A pressure cooker uses heat and pressure to cook food quickly, with the steam keeping food moist. Traditional models require experience, while modern versions have gauges and readers for different settings. They can be used for a variety of foods and can also be used for pressure canning, but experts recommend a separate pressure bottle for safety. Pressure release methods include the cold water, manual, and natural methods.
A pressure cooker is a cooking appliance that uses both heat and pressure, usually in the form of trapped steam, to cook food. The concept behind pressure cooking has been around for centuries. The simplest models are little more than saucepans with tight-fitting lids that can be placed in fires or primitive ovens. More modern versions are designed to sit on the stove, although they can also be electric. They typically feature gauges and valves that allow for customized cooking, and the settings can usually be changed based on the ingredients. Some people also use these tools to preserve food in cans, usually as an alternative to double boiler canning. Depending on the device, the pressure release can take some finesse and there are usually a couple of options depending on the desired result. While these appliances are generally safe when used as directed, they can present a variety of dangers if used improperly. Reducing the risks of burns and explosions usually requires attention to detail and common sense, as well as a solid understanding of how the device works before you begin.
Main components and how it works
In general, the main goal of any pressure cooker is to enable people to prepare food in less time than conventional methods require. Soups and stews that could take hours to simmer can take up to 15 minutes in one of these devices, and they’re also a popular way to tenderize meats and soften vegetables. Many of the traditional recipes of high-altitude cultures, such as Andean communities in South America, rely on pressure to reduce what would otherwise be extraordinarily long cooking times.
A typical pressure cooker comes in the form of a large pot that includes a locking lid. When the water or some other liquid inside the pot comes to a boil, the steam, unable to escape, is compressed. Water usually boils at 100°C (212°F) but when under pressure, the boiling point rises to around 121°C (250°F). This higher temperature drastically reduces cooking times, and the moist steam helps keep other ingredients from dense meats to whole vegetables. The effect mimics what happens when you let these foods simmer for hours on end: The proteins break down and the flavors release. Most of the dishes cooked with this type of devices taste like they have been cooking for hours.
Different settings
Very traditional pressure vessels are usually simple vessels with locking lids. This requires the person cooking to pay attention to timing and external heat to know when the food is ready; much of this is learned through experience or is passed down from other family members. Modern appliances sold for use in standard kitchens often have more in the way of gauges and readers that can allow users to specify different settings or temperatures. As such, people can adjust to foods of different weights or densities and can accommodate the addition of frozen or already partially cooked ingredients.
For everyday cooking
Pressure cookers can be used to prepare a wide variety of foods. Some of the most common are soups and stews, meals that would otherwise take a long time to simmer to get the right flavor, but vegetables and even some pastas are good choices as well.
As a means of conservation
Sometimes people also use their stoves as a way to store food, essentially using pressure to seal bottles and jars of sauces, jams or fruit and vegetables. Pressure canning is generally recommended for foods that are high in acid, such as tomatoes. Canning these foods in regular water baths may not make them hot enough to kill harmful bacteria, which can make the end results unsafe to consume. While canning in a pressure cooker may work, most experts don’t recommend it. A separate piece of equipment known as a pressure bottle is generally safer and easier to use.
Pressure release
Commercially manufactured cookers usually come with an instruction booklet outlining a couple of different ways to relieve pressure and then complete the cooking process. This can be dangerous, as the steam released is usually extremely hot. In general, there are three main methods: the cold water method, which requires slowly pouring cold water onto the outside surface of the cooker; the manual method, where users open the lid or release a valve to allow steam to escape all at once; or the natural method, where the device is removed from the heat and allowed to cool on its own. Each has advantages and disadvantages, and choosing one is often a matter of both the food being cooked and personal preference.
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