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A pressure cooker is NOT anything close to a slow cooker. The cooking philosophy are practically totally opposites. A pressure cooker basically cooks your food in a fraction of time because it is under pressure. A slow cooker takes hours.
The whole idea of using a pressure cooker is that it is sealed and applies pressure to cook the food faster. The lid needs to be sealed for the pressure cooker to operate properly. It is frequently referred to as "infusion" cooking now days.
You need to read the instruction book that came with the pressure cooker. Pressure cookers usually cook for less than an hour--my homemade pressure cooker spaghetti sauce is cooked in less than 30 minutes. They are nice and were very popular long before anyone thought of microwaves and slow cookers. However, there are some precautions to be taken. There must be water or liquid in a pressure cooker. The rubber seal needs to be cleaned frequently and, when the rubber seal warps/stretches and no longer seals, it needs to be replaced. There are also certain foods that CANNOT be cooked in a pressure cooker like rice, dry beans, etc. The pressure control valve operates to regulate the amount of pressure and releases extra pressure otherwise the unit would blow up (very dangerous!). Most pressure cookers (required on all new ones) have a small rubber emergency stopper that will "blow off" in case the pressure is too high. I've seen this happen and my mother cleaning potatoes & meat from the ceiling!
Hi Sharon! If you want the seasonings to get all thru the meat, I would cut it into about 6 pieces. Add your seasonings and cook it for 20 - 25 minutes. I have been cooking for 50 years and bought one of the electric digital pressure cookers. Liked it so much I bought another one. I made a pork roast about 2 weeks ago and I cooked mine for 25 minutes, It was so tender I could pull it apart with dinner forks. The seasonings I used were fresh diced onions ( 1 med) 2 cloves fresh garlic diced, salt and pepper to taste. Hope this helps.
The problem is a Signal Switch Malfunction. It has to do with the power switch and the pressure switch from what I have been able to find out. Mine doesn't have a pressure problem it just goes to E4 once you set the time. I gave the switch a good smack and it has been working for a while. This is the second time and this worked both times now. I am sure the switch will have to be replaced at some time. From what I have seen this is a very common problem. There is one way to fix this problem, albeit not the best. I was able to bypass the E4 error by completely bypassing the electronics and wiring the heater coil to get power whenever the pressure cooker is plugged in. It was a very simple job, anyone with any electrical experience can do this. The only problem is that it is a safety concern as there is no way for the heater to turn off even if pressure is getting to be way too high. There may be a pressure relief valve in the lid but the heater coil won't shut off, so don't leave it unattended! But at least this way to you can still pressure cook. Pics of process: http://s909.photobucket.com/albums/ac295/danwat1234/fixing%20the%20pressure%20cooker/
I think E2 means open circuit in thermocouple in center of bottom. E4 means no contact on pressure sensing switch at edge of bottom. Mine had E4 error. Took out switch and used fine sandpaper to clean contact points. Now it works fine. Remove 3 screws in bottom. Remove bottom cover by turning it ~1/4" to clear tabs. Remove switch at edge of bottom with two blue wires going to it. Clean contacts and replace.
Removed the 3 screws on the bottom. There is a relay near the circuit board. Kind of looks like an old morse code relay. Just tapped out "E 4" in morse code. Plugged it in and it works fine.
Yes it can be disassembled and cleaned. There aren't very many parts you can destroy by disassembling, just be careful not to force anything as you take it apart.
check the troubleshooting section within your manual. If you don´t have one, check here: http://manualfox.com/link/westbend.htm They can get you any West Bend manual. Just send them a request.
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