Beef Stew and Chicken Soup in 35 Minutes or Less
Most of us are familiar with slow cookers and rely on them from time to time when we want a home cooked meal that requires very little effort. There are many reasons to love a slow cooker. Speed is not one of them.
A pressure cooker, on the other hand, can do just about everything a slow cooker can in a fraction of the time. The basic idea is the same: throw meat and vegetables in a pot, add seasonings and enough liquid to cover the ingredients, put on the lid and walk away. But instead of walking away for 4-8 hours, like you would with a slow cooker, a pressure cooker gives you just enough time to change out of your work clothes and sort through the junk mail before dinner is done. In about 30 minutes a whole chicken or several pounds of tough stew meat are transformed into a meal that will melt in your mouth, rich with flavor and perfectly cooked. In an hour, an entire pot roast will fall apart with tenderness.
A pressure cooker is locked shut and seals in all the water vapor that rise up from the simmering liquid and ingredients in the pot. The increased pressure increases the cooking temperature and triples the amount of heat transferred into the meat while it cooks. This tenderizes meat at a remarkably fast rate. Using a pressure cooker is also an efficient way to cook stock, as the high temperature will coax flavor and collagen out of bones in record time. Just add your bones and animal parts, throw in a few cups of chopped carrots, celery and onion, plus enough water to cover everything, and cook for 35 minutes or so.
Are there any downsides to using a pressure cooker? Well, when it really gets going a pressure cooker sounds a little bit like a steam locomotive moving through your kitchen. Though if used correctly, there is no reason to fear that the pot will blow its lid and spray scalding steam across your kitchen, as some people fear. The lid of a pressure cooker locks tightly into place and can only be opened if you press a button to release the latch.
When removed from heat, the cooker slowly lowers the pressure inside on its own (or can be run under cold water to speed up the process) and will indicate when it is safe to remove the lid. Newer models of pressure cookers have all sorts of added features for safety and ease of use and are pretty much fool-proof.
If you’re one of those people who’s had a pressure cooker in your cupboard for years but have always been afraid of using it, now’s the time. Thirty-five minutes later, when you’re sitting down to a warm bowl of tender meat and vegetables, you’ll wonder why you waited so long.
Pressure Cooker Beef Stew
Servings: 3-4
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds beef stew meat
- Several tablespoons of oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 sprigs of thyme
Instructions:
Season meat lightly with salt and pepper. With the lid off, heat oil in the pressure cooker over medium high heat. Brown the meat, 3-5 minutes. (The meat will brown better if you brown half of it, then remove it from the pot and brown the other half.)
When all the beef is browned, add the onion, carrots and garlic (and any other vegetables). Saute a few minutes more then add broth, tomato paste, bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
Put the lid on the pressure cooker, making sure it clicks into place, and turn the heat to high. As soon as the pressure cooker begins to loudly release steam, set the timer and cook the stew for 25 minutes. When the steam valve comes down, remove the lid. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pressure Cooker Chicken and Broth
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- Several tablespoons oil
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 white or yellow onion, chopped or sliced
- One 4-pound chicken
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 8-12 cups water
- Optional: garlic cloves and fresh herbs
Instructions:
With the lid off, heat oil in the pressure cooker over medium high heat. Add carrots, celery and onion and sauté 3-5 minutes.
Add the whole chicken, breast side down, and then add salt, peppercorns and bay leaves. Add enough water to just barely cover the chicken, 8-12 cups.
Put the lid on the pressure cooker, making sure it clicks into place, and turn the heat to high. As soon as the pressure cooker begins to loudly release steam, set the timer for 35 minutes. When the steam valve comes down, remove the lid.
Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and separate the meat from the bones. The chicken can be added back to the broth to make soup, or you can eat the chicken separately and then strain and refrigerate the broth for later use.
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Posted By: Worker Bee
I live in Canada and have a hard time finding anything grass-fed, etc. I basically have my local, generic grocery store and a couple of health food centres. One of the health food centers sells “stewing beef”, it says it is raised locally without antibiotics. Not sure if its organic. It doesn’t say lean or extra lean, etc. What is a list of all the cuts, types, etc of meats-beef-steak I can buy considering my limited options? I can’t order or afford a lot. I have to go with what is available.
My iron levels are currently 5 and lately I’ve been very spacey. I’m also constipated, or some sporadic diarrhea. Its been a week and I hope it ends soon.
Any help?
I take it you are not in a position to add a Canadian moose, caribou, or deer to the stewpot?! If I couldn’t obtain grassfed beef, I’d use various cuts of ordinary beef and supplement daily with fish oil capsules in an effort to balance out the Omega 3/6 ratios. In addition to the special issues women face with potential for low iron, it is very commonly encountered in folks who have gluten intolerance and a very strict gluten free diet often helps, though not many docs have good awareness of this yet. Your physician may be able to use the red cell indices and morphology from your blood count to narrow the list of possible causes of low iron.
I just go with the regular beef the grocery store sells, it’s a hell of a lot safer than anything you are going to get at a health food center.
Sounds like maybe you should see a doctor or nurse?
Anne, I eat red meat, nuts and leafy greens every day but still need to take iron, zinc and magnesium. Magnesium should help with constipation. Certain foods can impair vitamin and mineral absorption; I wrote a post on it if you care to read it:
http://relievemypain.blogspot.com/2010/09/vitamin-and-mineral-absorption-stop.html
Blood sugar swings can make some people spacey, but I don’t know whether that’s the cause of your problem. An inexpensive blood glucose meter can help you find out.
Thanks Lori.
I currently take: vitamin C, vitamin D, Omega 3, multivitamin, vitamin B12 (though my levels are really good…a naturopath said I ought to take it anyway)…I am trying to start up the iron again now…I hate it cause the constipation is so bad.
I’m amazingly fatigued. I can only tolerate a short walk. I hate that…I used to be a uber athlete. And for over a year, I fight to feel normal. Its hard cause I’m underweight…so trying to gain weight, but at the same time, all I do is sit and sit (literally). I’m just absolutely exhausted and the bowels are bad. My adrenals check out fine. Not really sure how to eat anymore, cause I need to gain. I worry I’m eating way too animal (heavy) products to be honest. And I do eat dairy and fruits galore. And fats.
Try eliminating all dairy for a month or more, including any prepared foods using milk, yogurt, butter, sour cream, cheese, and see how you feel. And get a full slate of blood work done. Also try eliminating all sugar for a while too. Later you can add in one at a time to see what effects you.
Hey Anne…have you ever been checked for and IBD?? (Irritable Bowel Disease?). I’ve recently been diagnosed with Crohn’s so I am super-aware of symptoms and warning signs. You should see a gastroenterologist and schedule a colonoscopy just to rule it out. The prep isn’t fun but the procedure itself is a piece of cake and they will know as soon as you are out of the procedure if you have it!! I had ALL of the symptoms you did except instead of constipation it was the other extreme for me. And btw, once you cut ALL cows dairy out, that will help! Good luck and I think I’m like a year late for this reply now that I’m looking at the date of this post! Ha! I sure hope you have it figured out though!!
Anne–
You may want to consider having your thyroid levels checked as well.
Where in Canada do you live? I’ve found grass-fed beef almost everywhere.
I am pretty sure my cortisol levels are fine. My iron is freaking at a 5. Less than 12 is deficient.
I might be able to get grass-fed. But its very rarely available.
The other stuff is just whatever is that the Atlantic Superstore or Sobeys.
I did notice at Sobeys that they are selling “Free range angus beef” and it is marked as “halal certified” – free of antibiotics, etc…nothing about grass-fed and no nutritionals listed…options are “marinating round”…or “steak” …or “beef stewing cuts”…not sure….I’m “old school” where I’d always just buy the pack of “extra lean ground beef”…I don’t not what to look for “round”, “sirloin”, “stewing pieces”, etc..
Anne
It sounds like we live in the same region. I’m in NS and have found a ton of grass-fed beef. My wife and I just purchased a split side at a really good price. If interested, let me know and I’ll forward the info.
Chris
Anne, I also live in Canada (Vancouver, bc) and there are many butchers that sell “naturally raised meat” Try calling butchers in your area, or check out farmers.
Late to the party here, but I’m casting a vote for gut dysbiosis. A lot of less-than-friendly flora are iron-eaters. That’s why supplementing doesn’t help and causes constipation: you’re causing an algal bloom in your bowels.
As far as cuts, the BH&G cookbook (the red/white gingham one) has a diagram and ‘suggested uses’ table. You’re pretty much good to go with ruminant meats, but try for leaner (not necessarily LEAN lean) cuts – just trim them a bit and supplement the fat with known clean sources.
On cold days like we have today here in PA, Beef Stew would be awesome. This looks like a great and easy recipe.
I don’t have a pressure cooker but DO have a crock pot. Would this translate for slow cooking?
sure does
Anyone with thoughts on how to alter the steps and/or cook time to adapt to the slow cooker?
How big a pressure cooker do you recommend? 4 and 6 quart seem to be the smallest sizes. Since there is only a few bucks difference in price, would the 6 qt would be the better choice?
My pressure cooking advice, and I have been teaching people how to use one for 15 years, is to buy the biggest one that you can easily store. You can cook a small amount in almost any cooker but you cannot fill a cooker more than half to two thirds full, depending upon what’s in it.
A whole chicken requires at least a 6 quart cooker. If you are going to make a lot of stock at once, you might want an 8 quart cooker.
Generally a 10 quart cooker is too large for most small families.
LOVE my pressure cooker – couldn’t live without it!
Mark,
I love recipes like this but i prefer a crockpot so the smell can fill the house all day long. A pressure cooker does save a lot of time though.
David
I still have my Aeternum PC from my macrobiotic days and still love it.
This cooker has an eliptical lid that fits inside the edge of the pot. Takes away any fear….
I don’t know if they make that style anymore but if you’re not cooking beans like soy and split peas/lentils there is little chance of clogging and have a blow out.
I rarely brown stew/chili meat anymore…just toss it in the pot. I decided it didn’t make a difference since meat is so delicious anyway.
I am now on my third pressure cooker, I have been cooking this way now for nearly 30 years, and the cooker gets used weekly, daily even in the winter. All my stocks get made this way after the weekly scraps and bone collection has been organised. I even prepare weekly food for the Dog and the Cat this way as its more nutritious for em both and better than canned stuff. Three things I couldn’t exist without in the kitchen are my food processor, my pressure cooker and my slow cooker – John
3 years ago I bought pressure cooker from Kuhn http://www.kuhnrikon.com/products/pressure_cookers/pressure.php3?id=145 . They are expensive, but I highly recommend them. I cook everything in it. Meal preparation takes fraction of time, fraction of water, fraction of energy compare to all other cooking methods. Because of very short cooking time, and only slightly higher then boiling water temperature this cooking method does’t destroy as many nutrients as high temperature cooking or boiling.
I’m totally getting a pressure cooker!
Ditto!
Curious, doesn’t the high heats obtained in a pressure cooker cause a grip of AGEs and other nasties that you try to avoid by cooking at low temp? Or does the herbs and shorter cooking time help nullify this like basil on a steak?
Anybody? I like using my pressure cooker but from what I learned on this site and a few others I started wondering if the high temps obtained with it would be an issue due to toxins supposedly created. Maybe temps not high enough for that? Thanks for any feedback, these things are the bomb (pun intended
) for convenience and efficiency.
The cooking temperature is higher than with boiling water but the time cooking is much faster and since there is liquid involved, you don’t get direct contact with food to create any bad things, as far as I know.
The studies that have been done in Spain and Germany show that nutrient retention is higher with pressure cooking versus stove top cooking.
You are also cooking without much air and that helps limit oxidation.
When you use your cooker and see how bright the colors come out, you’ll likely feel intuitively, like I did, that it’s a great way to cook.
Having cooked, and taught, for 15 years with a pressure cooker, I am still amazed. Great invention.
Good Question!
Temperature in a pressure cooker is lower than on a stove top.
From Wikipedia:
Most pressure cookers have a working pressure setting of 15 psi (approx. 107 kPa) over the existing atmospheric pressure, the standard determined by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1917.[3] At this pressure boost relative to sea-level atmospheric pressure, water boils at 122 °C (252 °F)
I think you meant to write “higher than in a conventional saucepan.”
PV is proportional to T, where P=pressure, V=volume and T=temperature. V being constant, T will rise with P.
From Encyclopedia Britannica, “The [pressure] cooker heats water to produce very hot steam which forces the temperature inside the pot as high as 266° F (130° C), significantly higher than the maximum heat possible in an ordinary saucepan. The higher temperature of a pressure cooker penetrates food quickly, reducing cooking time without diminishing vitamin and mineral content.”
I meant skillet – without water.
Cool! thanks everyone. Also… This is the first time I have ever had the inclination to join an online discussion and it is thanks to the kind of quality of people I see on this site. This is pretty rare on the internet. Great job Mark and Bees!
Bought an 8quart at jc penny today. $50.
This is a great idea. I read the post as I was sitting here eating chicken broth meat and carrots that I spent four hours making last night. The lightbulb went on.
That is great. I have a pressure cooker and it collects dust quite frankly, I will have to give it a whir. Thanks!
We pressure cook a lot around here. It’s really fast in comparison to waiting for something to stew forever we just pressure cook instead. Ribs are great in the pressure cooker too btw! (we make our own bbq sauce from scratch by throwing the ingredients in there with the meat and letting it cook in like that).
Also we made these pork chops with apples, sweet potato, onion, garlic, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper (and of course water because pressure cooker). A little carb heavy because of the apples and sweet potato (it turned into a sauce), but amazing dinner.
Add a couple glugs of red wine to the beef stew.
The most perfect artichoke I’ve ever had was done in a pressure cooker.
Did you just cook a whole artichoke in the pressure cooker and nothing else?
It seems as if I need to buy myself a pressure cooker…
Hi PT,
Don’t know about the OP, but when I do artichokes, I use the veggie steamer that came with my cooker. Put 1-2″ of water in the pot, add a slice of lemon, put in the steamer OR a very thick of onion (enough to elevate the choke out of the water). Cook for about 15 mins. Good luck!
Kate
We recently bought a pressure cooker but haven’t used it yet so this is a perfect opportunity. This is going to be the first “Primal” recipe I’ve tried. I picked up all the ingredients except for Bay leaves, which were sold out. Luckily, my sister-in-law uses Bay leaves as a staple herb and has plenty so I’ll head to her house later and grab a few.
Had one on my Xmas list but got a bunch of other stuff. Now I’ve got it on my list of stuff to buy.
My mother used to make the BEST roasts and beef stew using a pressure cooker. I was always afraid because of the noise it made jiggling away. She also cooked great green beans in it, and spare ribs. But the beef stew… it was the BEST. There is a certain tenderness that no crock pot or oven can impart. She throw in an onion and brown the meat… not sure when she put in the carrots and taters.
She also used it for canning green beans in the summer I think… there was an attachment for the mason jars or something.
Can’t wait to get one and see if I can do her proud. Who needs fancy? If can’t cook with salt, pepper, onion, and some chili powder, then you can’t cook.
TrailGrrl
Mouth-water-ingly and perfectly put!!
Well, I’m eating the beef stew right now and all I can say is that I can’t believe I cooked this!! Are all the recipes in the Primal Cookbook this easy and tasty?
I pretty much followed the recipe to the letter except I didn’t have quite enough beef stock so I added water and a beef bullion cube. The other thing I did was to add a couple of pieces of shank meat that was still wrapped around a marrow containing bone!
Uh…..how many carbs in each receipe? Low carbs works great fro losing weight as long as I’m under 30 a day,,so I really like to keep track of the how many in dish without having to inpute each item.
Thanks
Great recipes, I love my pressure cooker more every time I use it. Big time saver.
Love my Fissler PCs.
Thanks for the inspiration, Mark and Bees! I have had a pressure cooker for a few months, and never worked up the gumption to use it. Tonight I broke it in, and made the beef stew (with a glug or two of wine, as mentioned in the comments). I also added some fennel and diced peppers.
It was amazing, and we even have leftovers for dinner tomorrow!
Don’t worry, the newer, second generation pressure cookers don’t make any noise at all. Well.. a little bit, but I had to turn off my kitchen’s exhaust fan to hear it.
Thank you for posting these recipes, let’s see more delicious things come out of your pressure cooker!
L
hip pressure cooking
making pressure cookers hip again, one recipe at a time!
Haha! Mom always cooked her “roasts” in the pressure cooker. It wasn’t til I began cooking in restaurants as a kid that I realized that no one served the tender, shredded mess that she did out of a pressure cooker and called it a proper “roast”.
Nonetheless, it certainly is a timesaver, and it will make just about anything tender, alas, mine is still gathering dust…as a professional cook (hubby too) I really don’t mind long oven or braising times, and it gives me time to let flavors develop and tinker with seasonings. You don’t really have that time with a pressure cooker, but a tried and true recipe like this stew should be a go to all winter!
“If you’re one of those people who’s had a pressure cooker in your cupboard for years but have always been afraid of using it, now’s the time…” to BUY A NEW ONE!! The old ones would and could blow food all over the kitchen and often the old gaskets get hard so they no longer yield a tight seal. The new ones are just so much better.
I’ve used older, basic pressure cookers for many years without an accident. With some basic safety and maintenance, there’s no reason to replace an older pressure cooker.
Keep the gasket out of the dishwasher and out of the sunlight and it should last a long time. Mine is 15 years old and still supple here in arid Colorado.
It’s important to stay within earshot of it of your pressure cooker while you’re cooking, especially while you’re bringing it to pressure. Once mine gets to pressure (the weight jiggles around and there’s a chugging, hissing noise), I turn the burner down to medium. I may need to make adjustments to the heat after that, but the adjustments are tiny.
Also, don’t touch the weight after you start cooking and use a potholder to transfer the pressure cooker to the sink. This will prevent burns from steam and hot water.
Thanks so much for this post! I do have a pressure cooker in my cupboard which my grandmother gave me last year for Christmas. I have not used it once, because I find it a little bit scary.
I’m going to make the stew tomorrow!
Please give us more recipes for a pressure cooker!
I know Robb has talked quickly on the pressure cooker on his Road Forager video series, but I am curious of the Aluminium to Steel debate. I noticed all the new ones I find are Aluminium rather than steel? any negatives to this, I assume not or we would have heard them by now?
I would get a stainless steel one. Check your local Indian grocery stores. The one I have looks a lot like this: http://www.amazon.com/Prestige-Deluxe-Stainless-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B000UZM9HC/ref=pd_sim_k_1
I’m going to get a PC tonite and go grocery shopping tomorrow, so I will try the beef stew recipe tomorrow nite. I shall, however, substitute about 1/2 of the water for a good strong beer.