A pressure cooker is cooking that makes the work of cooking easy. The pressure cooker reduces the cooking time by 50% when compared to other cooking methods. For instance, while it may take you several hours to cook your meat to full tenderness, a pressure cooker can cook the same meat in less than one hour.
1. Stay Safe
Some people assume that pressure cookers are dangerous devices and therefore avoid them. However, pressure cookers are safe as long as you adhere to some safety protocols. The first safety rule is that you should never open the pressure cooker when it is under pressure. This was a common risk that came with traditional pressure cookers. However, with modern pressure cookers, it is impossible to open the pressure cooker while still under pressure.
If you must open the cooker, ensure that you first turn it off and allow the pressure to subside, and then you can add your ingredients or check your food before turning the pressure cooker on again. It is also essential to know how to depressurize your pressure cooker safely. For most pressure cookers, you can quickly release the pressure by pressing a pressure release valve. Some pressure cookers naturally depressurize themselves.
2. Heat the Pressure Cooker Right
When using a pressure cooker, turn it to full power to start cooking the food as soon as possible. This prevents you from overcooking food. Most cooking recipes will tell you when you should start cooking the food, and after this pressure is reached, you can reduce the temperature to the minimum while still maintaining the pressure to cook the food. Always ensure that you check the pressure cooker settings of your pressure cooker before using it. This will help you to cook your food at the correct temperatures.
3. The Pressure Cooker Requires Liquid to Work
For the pressure cooker to work, it requires liquid to boil beyond its boiling point and form steam. The steam then creates pressure inside the cooker. The pressure that is produced helps to cook the food. There are different types of liquids that you can use inside the pressure cooker, and they include water, fruit juice, wine, or even beer. However, you should not fill liquid to more than half the pressure cooker because this can cause the steam vent to clog and malfunction. The amount of fluid that is required depends on the size of the pressure cooker.
4. Maintaining the Pressure Cooker
It is easy to maintain your pressure cooker. The maintenance includes removing the cooking insert while cleaning and wiping the inside of the pressure cooker with a damp cloth. Never immerse a pressure cooker in water because it is an electric device, and the water can spoil it. It is also important to regularly replace the pressure seal and the rubber or silicone gasket. Doing this will help keep it in great condition so you don’t have to buy a new pressure cooker if it breaks.
In summary, a pressure cooker makes cooking easy because it takes less time to cook food and consumes less electricity. When you get a new pressure cooker, ensure that you read the instructions on using it. These will teach you how to stay safe while using the cooker and maintain the cooker, as explained in the article above.