7.3.11

yikes, be careful with that pressure cooker

We live in a country where the meat is not corn fed or even grain fed like we are used to in the west. So we who want tender meat have to have tricks up our sleeve when in the kitchen. I have marinated & brined & slow cooked and those work pretty well. The best by far is the pressure cooker- what a nice tender piece of meat you get.


. . . but you have to be careful. Last week I was cooking a beautiful beef 'fillet' (pronounced fill it) after marinating it over night. It was dark outside by the time I was making our meal so Ron & I were hungry. After cooking this 1 kilo piece of 'nyama' (meat) in the pressure cooker about 40 min, I turned off the heat and let the steam out of the pot. I was explaining to Ron that you have to get the built up pressure out before you open it so it won't explode.





Well, I did not wait long enough and when I turned the handle to open it, it exploded right in my face. YIKES! The juice flew all over the cabinets, the meat flew across the kitchen, and I got caught in the crossfire! I quickly ran to the sink, pulled off my shirt (hoping the guards were not right outside the house) and splashed cold water on my face and neck.



You can see I got burned, Ron cleaned up the kitchen including the meat bits on the ceiling, and we ended up enjoying the wonderfully cooked meat.

Burns in Africa, it could have been bad, but it only hurt the first night, and the special burn cream I had been carrying around with us for 3 years now came in handy.

Lesson learned: no haraka (quickly) when it comes to pressure cookers, only pole pole (slowly).

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness! What an adventure. So sorry you were burned and really hope it heals well. I think I told you about the time I made myself look like Gorbachev from an oil splatter to my forehead while trying to brown a pot roast...no fun! Keep that burn cream handy!

Anonymous said...

JaneAnn,
I had to laugh at your description of the meat flying across the room. So sorry you got burned, but am glad you are a nurse and know what to do. Yea for burn cream. Miss you! Love, Judy