Pressure cooking
Angela Day demystifies the pressure cooker to save you time and money
PRESSURE cookers have come a long way since those hissing, spluttering and sometimes exploding machines our grandmothers may have used.
Today’s pressure cookers are safe and easy to use. Because they work best with cheaper cuts of meat, which cook in a third of the time to stove-top cooking, they are very cost efficient and time saving.
Electric pressure cookers are even easier to use as they can be preprogrammed for specific times, then they automatically switch off and keep the contents warm until required.
HOW THEY WORK
A pressure cooker looks like a large pot, except that its lid locks onto the top, forming a tight seal.
The cooking liquid inside the pot boils and creates steam. As the steam is trapped inside, the pressure builds, which in turn increases the boiling point of the liquid to about 120°C. Because of this high temperature, the food cooks much faster.
TIPS FOR USE
Don’t fill the pot more than two- thirds full, as you need to leave room for the steam to build up as well as room for the food to expand.
Use enough liquid to be able to create the steam inside the pot.
Because evaporation doesn’t take place when cooking casseroles, you will use less liquid than the recipes states.
Always brown meat and chicken in the pot before introducing the pressure.
Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Make sure that all the pressure has been released before opening the lid.
If you need to rapidly cool the pressure cooker in order to stop the cooking process, place the pot under a tap and run cold water over it until the pressure is released.
Most pressure cookers have a little valve which pops up when the steam is built up and goes flat when the pressure inside has been released. Don’t open the lid until this valve is flat.
When cooking rice, pulses and grains in a pressure cooker, always add a spoonful of oil to the liquid. This will prevent the mixture from foaming during the cooking time.