waiting for you, and brought to your car window. Personally, probably, because I’m a little older, I can wait for my food. I can allow the flavors to develop. However, in certain cases, there is a shortcut that is quite acceptable. This particular case, is beef stew, and the shortcut is the pressure cooker, hence, pressure cooker beef stew. read on, it’s delicious.

As with everything else in the kitchen, the pressure cooker uses science to cook. There’s nothing new about it. Invented in the late 17th century by a French scientist, Denis Papin. The science behind the the cooker is twofold. Firstly, when you increase the pressure, you raise the boiling point of a liquid, in this case, water, therefore raising the cooking temperature. Secondly, in a regular cooking, the heat escapes from the pan as steam. In pressure cooking that steam and heat is retained in the pan, making the cooking process more efficient. This all leads to a shorter cooking process.

Mum had a pressure cooker, it was the old style with a weighted valve to control the pressure. It would “whistle” as it cooked. Nowadays, the pressure cooker is far more sophisticated, electronically controlled and safer.

Pour in the ingredients, secure the lid, press the appropriate button corresponding to what you’re cooking and walk away. In less than a half hour, dinner is ready. It really is that simple

Now on to the building process. I have a post here for slow cooker beef stew, and putting everything together is no different. As with all good soups and stews, it starts with a mirepoix, that savory base, onions, carrots and celery. Chop that up and put in the bottom of the cooker. Add the garlic for good measure.

Now I add the meat. There is reason to my madness, by adding the meat and seasonings now, they will form a layer between the other ingredients, helping the flavors to mix while cooking.

I use stew meat cut into medium sized cubes, stew meat is tough and needs time to breakdown, but when cooked properly is succulent and tasty. Put the cubed meat into a bowl and add the flour, salt and pepper, mixing well. Now preheat a pan over medium heat, add oil, when hot, add meat cubes to cover the bottom of the pan, without overcrowding.

There will be meat left over, we’ll cook that next. Brown the meat on all sides, put in the cooker. Now add the second batch, cook the same way, continue till done. And, now, for the why. The seasoned flour will thicken as the stew cooks, giving it some substance. And browning the meat is the Maillard Reaction, this helps to develop wonderful deep flavors. On top of the meat, add all the dry seasonings, I have plans for the others.

You’ll notice that there are bits stuck to the pan, we need those, they are full of flavor. With the pan still on the stove, add all the liquids, bring to a boil while stirring, this is called deglazing. Turn off the stove, we’ll use this in a moment. Put the potatoes in cooker, now, pour the liquid from the pan over the top. There should be enough liquid to just cover the ingredients. That’s it, the prep is done. Now secure the lid per the manufactures instructions, set the program for a stew, and let it do its thing.

When the timer goes off and the cooking is complete, relieve the pressure, and remove the cover. Follow the instruction manual for the cooker that you have. When you remove the cover, you will be greeted with a delicious hearty stew that is ready in a fraction of the time than a slow cooker. But, you lose none of the flavors and textures, that is the wonder of the pressure cooker. As with any stew, allow to cool a bit before serving, and, now enjoy your pressure cooker beef stew. And, thank you for reading.