I received a FairWind FWPC6L Pressure Cooker for the purpose of this review. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. All options are my own.

One of my biggest struggles in the kitchen is “thinking ahead”. I am a horrible meal planner! Often times I’m scrambling at dinner time because the family is hungry and I haven’t even begun to think about what to make for dinner. Which either results in a late dinner or a quick dinner of pasta or sandwiches.

My kids usually don’t complain about the latter, but I really wanted to get away from the majority of our dinners ending up in that category.

I’ve tried going the “crock-pot meals” route but, again, I am just not that great at planning and it really works best if you remember to start those crock-pot meals early in the day. Otherwise you’re falling into that “late dinner” category.

So, as terrified as I was at trying out a pressure cooker, I figured I might as well just give it a shot.

Honestly, when you mention pressure cooker, all I can picture is my kitchen exploding. Totally irrational but that what always came to mind. But the thought of having a hot, delicious meal in very little time made me get over that fear pretty quickly. Sure, I was watching my pressure cooker very cautiously the first time I used it but, after that first time of using my FairWind Pressure Cooker, I realized I was being very silly about my hesitations!

The FairWind FWPC6L Pressure Cooker is an electric 6L pressure cooker with these really cook programmable cooking times. Looking to cook a pot of soup? No problem! The FairWind Pressure Cooker has a button for that. And rice. And meat. And veggies. It’s all really easy to use!

Aside from being really easy to use, the FairWind Pressure Cooker has a very easy clean-up! Let’s face it, that’s almost as important as being easy to use! No one wants to spend another hour or two in the kitchen after dinner cleaning everything up! Right? So, the inner pot of the FairWind Pressure Cooker is removable and dishwasher safe. Which is kind of awesome for this mom!

After experimenting and playing with our pressure cooker for a while, I’ve decided that soups and chili are my absolute favorite thing to make in it. It’s quite possible that it’s because it’s winter here and soups and chili are just about the only thing I’m craving on these cold days, but, whatever. They are yummy. And super easy in the pressure cooker!

So, let me share with you a quick & easy chili recipe using the FairWind Pressure Cooker! Enjoy this on a cold evening at home or take it along with you to your Super Bowl parties in a few weeks!

Pressure Cooker Chili

Ingredients ::

1 lb ground beef
2 tsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans of un-drained diced tomatoes
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 seeded jalapeno, optional

Let’s get {pressure} cookin’ ::

1. Brown the ground beef in the pressure cooker. Drain any excess grease if needed. We used ground venison so we didn’t have any excess grease.
2. Return ground beef to the pressure cooker pot and add olive oil, onion, green pepper and jalapeño. Cook until the onions become translucent.
3. Add in the garlic and give it a little stir. Let all those yummies get nice and friendly with each other.
4. Add in everything else! Just dump it all in and give it a little mix. You know your family’s taste buds best, so feel free to add in extra spices as needed.
5. Lock the lid, press the “Keep Warm” button so the digital screen says “on” and set the pressure cooker to “Chili”. This is also where you can change the texture setting. If you’re worried about your beans not being soft enough, you can set it for “Strong Fragrance”. I kept mine on “Standard” and the beans were perfect.

Now walk away. Let the FairWind Pressure Cooker do it’s magic! In about 45 minutes, your chili will be done and {almost} ready to serve! Just be sure to let your pressure cooker cool until the float valve falls. Once it’s cooled and the float valve has fallen, you can open the pressure cooker and enjoy your chili! Of course you can manually release the pressure but be sure to follow the instructions in the manual for that.

I love that I can put together a hot, healthy meal for my family in such a short amount of time! And, because the FairWinds Pressure Cooker does most of the work, I have time to help the kids with homework before dinner. Or pin some other fun pressure cooker recipes 😉

What recipe would you love to try in the FairWind Pressure Cooker? Do you already have a pressure cooker recipe that your family loves? Share in the comments below so we can try it!

You can find the FairWind FWPC6L Pressure Cooker at Air-n-Water.com.

I received a FairWind FWPC6L Pressure Cooker for the purpose of this review. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. All options are my own.