Got a pressure cooker for Christmas: how are they?

In. Got one a couple of years ago and it's still in the box downstairs.

I got one too. Not sure what to do with it either.

I think so.

It basically can cook gumbo, red beans, etc. in half the time.

They are supposed to be great, but I literally know nothing about them.

Meats take a bit longer but it breaks them down fast. She can do say a nice chuck roast in under an hour that normally would take close to three.

Just start googling. They are much better and safer these days.

I posted this in the other pressure cooker thread:

We use a Kuhn Rikon Duromatic a lot. It's 8.5 quarts and about 10.5" inside diameter. It has a glass lid (accessory) so you can store stuff in the fridge in the same pot.
Things we cook:
10-11 lb turkey
Ribs of all kinds
Beef roast (chuck/Rump is a little better)
All kinds of stock
Brisket (regular and corned)
Boston butt
Jumbo peanuts (4-5 lbs)(35 min!)

There are way more possibilities (We do beans differently). I'm a big fan because nothing takes more than 60 min (turkey was 35 min)and the meat is more tender than anything I've done in the oven (better than slow and low). Sometimes we cool smoke the meat first and reduce the time under pressure. Sometimes we'll de-pressure and throw in potatoes/carrots/onions/turnips/whatever for the last 10-15 min under pressure.

Lean meats like pork loin don't do as well. Meat needs a little fat imo.

At the 15 psi cooker pressure the boiling point of water is 250F vs 212F at atmospheric pressure and you're cooking with steam heat so things stay moist. It's a great tool.

My wife does do a half brisket too. Just seasons it, trims some of the fat and puts it in. About an hour later shredded brisket tacos. Forgot about that.

Cooking quick stocks and brisket is gonna make this gold.

I use mine for pressure canning and all of the usual stuff like beans and roasts. Be forewarned that if you pressure can anything with ground meat that the texture of the meat will be different...similar to the beef in hormel chili.