Question:Pressure Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup

[cfparise]

Pressure Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup
If I've already soaked the dry peas, can I still use the pressure cooker or should I do it the old-fashioned way?

[duonyte]

I imagine it would just cook faster, but I have never tried it.

A couple of good split pea soup recipes
Andersen's Split Pea Soup (Crock Pot Version) Copycat
Green Split Pea and Bacon Soup

Split peas generally do not need to be soaked. Whole dried peas do.

[Zeldaz]

You can cook them in the pressure cooker but it will take considerably less time. Dry/unsoaked split peas only take 10 minutes to pressure cook, and there's really no reason to soak them. I'd go for 3 or 4 minutes, and a natural release. You can cook them a little longer if they are not to your liking. You might also decrease the liquid.

[cfparise]

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice. Think I've got it handled now.
Next time I'll try some of the other suggested recipes.

[Diana Walstad]

I agree that split peas don't need to be soaked. However, with pressure cooking, sometimes they splatter and can clog the vent and cause problems.

I cook mine ( 1 cup of dry split peas plus 2.5 cups liquid with vegetables) by bringing the pressure cooker to 15 psi and then just turning the burner off and waiting 15 minutes. The sturdy pressure cookers that I use will hold some pressure for the entire 15 minutes. That means the temperature is between 212F and 250F for 15 minutes. That's enough of a heat input to cook split peas.
I describe this procedure more thoroughly on my book's website.

[Zeldaz]

Adding a tablespoon or two of oil will help prevent foaming and clogging the valves. Also, do not fill the cooker more than half full when cooking any type of dried bean or pulse.

[Diana Walstad]

Adding oil and not filling the pressure cooker more than half-full helps. However, if you're having trouble, consider my method. It's also, easy, convenient and can be applied to other foods (rhubarb, applesauce, etc) that splatter.

I have an article on my book's website that describes how I cook split peas. (You can download it free.) Because I do not use actual pressure cooking, there's no splatter or possibility of dangerous vent clogging. The split peas cook while the burner's off. My article also describes tricks to keep the pressure cooker pressurized for the entire 15 min of off-heat cooking.