The Benefits of Using a Pressure Cooker
By: Aaron Guhl
Cooking is a vital part of just about every household. An important utensil used to cook food quickly is the pressure cooker. It is a very simple appliance that is similiar to your other pots, except that it has a unique lid to it. This lid traps steam inside while the food cooks. As the presure inside builds, it allows for a higher temperature to be reached and thus cooks your food quicker.
The unit to measure the pressure inside the cooker is pounds per square inch (PSI). An important part of your pressure cooker used to withstand such high forces is the gasket. It fits around the edge of the lid or the rim on the pot. In order to ensure a tight seal around the gasket, it is important that it is kept clean and free of food particles.
On newer pressure cookers, there is usually atleast 3 valves that allows the pressure cooker to release some steam and pressure when it builds up too high.
There are many benefits, both nutritional and sensible, to use a pressure cooker. Here are a few:
Nutritional: When cooking with a pressure cooker, because the food cooks faster, less water and nutrients drain from the food during the process. Therefore the food you eat from them is more nutritional in value.
Timesaving: Preparing your meals with a pressure cooker typically takes 70% less time. This will allow you to prepare other dishes in the time it would take you to cook the meal without a pressure cooker.
Energy Efficiency: Because the food is cooked in less time, this means less energy is spent to keep the stove or cooker on.
Cleaner Kitchen: Because everything is sealed within the cooker while being cooked, you don't have to worry about cleaning up any mess made on the stove. Just clean the pot and no fuss!
Cooler Kitchen: Again, since all your food is cooked inside a covered pot, less heat emits from the cooker while being cooked. This will help keep some of the heat out of the kitchen.
So now you know why a pressure cooker is such a good appliance. Now here are some tips to use when looking to buy one for yourself.
There are many brands and varieties on the market today. Typical sizes range from 4 to 8 quarts. Usually a 6 quart pot will serve all your needs well, but if you are aiming to feed a lot of people, the shoot for an 8 quart pot. Pressure cookers are usually made from either stainless steel or aluminum. Stainless steel is preferred as it is a much higher quality, will last longer, is easier to clean, and will also result in better cooking. Stainless steel pressure cookers also are able to brown the outside of foods before being cooked, so there is no need to go through an extra saute step in the process.
Be sure to read the safety instructions first before deciding to use a pressure cooker for a first time. With pressure cooking, it has really become easier to prepare some of your favorite dishes.
