Classic and new recipes for the pressure cooker.

Any home cook can prepare a delicious beef stew in only 15 minutes or a rich, creamy cheesecake in 20 minutes. That's a complete meal in just a little over half an hour.

While generations of cooks have known the many benefits of pressure-cooking, recent advances in pressure-cooker design have made these appliances safer and more convenient than ever. They save energy too.

With 75 brand new recipes, Cinda Chavich now provides 200 recipes that take advantage of what pressure cookers do best. Their incredible versatility is demonstrated in stellar recipes that include:

Starters -- braised artichokes with red pepper aioli; spicy sweet potato soup
Tantalizing mains -- speedy Dijon chicken; Cajun seafood gumbo
Bean and grain dishes -- beans with short ribs chuck-wagon style
Desserts -- classic Christmas plum pudding; orange espresso cheesecake.

Chavic shares helpful tips and kitchen wisdom for each recipe. There is also a comprehensive introduction to pressure-cooking, with guidelines for adapting your own recipes and compensating for the effects of altitude .

200 Best Pressure Cooker Recipes is simply the best handbook for using this time-saving appliance.

Cinda Chavich is an award-winning food journalist and author of The Girl Can't Cook, Double Dishing: Women Entertain and other books A former food editor and senior feature writer, she now writes for several newspapers and magazines across North America Her food, wine and travel pieces have appeared in Cooking Light, Wine Spectator, Avenue and WineAccess

Cinda Chavich's profile page

The title tells it. A good starting place for easy and nourishing meals that can be made in record time.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette