Product Reviewed:
Lagostina Domina Vitamin Pressure Cooker
Having no prior exposure to pressure cookers, I naively thought the Lagostina version would be like a slow cooker. I even looked for an electric cord to plug it into the wall. It was at this point that I realized I needed to get comfortable with the product manual before using it.
The instructions were straightforward and simple, and there are a few things to remember with pressure cooking. There must be enough but not too much liquid in the pot — it shouldn’t exceed around two-thirds unless you’re cooking food items that absorb the water, and then it shouldn’t exceed one-half the pot. The Lagostina has safety gauges that tell you when the lid can be taken off and when the food can be safely handled. It also has different settings are for lighter or more robust cooking.
Pressure cookers are pretty fool-proof, but they are different than any other cooking device I have used so, after reading the manual, I ran through an initial trial run using only water. Then I felt ready for the real deal and cooked chicken — using the cooker’s ‘chicken’ setting — for the enchilada recipe below.
I placed the cooker over a gas burner on high heat until the pressure cooker started ‘hissing,’ about 5 to 6 minutes. I then dropped to medium-high heat and cooked the chicken for the allocated time of 20 minutes. After turning the heat off, I kept an eye on lid’s red safety button that rises when the pot is still pressurized and returns to a normal, depressed state when all steam has been released. With the steam is released, I opened the cooker and remove the chicken with tongs. I was delighted and satisfied with the chicken’s flavor profile and consistency, and I’ve never cooked chicken another way that shred so easily. It immediately made me think of a tender beef stew that I am looking forward to making come the colder winter months!
