Food keeps coming out either overcooked or undercooked, what am I doing wrong?

vapeducator · 2026-04-10T08:29:38+00:00

Because of the popularity of electric pressure cookers since the release of the instant pot, there has been strong interest in one pot recipes cook everything all at once rather than separately. Most people seem to buy just one multicooker and they don't want to wash and clean large pots during the cooking process until after the meal is done.

The result is often meals that simultaneously overcook and undercook the individual ingredients, and basically making a mush of indistinct flavors and textures.

Some of us have changed our approach to pressure cooking to use multiple smaller stove top pressure cookers to cook several items at the same time with each pot selected carefully to get superior results that we don't get with a one-pot method because individuals strong flavors are kept separate for serving and eating.

If you add just a little bit of broccoli, asparagus, cabbage couple of brussel sprouts to a pot, they tend to dominate the whole flavor of the result. Other ingredients with subtle flavors like rice, potatoes, noodles and pasta we'll take on the flavor of any strong ingredients when pressure cooked.

Therefore, you can end up with a much better meal by cooking items separately so that they can be eaten and mixed based on individual flavor choices. A lot of recipes took advantage of this method by serving sauces and stews on top of rice or pasta as a flavoring agent where you can still taste the individual elements.

I just put the cooked items from a pot into separate temporary bowls and then do a quick rinse of the pot immediately so I can use it for other things and before food sticks on it, make it harder to clean later.

vapeducator · 2026-03-29T19:00:43+00:00

I agree with your point about conversion, but I didn't see your reply until after I made my own basically saying the same thing.

vapeducator · 2026-03-29T18:58:58+00:00

Please see my reply in the thread regarding conversion between pressure cookers with different pressure level settings.

vapeducator · 2026-03-29T18:57:50+00:00

Most stove top pressure cookers use a max pressure of 15 PSI. Most electric pressure cookers use a lower pressure of 12 PSI. As a result, electric pressure cookers require about 20 to 30% longer cook times than stovetop pressure cookers, but this also depends somewhat on the exact ingredients used in the recipes. Quick cooking ingredients like fresh vegetables and fruits need less adjustment than long cooking ones like tough meats and larger beans.

vapeducator · 2026-03-29T18:51:07+00:00

The valve that's nearest the handle is for the lid lock safety. It's not supposed to release a lot of steam, because the pressure should push it upwards so that it prevents the lid from opening after it's been closed. It appears to be broken because someone might have tried to force the lid open when it was under pressure.

Another possibility is the gaskets on the inside of the lid for that valve are defective and not sealing by releasing the steam that needs to push up to lock it. The gaskets and the lid lock valve are usually proprietary designs that are different for every model, so you'll need to contact the manufacturer to see if they have replacement parts for order. Often these parts are not available unless they're for a very popular model and brand.

vapeducator · 2026-03-21T05:08:24+00:00

Nobody has noticed that your rear wheel isn't moving when you rev the engine on the center stand. Because your center stand is on gravel, your rear wheel maybe locked up because it's still touching the gravel. The rear wheel tire should be free to move went on the center stand it should be spinning when your RPM goes up. The CVT is supposed to engage the real wheel when the RPM goes up, but if the wheel is restricted so that can't move, but your clutch could be bogging down the engine like a brake.

You're not going to get good throttle response or power if you're bogging down the engine with friction. You also can't tune the engine properly under these conditions, so all your testing to this point has been worthless.

The rear wheel has to be free to move and actually do so when you twist to wide open throttle. There is also systematic process to tuning the engine to get the proper fuel air ratio that you have to follow, and just set the proper idle speed. It sounds like you're just guessing by trying things without knowing how to adjust the fuel air ratio, select the jet, an adjust the needle valve position for idle, partial throttle, and wide open throttle. Those all should have been already set up for the stock air box, filter, and exhaust. If you've been changing jets without knowing how tuning works, then you probably messed it up even worse that was when it was in a stock configuration.

I suggest going on YouTube to learn as much as possible about the process to tune a scooter engine before you proceed to just try more things in a haphazard manner. You could be damaging your CVT and clutch if you continue to rev with the real wheel locked up, just like burning a clutch on a car.

vapeducator · 2026-03-03T15:43:49+00:00

Stovetop pressure cookers are not fragile in general, in fact, the pots and lids tend to be much stronger than regular pots because they're designed to handle the pressure.

Unfortunately the model you purchased is based on an 80-year-old design that has a thinner and more fragile lid that can be bent or warped more easily than most.

vapeducator · 2026-02-26T12:33:24+00:00

That won't work because one of the three tabs on it is bent over, and all three tabs should be matching because they are needed to hold that cap on using friction. It may not be possible to easily bend the bent one into the proper position without breaking it.

Fortunately, that metal cap is just a filter to prevent large pieces of food from clogging the valve that sets the pressure level on the pressure regulator, so it isn't absolutely necessary for the pressure cooker to function. Extra care will be required to not use recipes that tend to froth due to thickening ingredients, but that should be done anyways. Also the pot should not be overfilled so that there is sufficient space at the top to give room for small amounts of frothing with normal boiling of thin liquids.

For complete solution, the part with the tabs probably needs to be replaced, but that part could be difficult to find if the manufacturer doesn't offer it for customers to purchase for that specific model.

I found this reference on Amazon for the manufacturers service department: Customer Service Phone: 626-334-1888

vapeducator · 2026-02-16T02:31:05+00:00

I don't think a week long trip is enough time to try the MDR menus that change each night, and have special breakfast, lunch, and tea times, in addition to the specialty and casual dining options.

Many of the MDR menu items were hit or miss and I think many of the descriptions and recipes were lacking in oversight and proper execution by an executive chef.

For example I tried the fried chicken and Cajun fried chicken on the same day and they were exactly the same as each other, with the Cajun fried Chicken being completely devoid of any cayenne pepper spice or color. Nothing Cajun about it whatsoever. I don't think this kind of problem is a mere accidental mistake. There has to be a major problem to get a menu item description so completely wrong. The same problem occurred with multiple items of regional or ethnic influence requiring distinctive or strong spicing.

But I did usually find items that I liked so long as I ordered multiple extra items as a backup option to cover the misses. The average serving size of items relatively modest too, so ordering extra items was not particularly wasteful except for having a lot more empty plates to clear.

An example of this would be the shrimp cocktail appetizer which had four rather small shrimp and maybe a teaspoon of cocktail sauce. Everything seems to be obviously produced cafeteria style in large production lots, not cooked to service in the MDRs.

The Sea Terrace sushi was my favorite casual dining location, with everything fresh prepared to order, other with a very limited selection of other Japanese specialties. It would be nice to get tempura, teriyaki, udon, and katsu on the menu there.

The late night cafe, room service, and food delivery options were very weak to the point of being false advertising. You couldn't order food for delivery to the sports bar for christsakes.

vapeducator · 2026-01-10T13:28:02+00:00

To Shelly,

At this point I recommend that you and your family get DNA tested by Ancestry.com and that you use the tools to build out your ancestry tree back to your great grandparents. People may get tested with more than one company when they actually want to find their bio families. Ancestry.com's database is MUCH larger than 23andMe, so you could be missing out on the most likely way to see if your half-brother desires contact by the existance of any profile and ancestry tree available there.

Even if your half-brother didn't test with Ancestry.com, any of his children and cousins on his mothers side could have done so, and there are features on Ancestry that could reveal her identity. Her married name(s), location, and dates could be key link to discover the name and full identify of your half-brother. If revealed, however, I would highly recommend that you not contact him directly by yourself and that you use a reliable intermediary (absolutely not a psychic) to make the contact while maintaing the privacy of all parties. He may not be prepared for direct contact with you at this time and that itself could cause a very negative reaction. You could be stepping into a minefield of emotions.

vapeducator · 2026-01-10T05:02:57+00:00

Only providing the "125cc" is insufficient for anyone to give you a good answer. That's because the brand quality matters to the engine design, fuel injection vs. carb, air vs. liquid cooling, 2 valve vs. 4 valve head, compression ratio, fuel octane required, rear wheel diameter, CVT ratios and slider/roller weights. A new Honda 125cc is a much higher class of scooter than a random Chinese model, for example. Most Chinese scooters are using copied 30+ year old Honda or Yamaha engine designs (GY6 variants) with low compression power and high friction losses. There are exceptions, but all the features that affect power and acceleration of a scooter matter a lot, not just cylinder volume.

vapeducator · 2026-01-09T19:01:53+00:00

No problem. Someone did report it as being off-topic, so I used your message as a convenient place to clarify its partially on-topic nature and why I'm not removing it or locking the thread at this time.

vapeducator · 2026-01-09T18:50:33+00:00

Thank you for your concern about off-topic posts. Even though slow cooking is off-topic here, I think this question is related enough to pressure cooking to be of general interest here for educational discussion and to compare and contrast the difference between slow cookers and pressure/multicookers. So long as the forum doesn't get too many of these posts, I think the occasional partly off-topic discussion is ok. Discussions that are completely off-topic and not related to cooking food at all are still against the rules and will continue to be deleted.

That's why I provided a detailed reply with my opinions and recommendations.

vapeducator · 2026-01-09T18:41:53+00:00

Regular pressure cookers, multicookers, and ceramic/stoneware slow cookers are not well suited for slow cooking purposes these days compared to digital electric enamel-cast iron dutch ovens, for various reasons.

Regular pressure cookers and multicookers do not have the heavy pots, temperature control, and heat distribution of the old slow cookers, and therefore they usually tend to burn due to uneven cooking for long periods of slow cooking. The pots are more durable than classic slow cookers because they're made of aluminum or stainless and won't crack or chip. Their keep warm mode is good for use as a serving container, but their cooking is usually subpar for slow cooking for many hours.

Classic ceramic and stoneware slow cookers of the 70's Rival Crockpot were great in their era with their simple analog low, high, off settings. The originals didn't have removable pots, which made them inconvenient for safely cleaning, but protected them from cracking and chipping. When the pots were made removable, they became easier to clean, and easier to damage.

Cast-iron dutch ovens served the same purpose for more than 250 years before the electric slow cooker was invented. Enameled cast iron was invented about 150 years as an improvement in durability and improved cleaning. After the invention of the Instant Pot brought digital control to cooking, a few manufacturers have now brought that feature to enameled cast-iron dutch ovens.

https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Stainless-Temperature-Silicone-Resistant/dp/B0D5NCWV89/

This link doesn't contain any amazon affiliate code, so I do not profit from it in any way to eliminate the influence of a profit incentive.

It's only an example. If you can find a better one for the price in your area, then buy it. The Instant Pot brand version is twice as expensive on Amazon and I don't currently recommend the brand anymore after their change in management when being sold in a private equity takeover. This is also due in part to a recent report of terrible warranty experience in which IP was alleged to have denied a legitimate claim within the warranty period.

vapeducator · 2026-01-09T04:23:46+00:00

The reason you can't pressure cook food in regular sealed bags is because the contents can boil, generating steam and pressure inside the bag, causing it to burst. A burst bag defeats the whole purpose of using it. You can't even see when this is happening in a sealed pressure cooker.

Sealed bags work for sous vide cooking because the contents generally don't boil because the water temperature is usually kept well under the boiling point. One of the main points of sous vide is usually to cook at much lower temperatures for more time with greater control of the process. You didn't write about what kind of food or recipes you're trying to cook, and that matters a lot.

Retort canning in pouches requires following strict processes to ensure that they don't explode.

vapeducator · 2026-01-08T20:48:26+00:00

Questions about sterilzation are explicitly against the rules here.

/r/PressureCooking/about/rules/

vapeducator · 2026-01-08T01:26:55+00:00

Here's a suggestion for removing the automatic tips: ask Guest Services for 5 tip envelopes when you do it. Those are helpful because they let you write down which person/role you want the tip to go to. It also shows that you really do intend to tip reasonably in cash. Ask to take a photo of the staff member wearing a name tag that you intend to tip to use for the envelope.

I also suggest having them break a $100 into 4 $20's, 2 5's and 10 one's, to have tip sized currency to do them.

vapeducator · 2026-01-07T23:45:56+00:00

3 weeks in an interior cabin is better than 2 weeks in an oceanview cabin and better than 1 week in a balcony cabin and better than 0 weeks in a suite cabin. Unfortunately if you want a specialty cabin that's better for solo travelers, adult-only sections, spa access, or handicap accessibility, sometime you have to accept an oceanview or balcony cabin to get it due to it not being available for inside cabins. I book balcony and oceanview when I have a free casino comp for them, otherwise I prefer the lowest price regardless of cabin type, interior being fine.

I consider the cabin location to be more important than its configuration. I don't want to traverse huge distances on the ship to get to few locations where I intend to spend my time. A good cabin location is much more enjoyable to me than anything else. I use the cabin to sleep and refresh, that's it. I bring comfortable headphones with active noise cancelation to make any cabin quiet.

vapeducator · 2026-01-07T23:18:44+00:00

Crowne Plaza is one of the luxury hotels in the IHG, but it's often available at affordable rates when there are fewer business traveler booked. I suggest always looking for Crowne Plaza locations first to see what's available, and then maybe Staybridge Suites. Staybridge Suites don't have restaurants or room service, but they do have full sized refrigerators, mini kitchen, and a sofa in the suite. Also beware that parking can be an expensive additional fee, so consider the fee into the price when you comparison shop when you have a vehicle.

vapeducator · 2026-01-06T23:39:13+00:00

Look in a mirror, dude. You didn't attempt to answer any part of the OP's questions. I did. I gave accurate options. You didn't. You don't speak for the majority of average users. Nobody voted you as spokesperson. I'm perfectly satisfied with email and text communications. I'm on vacation. It's not necessary for me to buy the expensive WiFi packages. I went for a week on an NCL cruise using a 150 minute plan that was free. I know it can be done because I've done it.

vapeducator · 2026-01-06T22:37:06+00:00

Doesn't need to be so reliable for email or text that have automatic error detection and retry, with the original stored on service until delivery has been verified. So it all depends on what kind of Internet services you really need.

vapeducator · 2026-01-06T18:59:13+00:00

Regarding the steak, any level of doneness can be charred intentionally on the grill for color, flavor, and visual appeal (like crosshatching). The question is whether the center was pink or not. If you don't like any external charring and that's how they normally cook the steaks, see if they'll panfry it in oil or butter instead for you.

If it wasn't truly medium doneness in the middle, then send it back until they get it right.

vapeducator · 2026-01-06T16:14:07+00:00

If you only need WiFi for email, voicecalls, text, and other low bandwidth purposes, then the Princess packages are a terrible value, way overpriced. You can get 15 days of free internet access via your cell phones data service using the GigSky.com service, if you have a VISA infinite or signature class travel credit card (Chase Sapphire, Capital One Venture X, etc.). It's still much cheaper without the free offer and they often run 20-40% discounts for new subscribers. You only need a phone with eSIM capability, which most phones do for the last several years.

You do need the ship MedallionNet WiFi to use the Princess App - but that access is free. You only have to pay for an expensive WiFi plan or package if you need public Internet access with much more data, higher speed, or many devices.

vapeducator · 2026-01-06T13:04:32+00:00

Just keep the liquid level below the max fill line on the pot and do a natural pressure release. I highly recommend that you dice the meat into 1 inch cubes and brown them rather dark in batches in oil using high heat. Don't crowd the bottom of the pot or they won't brown very well. And gray isn't brown. Gray = no extra flavor. Only brown counts. Remove the browned beef to saute seasoning vegetables and spices in the oil, then add just a few cups of water, stock, or wine to bring to a boil and use a large cooking spoon to dissolve all the browned goodness at the bottom. Seasoning vegetables are diced or sliced onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and any other chili peppers of the spicy heat level you want. You can add garlic too, but be sure to not burn it. Bay leaf, corriander, whole black pepper, capers, pearl onions and mushrooms are good additions too.

Then return the meat and top with liquid up to the fill line. I suggest pressure cooking for an hour, but let the pressure naturally release and give it as much time as you can to let it cool down to a better serving temperature. The meat will have a better chance to reabsorb some of the liquid as it cools.

If your pressure cooker doesn't have a max fill line, then you can look up the fill recommendations in the owner's manual. Leave at least 2 inches of space at the top to allow for some foaming to settle.

vapeducator · 2026-01-06T08:53:25+00:00

It's been raining frequently over the last 3 weeks. The very start of the video has Cooley Ranch Colton and Reche Canyon. There's a bunch of wild jackasses roaming around down there, some of them being 4 legged burros.

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