No pressure cooking

The NZ Pressure Cooker Cookbook, by Lisa Loveday (Renaissance, RRP $34.99):

Those new to the mysterious world of pressure cookers will find this book the perfect accompaniment to their shiny new appliance.

I’ve always been a slow cooker fan so the move to using something so speedy has been quite an experience. And it’s worth noting that there is now a combination pressure cooker/slow cooker available on the market (I spotted one while out shopping for a coffee maker) so when it’s time to replace my well-worn and much-loved slow cooker in the future I might just consider buying one of these snazzy combos.

But back to the book. With Lisa Loveday as the driving force behind this book, it should come as no great surprise that it is both comprehensive and uncomplicated: she was the food editor for TV One’s Food in a Minute series and put together two cookbooks for Watties during her time there, including the children’s favourite Let’s Cook.

This time around her focus is on good food fast and how to make that happen. The recipes are all dishes that you’ll want to try, with a great selection of soups, mains, veges and side dishes, desserts and more. Pressure cookers used to be noisy, slightly menacing things that sat on a stove and hissed at anyone who came near. The newer, shinier versions are much more user-friendly than the old beasties and this cookbook certainly takes the mystery out of how to get the best from your cooker.

And if speedy cooking isn’t enough to get you interested, a quick glance at the photos in this book should be enough to get your attention.

I recommend the chicken cacciatore

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