Down the Rabbit Hole: Pressure Cooking

Last week, the local natural foods store had organic canned beans on sale for a good price. I made a list of what needed stocking up, and realized we were about to spend $100 or more on them. It seems to me like we could make our own for less than 88 cents per can, if only we had the equipment. For starters, we already have the beans in dried form; they're just a pain to cook-to-order, and I like having canned beans around for "Oh Shit!" meals, lunches/snacks like quesadillas and lazy nachos. So having them cooked and not frozen is sort of imperative in my world.

So instead of spending the money to stock up on canned beans, we instead spent the money on a pressure cooker. It was a bit of a whim, especially since I'm normally one to research these purchases to death. But I have been keeping an eye on pressure cookers and canning equipment for a bit now, and had a vague idea what I was looking for price-wise (mostly the question of what we can afford). So when I stumbled upon a link on Amazon for a 10 qt Fagor pressure cooker with canning tools, I sent the link to my brother to see if it was a good deal. Better than just being an excellent deal, he informed me that it's the same pressure cooker he owns and loves, as well as the one most recommended by America's Test Kitchen. Sold. Order placed, expecting delivery in 3-5 days.

It came in Saturday, and I am stoked! Mr. Moon and I watched the included DVD, so we know how to operate the thing. I was reading through the canning manual that came with it, so I think I have a handle on that. I'm going to refrain from making up my own recipes, and just follow some tried-and-true ones for safety's sake.