Stove top pressure cooker advice please.

I have family coming Boxing Day and want to do a buffet, what hot food can I do for jacket potato topping without being time consuming. Any other ideas for buffet food would be greatly appreciated besides the normal salad, cold meats, cheeses. Tia

I always cooked with a pressure cooker when the children were at home, we were a family of five and it was so quick and easy. However, since every one left and I am only cooking for myself, it has been sitting on the top shelf of the cupboard. I think you have to think of weight, I don’t know about the new ones but my old one is heavy.

I used to use the pressure cooker a lot, it was particularly good when camping, quick and gas-saving. Also I sterilised my baby's bottles, dummies, etc, in it.

I had a simple Prestige with just a weight on a little spout. These days, pressure cookers seem to have complicated plastic contraptions which I don't trust.

My original one was aluminium which I wanted to upgrade for a stainless steel one. However, these only seemed to be available with the plastic valve system.

I did use one for a bit but the plastic gubbins soon packed up and I haven't used one since.

If they did one with the basic metal mechanism and a stainless steel pan I would buy it but I cook far less meat these days and it probably wouldn't get used so much, as vegetables cook quickly enough the conventional way and I find things like casseroles taste better if done in the oven.

My favourite use was for crème caramel.

As there are only the two of you, I think it may not be a necessary purchase. For bulk cooking, I would consider a slow cooker rather than a pressure cooker.

I got rid of my pressure cooker when I moved as I wasn't using it much. I missed it when I made my Christmas Puddings- all that long steaming time!!!

I have two Tefal pressure cookers , with 6 children and lots of visitors I needed them
I use only one now to make batch stews and soups , and for the pudding at Christmas
They were very inexpensive from a catalogue years ago , very simple to use and I saw them recently in Lidl

Janmx5 you really should start a new thread but here’s some ideas;

Make loaded jackets, bake potatoes, scoop out the flesh and mash with butter, milk, seasoning and grated cheese.
Wrap in clingfilm and foil and freeze until needed.
Baked Camemberts with bread to dip.
Mac and cheese makes a great side dish and is easy to make ahead, add cubes of ham if you have some left over.
Home made sausage roll is so easy, grate an apple into the sausage meat and mix well, place in a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry, brush with egg and bake.

Christmas puddings and cooking ham joints is all I really use mine for these days. I have a stainless Tefal one from the days when they first produced stainless ones but the valve on the top leaks now over the cooker. I just put up with it as I use it infrequently.
For my day to day cooking I use a three tier stainless steamer on the hob - I do all my veg in it and fish and can even produce nice rice in it - I have found it very versatile. Veggies such as frozen cauliflower are like fresh when done in the steamer.

I don't have a stove top pressure cooker, but I do gave a Ninja Foodi 7 in 1 electric pressure cooker/crisper. It is 6.5qt. which is about 7 litres. I make stews, soups etc. in it. There are just two of us and it is great.
It was a Christmas gift from my husband a couple of years ago.

MiniMoon, I have the Foodi 9-in-1 and love it. Being able to make things like stews, risotto, paella etc in a fraction of the time using the PC function is great. I would never have used a conventional pressure cooker - bad memories of my mum's old one! - but I love the ease of use of the Foodi.

Not sure about where I should start a new thread Sago as new to this apologies

Janmx5 On the red banner at the top of the page hit Forums. Choose the subject for example chat,AIBU,health etc.
You will then see “add thread” or start a new discussion”
Hit this and off you go ?