Cooking with spices?

[Valley Oak]

I use a pressure cooker at home to cook many a stew. But when I use spices, such as curry, garam masala, or any other, should I include them before I put on the lid or after the stew has been pressure cooked?

Thank you

["Mad" Miles]

Mostly before. It depends on the spice, and the effect you want to achieve. Following recipes is a good way to learn to cook. Spices can be dry roasted, sauteed, boiled, simmered (the latter two being what is relative to your question), added at or near the end. The fresher, more delicate, especially fresh herbs, the less the flavor will degrade from heat, if they're added later. It really all depends.

For stews, I find a saute of the onions, garlic, oil, sour element (citrus, vinegars), and spices to start, before adding the bulk of vegetables and protein, to the cooking vessel, is best. At the end, salting to taste, balancing the savory with the sweet and sour and burn, usually only involves ground pepper, hot sauce, etc. but I add them all at the beginning, being careful not to overdo it.

Traditional curries, made from fresh spices, usually involve dry roasting in the pan before anything else. I've seen the technique on TV, but I haven't gotten into learning to do it myself.

Read recipes, experiment, then do what you like. That's why cooking is an art, as much, if not more, than a science. Course science is an art, and art involves science. La de, da, de, da. (Sleep deprivation.)