Pressure cookers are slowly becoming an indispensable part of every kitchen. So many popular recipes require you to prepare the ingredients in a pressure cooker. However, cooking in a pressure cooker is not as simple as initially thought. Many components may not work with a pressure cooker.
Dairy is an ingredient with a high risk of curdling when used to cook in a pressure cooker. But, how do you prevent dairy from curdling when pressure cooking? In this article, we will answer this very question and talk about why this happens and give you a few recipes so you can try them for yourself. So, let us dive right in.
How To Use Cream In A Pressure Cooker?
Dairy products may react negatively when cooked in a pressure cooker. As a result, using it in a pressure cooker can prove difficult due to its chance of curdling. But, using creams like heavy cream and whipped cream can solve that.
Dairy products curdle in a pressure cooker because it boils, causing the emulsion to break. Thus, when you cook it in the pressure cooker, the quick heat function brings it to a boil too quickly and breaks the emulsion. As a result, the dairy products end up separating or curdling.
However, heavy cream is unlike most other dairy products due to its high-fat content. As a result, you can use it in moderation in the pressure cooker, and it will not curdle. Therefore, most restaurants use heavy cream or whipping cream to cook in pressure cookers.
But, there are still downsides to using heavy cream in a pressure cooker. Cream sauces are one of the most common reasons a burn notification may occur on your pressure cooker. So, if you plan to use heavy cream in your pressure cooker, use it with some other fluids such as stock or water.
How To Prevent Sour Cream From Curdling In An Instant Pot?
Earlier, we discussed how you could use heavy or whipping cream as it has a lower chance of curdling due to its high-fat content. However, some recipes require sour cream, which poses a higher risk of curdling, unlike heavy cream. So, let us see how you can use it without making it curdle.
Putting sour cream in the hot liquid immediately would result in it curdling. So, instead, you should try and get the temperature of the cream high enough so that it does not curdle. You can do this by adding and stirring a bit of the hot liquid into the sour cream. It should gradually raise its temperature.
Once the sour cream becomes warmer, add it to the pot and continue to cook. You will notice that the sour cream does not curdle. Try this out yourself by making beef stroganoff and seeing it work its magic.
Can You Pressure Cook Milk?
Dairy products can react negatively when cooked using a pressure cooker. The quick heat function of pressure cookers can damage dairy-based products such as milk or cheese. In the case of milk, it can cause the milk to be curdled, while it can cause the cheese to clump up together.
Milk is one of the critical things you should not put in a pressure cooker for this very reason. However, if you are planning to use milk in a pressure-cooked meal, then add it at the end when the pressure cooking finishes. Stir in your dairy mixture at the end of the cooking process and cook the meal for a while with the lid off. Otherwise, it can result in its curdling.
Can You Consume Curdled Milk?
The short answer to the question is yes. You can eat curdled milk as it does not have any specific medical side effects and will not harm you physically.
And you already do eat curdled milk in one form or the other. Cheese is made from curdled milk. Also yogurt. So, there are no inherent side effects to drinking curdled milk.
But it is by no means appetizing at all. It will have a rotten and unavoidably unpleasant smell to it. The consistency will also become thick and clumpy and taste very acidic as it loses its natural sweetness.
Why Do Dairy Products Curdle?
Milk is the emulsification of water, proteins, and butterfat. Curdling of milk is the act of emulsification breaking apart. As a result, the water separates from the coagulated milk proteins. It occurs when you boil milk causing those three milk components to break apart.
The process of making cheese is similar to this. You cook the milk until you get the coagulated proteins that we mentioned earlier for cheese production. Next, you add rennet, an enzyme used in the cheese-making process, and drain away any excess fluids.
Dairy Recipes to Try in Your Pressure Cooker
Now that you know how to stop dairy products from curdling in your pressure cooker, why not try it out on some delicious recipes. Here are two recipes we recommend trying out.
Creamy Cauliflower Soup
The first recipe we recommend trying out is this fantastic creamy cauliflower soup. This delicious and creamy meal can be prepared in no time and is full of vegetables. What ingredient will you need?
- A cup of diced onions
- 1 to 2 tsp of butter
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- Half cup of shredded or diced carrot
- A cup and half of vegetable broth
- One head of cauliflower
- 1/4th tsp of salt
- A cup of cream
- 1/8th tsp of black pepper
- 1/3rd cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 2/3rd cup of grated mozzarella
- 1/4th cup of gluten-free flour blend
- 1/4th cup of butter
Once you have everything ready, put the pressure cooker in a sauté mode and melt your butter. Pour your onions into the butter and sauté them until they are golden and tender; add your garlic at the end as they start to turn gold.
Next, add your broth, cauliflower, carrots, pepper, and salt to the sautéed onions. After that, change the cooker to the high-pressure mode for the next 5 minutes, allowing the pressure to be naturally released. To further thicken your soup, add some grated raw potatoes into the cooker with other vegetables.
You are almost at the finish line; add any extra salt or pepper to the mixture if your broth has more than enough salt in it that you do not need to add any. Finish it with the grated cheese and cream, and stir it until it is nice and melty. And enjoy this simple and easy-to-make recipe.
Rice Pudding
After trying that delicious creamy cauliflower soup, we hope you have room for dessert. We are sure after trying this recipe, it will be one of your favorites as it is mine. Let us start with the ingredients list.
- 2 cups of whole milk
- A cup of Arborio rice
- Two eggs
- A cup and a half of water
- Half a tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4th tsp of salt
- Half a cup of sugar
- 3/4th cup of raisins
With just these ingredients, you can prepare delicious rice pudding. First, add the water, rice, and salt to the pressure cooker and cook it for 3 minutes at high pressure. After 3 minutes, let the pressure out naturally for 10 minutes, and then release whatever is left with a quick pressure release.
Afterward, add a cup and a half of milk and the sugar to the pressure cooker and mix it into the rice. Mix the remaining milk, vanilla, and eggs in another smaller bowl, and whisk them together. Next, pour it into the cooker after straining it with a fine mesh strainer.
After that, switch the cooker to sauté mode and stir and cook the mixture till it starts boiling. When you are done cooking it, turn the cooker off, remove the pot, and stir in your raisins. It will thicken as it cools, giving it a proper pudding-like consistency for you to enjoy, either chilled or warm.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we talked about how you can prevent dairy from curdling when pressure cooking. Initially, this may seem difficult, but by following the process, we mentioned, you can easily avoid curdling your dairy products.
So, be mindful of what you put in your pressure cooker. Thank you for being with us till the end, and Goodluck and Goodbye!
