March, 2002

While it may still feel like winter in many parts of the country, the calendar still says spring, and in spring you tend to feel warmer and more active, in preparation for turning up the summer heat. The same heat that gives you vim and vigor also lends added nutrition and excelled flavor to your meals.

Did you know that spring is the time to steam fresh vegetables and herbs with chicken or fish in the same pot? You can use your Cuisinart cookware. Steaming vegetables and herbs together with chicken or fish adds unique flavor while cooking each separate item in its own flavor. In addition, the freshness of spring veggies adds more flavor than frozen or dehydrated ones.

Steaming vegetables also works well in your Ellipse Pressure Cooker. The exception would be split peas, which burst open and block the vent, which can cause an overflow problem. The problem isn't limited to veggies. The Ellipse manufacturers, as with most pressure cooker manufacturers, caution against cooking applesauce, pasta (which tends to be bulky), barley or oatmeal, rhubarb, cranberries and cranberry sauce. Also, when steaming foods, don't fill the pan more than two-thirds full.