Without many words, we can immediately state that the pressure cooker is an excellent ally in the kitchen because it offers undoubted advantages, both on the level of taste and on the practical level since it reduces by about one-third the normal cooking time of the foods.
For those who do not have much time to prepare food or for those who are not satisfied with cooking the microwave, the pressure cooker becomes an essential product that will be difficult to give up. To understand if it’s really like that for you, let’s look at some features of this long-established product, but still mysterious for many.
Pressure Cooker: How it is made
At first sight, the pressure cooker looks like a large pot with a slightly different lid. But let’s go step by step. Unlike normal cookware, pressure cookers are designed and produced with a thicker layer of steel and/or aluminum. The latest generation pans are created even with a triple layer of steel-aluminum-steel, to make them more resistant and above all to ensure that they maintain high temperatures with less heat loss.
Usually, the pressure cooker is equipped with two large side handles lined with a non-stick material that quickly disperses heat, so as to avoid burns if taken without potholders.
As we said before, the second peculiarity of the pressure cooker is all enclosed in the lid: it is equipped with two crosspieces that hook to the top of the pot and a handle that will hermetically close the pot itself, avoiding the leakage of vapor.
To prevent the pot from exploding, the lid must also be equipped with one or more steam vent valves: the latest generation pans are equipped with a special valve that minimizes vertical dispersion of steam with consequent loss of liquids. At the top of the edge of the pot, there is a gasket that allows the total closure and the hermetic seal of the pot itself.
How Pressure Cooker Works
The pressure cooker has been named this way because it exploits the increase in pressure that is created inside the pot itself. We explain better. Unlike normal cookware, the hermetic seal makes it difficult to escape steam, and as the heat inside the pot rises, so does the pressure itself, both inside the pot and inside the food. The increase in pressure increases the temperature (it is a thermodynamic principle).
Unlike normal cookware, where the water reaches the boiling point at 100°C, in the pressure cooker, the water will boil only at 130° (approximately): in this way, the food cooks faster, being immersed in a much warmer and constant environment. At the same time, the dispersion of liquids is limited, another feature much appreciated in some preparations.
To use the pot, just insert the desired food inside, close the lid tightly and switch on the desired heat source: when the appropriate pressure for cooking is reached, the pot valve will whistle. That will be the time to lower the flame or the heat source that we use to cook so that the temperature and pressure remain constant inside the pot to complete the cooking of food. Times obviously depend on food and quantity.
Pros and Cons of the Pressure Cooker
The Pros
First of all, we dispense with the well-known concern about a danger: many do not use the pressure cooker because they fear it can cause domestic indicators, such as explosions, fires, and other similar catastrophes. It is not so. The latest generation of pans are equipped with devices that allow a high standard of safety: we are talking about gaskets created with resistant material, additional safety valves, valves produced with excellent materials for the escape of heat and covers resistant to high pressures that are created inside the pot.
The pressure cooker is perfect for cooking foods that have been very high cooking times, such as vegetables, rice, and cereals. Thanks to the pressure exerted on the food, they will be ready in about half the time: for example, you will have rice ready in just 6 minutes, unlike the 15 required for traditional cooking.
In addition, all the foods cooked with the pressure cooker keep almost completely unchanged from the vitamins and proteins they contain inside before cooking, as well as the thermolabile vitamins that are not destroyed thanks to the speed of cooking, making them even more digestible.
The pressure cooker is also suitable for more elaborate types of cooking thanks to the supplied baskets: it is possible to cook steamed vegetables preserving the flavors and aromas unaltered, and it is possible to cook with the help of a grill to prevent the meat absorbs too much water.
Another advantage, in our opinion, is the preservation of aromas: reducing to the minimum the escape of steam and liquids, as well as the proteins and vitamins are not dispersed, even the flavors and aromas remain inside the pot. As a result, the foods will be tastier, and you can minimize the use of salt or other spices to flavor foods.
Another appreciated feature: thanks to the hermetic seal, the pressure cooker will keep the heat for a longer time than normal cookware, avoiding having to heat up the food before lunch or dinner.
When the pressure cooker is in operation, you do not need to check it: once the flame is lowered under the pot, it will cook the food without having to check or turn or mix it. The cooking inside the pot is absolutely homogeneous, and consequently, the foods will have much smoother cooking than the normal pots.
Now that we have listed the advantages, we try to summarize them in a small scheme, so that they are more visible and easily memorized:
- Food cooking time decreases.
- It reduces the expenditure of heat and energy for cooking.
- It preserves the vitamins and proteins contained in food.
- It preserves the natural flavors of foods. Keep food warm longer.
- There is no need to check it while cooking food.
- Homogeneous cooking of the foods is obtained thanks to the hermetic closing.
- Safe thanks to safety devices.
- The latest generation valve allows minimizing the dispersion of liquids.
- High digestibility of foods and healthy cuisine.
- Different types of cooking.
- Recommended for foods that require a long cooking time.
- Easy to use and clean.
Are there any Cons?
Some disadvantages are there. Certainly for the most careful cooks and ” purists ” the pressure cooker is not very suitable since it is not possible to open it during cooking to control food. It is also not recommended for those who love the kitchen characterized by full-bodied sauces such as roasts and particular meats: cooking with a pressure cooker is above all a steaming that does not brown and roasts the food.
Another thing must also be said with regard to cooking times: it is true that they decrease, but at the same time, they must be calculated to perfection as 2 minutes too many equivalents to having burned or overcooked the food.
Finally, the pressure cooker is on average more expensive than traditional saucepans for obvious reasons and needs periodic maintenance, especially regarding the valve that must always be clean and functional.
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