• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Are Pressure Cookers a low histamine cooking method?

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
I know that slow cooking and using crockpots produce high histamine; does anyone know if pressure cooking is a safe method for preparing low histamine meals?
 

GreyOwl

Dx: strong belief system, avoidance, hypervigilant
Messages
266
I didn't think cooking methods made any difference to histamine levels, I thought that food items have an intrinsic histamine level which increases as the food ages. I'm interested if histamine levels do change with cooking methods, can you please point me to something on this? Thanks.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
Can't speak authoritatively but definitely aware of consensus among histamine sensitive MCAS patients that slow cooking is a problem, whereas pressure cooking is better.
If pressure cookers are better for MCAS patients, there is a nifty electric one that combines about 7 cooking functions that quite a few of us find is also labor saving. It is on and off sale (has been half price) during the holiday season: Instant Pot.
 

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
If pressure cookers are better for MCAS patients, there is a nifty electric one that combines about 7 cooking functions that quite a few of us find is also labor saving. It is on and off sale (has been half price) during the holiday season: Instant Pot.

that's the one I have my eye on :)
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
that's the one I have my eye on :)
Amazon had it half price a couple of days ago and are likely to have it on sale again. I got mine during their Black Friday in July sale. It is amazingly brain-fog proof and if it also helps with histamine--what a boon. :thumbsup:
 

PatJ

Forum Support Assistant
Messages
5,288
Location
Canada
My Instant Pot is so valuable that I bought a second one for a backup during the Black Friday sale at Amazon.ca. It's the only thing I use for sautéing, slow cooking, pressure cooking, and yogurt making (including scalding the milk). Without it I would have to spend more time upright, which isn't good due to OI. I would also have to be upright when the food is done, but with it I can let the food sit on keep warm mode until I can be up. No worries about food boiling over or associated cleanup.

It's the most valuable kitchen appliance I have ever bought.
 

erin

Senior Member
Messages
885
I love my pressure cooker. Vegetables are so nicely cooked, soft but not mushy. Soups are so quickly ready. Especially cook-a-leeky soup is so easily done. All the stews, meat or grains cook much quicker. Energy saved (including gas electricity and my energy too!) and delicious.
Some people even make cakes using pressure cookers, I haven't try that yet!
 

Sidereal

Senior Member
Messages
4,856
Instant Pot is the best device I've ever bought. My MCAS has gotten a lot better since I've started to use it but I don't think it's the pressure cooking per se that caused that but rather the kind of food you put into it.