Using Pressure Cookers

The invention of pressure cookers happened because of a need to speed up the cooking of foods before the invention of the microwave. The way a pressure cooker works is based on the fact that higher pressure areas have a higher boiling point. Higher heats are reached more quickly due to the high amounts of pressure. In the beginning, pressure cooking was pretty dangerous, but there are enough safety features now to make it safe. A pressure cooker is really a great tool to have among your kitchen cookware.

There are many things that can be prepared in a pressure cooker and there are many a cooking book devoted to pressure cooking. A few years ago, pressure cookers were much more common and necessary kitchen tools than they are today. This is largely because of the availability of things such as take out and microwaves. In older days when it was always up to the lady of the house to make all the meals, having the speed of a pressure cooker really cut down on her time in the kitchen. You can stil find plenty of great recipes designed specifically to be cooked in a pressure cooker. There are recipes for deserts, fish, beans, vegetables, rice, other meats, canning, and many more. Most new pressure cooker models will come will a cheap recipes book, but to really explore the whole realm of pressure cooking, there are Internet sites devoted to them, or you could buy a recipe book from the store that is specifically designed for a pressure cooker.

Pressure cookers have a unique design. The first known pressure cooker was made in 1679. It was called a steam digester, and was used for processes such as canning vegetables. The basic design of a pressure cooker is a heavy metal pot, usually steel or aluminum, covered by a sealed lid with a valve in it. Food is placed inside along with water, so that when the sealed lid is placed on top, the pressure builds up from the heated water. This causes the foods to heat quickly. The valve releases the extra steam so that the cooker never explodes from too much pressure. Newer pots almost never explode, because they have many more safety features. Older versions, however, would frequently explode if the valve got clogged with food or some other obstruction. Cooks back then had to keep a close eye on their cookers.

So, now you have learned a little bit about pressure cookers and how they work. Although they are not used as much today, they are still a wonderful part of a full set of kitchen tools. If you have the room, consider adding a pressure cooker to your kitchenware. You might be surprised at how fast it can cook good foods.