[. . . ] Fresh and frozen vegetables Fresh and dried fruits Dried beans and other legumes Grains Meat Seafood and fish Adapting Traditional Recipes to use in the pressure cooker . The following safeguards are recommended by most portable appliance manufacturers. When using pressure cookers, basic safety precautions should always be followed: 1. Close supervision is necessary when the pressure cooker is used near children. [. . . ] Use the cold water or automatic release method when the cooking period is complete. If after the cooking period the fruit is still hard, let it simmer in the cooker with the lid removed until it is ready. Apples, dried Apples, fresh in slices or pieces Apricots, dried Apricots, fresh, whole or in halves Blueberries Peaches, dried Peaches, fresh, in halves Pears, dried Pears, fresh in halves Prunes Raisins WARNING: Never fill the pressure cooker to more than half its Capacity with beans and legumes, as these foods tend to expand and froth during cooking. Soak beans in four times their volume of warm water for at least four hours before cooking, or if you prefer, leave them to soak overnight. Do not add salt to the water as this hardens the beans and prevents absorption of water. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil for each cup of water to eliminate the foam they produce. To add more flavor, cook beans or lentils with some bay leaves and a small peeled onion embedded with two cloves of spice. After the cooking time is up, use the natural release method to allow the pressure to decrease naturally. Cooking times may vary depending on the quality of the beans or other legumes. If after the recommended cooking time the beans are still hard, continue cooking them with the lid off. A cup of beans or other legumes yields approximately two cups when cooked. WARNING: Never fill the pressure cooker to more than half its capacity with grains, as these foods tend to expand and froth during cooking. Soak grains, in four times their volume of warm water for at least four hours before cooking them, or if you prefer, leave them to soak overnight. Do not add salt for this will harden grains and prevent them from absorbing water. After the cooking time is up, use the natural release method to allow the pressure to decrease naturally. If after the recommended cooking time the grains are still hard, continue cooking them with the lid off. If you are preparing a complete cut of meat or poultry, such as a roast, cut it in such a way that it fits in the cooker without touching the sides. To achieve best results, brown the meat or poultry with 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil in the pressure cooker with the lid off and before adding the other ingredients. Do not overload the pressure cooker (never more than two thirds full). Meats with preservatives or salted meats should be covered by the water. When you prepare a concentrated stock or soup, put all the ingredients in the pressure cooker and add water to half its capacity. Exact cooking times vary depending on the quality and quantity of the meat which is cooked. [. . . ] Empty jars used for vegetables, meats, and fruits to be processed in a pressure cooker need not be sterilized beforehand. it is also unnecessary to sterilize jars for fruits , tomatoes , and pickled or fermented foods that will be processed 10 minutes or longer in a boiling-water canner. Label and Store Jars: The screw bands should be removed from the sealed jars to prevent them from rusting on. The screw bands should then be washed, dried and stored for later use. [. . . ]