Common Pressure Cooker Mistakes that Can Ruin Your Recipes

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Overfilling the pot

One of the biggest advantages of pressure cooking is the reduced cooking time. A risotto can be cooked in 6 minutes, instead of 25. Beef stew is done in 20 minutes, rather than 2 1/2 hours. But in order for the food to cook quickly enough, there needs to be enough space inside the pressure cooker. If it's too full, it won't function properly, the food will break down, and there could be a loss in both flavor and texture. On top of that, it compromises safety by potentially blocking the pressure valve is the food is piled too high. If using an older-generation pressure cooker, this could be disastrous, with the pressure building up so much that the top flies off and hot food goes everywhere. 

For foods that expand, such as beans or grains, don't fill the pressure cooker more than halfway. For all other foods, only fill it two-thirds of the way full.