I only recently started using a pressure cooker again (about 2 years ago). I actually had one blow up on me about 5 years ago (not literally on me, but in my kitchen). I was cooking kidney beans and somehow the valve got blocked, and the cooker built up too much pressure and exploded. Luckily, no one was in the kitchen at the time, but I had beans everywhere, and the lid cracked a couple of my kitchen floor tiles when it landed on the ground. I was always good about checking the valve before using it each time, and I’m still not sure how the valve got blocked, but it was practically sealed in place when I checked it after the blowup.
So for a long time, I didn’t use a pressure cooker because I was a little scared off. I was slow cooking everything on the stove or in my slow cooker. But, I lead a busy life, and I have things to do – I don’t have 3-4 hours to watch goat curry simmer on the stove, or getting home at 6pm and then spend 2 hours making dal that takes 20 minutes in the pressure cooker. I did it for a long time because I was hesitant to use a pressure cooker again, but a couple years ago, I decided it was time to get over my fear and get another pressure cooker since Indian foods do well in a PC. I’m very careful about checking both the sealing rings and valves before I start cooking (although I did that the day my cooker exploded too).
Texture wise, if your food is getting overly mushy in a pressure cooker, then you’re cooking it too long. I’ve had dal turn into puree a couple times because I overcooked it, but for the most part, I know my timings and just set a timer or keep an eye on the clock. The Instant Pot makes that part easier because it stops pressuring at whatever time you set it for. But with dals, you want the lentils to be mushy because that’s where the consistency comes from. Otherwise, you’ve got watery lentils.
