A modern pressure cooker is essentially a multicooker with a pressure cooking feature. Pressure cooker is a good investment in the kitchen for those who want to use all the features of multicooker and automatic programs, but also to cook quickly, preserving in the products the maximum amount of nutrients and aromas.
It’s all about the principle
How to cook food in a regular pot or in a multicooker without pressure? The water comes to the boil at 100°C, and the temperature barely rises further because the water begins to evaporate very quickly. Lids in this case do not help, they can only slow down the boiling out process, as they do not close tightly, and the construction of ordinary containers is not designed for high pressure inside.
The lid of the pressure cooker doesn’t just close, it screws in. Pressure in pressure cookers is formed by the formation of steam, which circulates inside the container with the products when set to high pressure mode, the valve steam outlet is closed . Under conditions of high pressure the boiling point of water is not 100 ° C, but 120-125 ° C, and this is the temperature at which the food is cooked in a pressure cooker – of course, faster!
On all vapors
All types of food can be cooked in a pressure cooker 2 or 3 times shorter. For example, meat is cooked to stew in about an hour, whereas normally it takes 2.5-3 hours to cook it, and it just takes 20 minutes to cook it to perfection. Beets “in jacket” will be ready in 30 minutes, potatoes – in 5-7 minutes, carrots – in 12-15 minutes.
A can of condensed milk in a pressure cooker can be cooked in 40 minutes instead of 2.5 hours, chicken melts in the mouth after 15-20 minutes cooking, as if it was stewed for 1.5 hours, and the record-breaker is the fish: it needs only 5-10 minutes! Pressure cooker is amazingly fast and delicious cereal dishes: rice pilaf will be crumbly and tender in just 20 minutes, perlovka with mushrooms – half an hour.
Special topic – dishes made of pulses. Beans or beans do not need to be pre-soaked. Bob goulash or fragrant lobio in 30 minutes that’s the default length of the program – it’s not fantastic, but another advantage of pressure cooker. Of course, there are especially stubborn and hard beans – for it can be set and 40, and 50 minutes by hand, but not 2-3 hours, as is usually the case with legumes.
Boiled tongue is another “long life” product. Who does not like tender tongue with horseradish or aromatic spicy sauce! But waiting for it to boil is a nerve-racking experience. You’ll cook your tongue in the pressure cooker for an hour at the most, so you’ll have time to run out and get some horseradish. Also, attention, men! – In just one hour the most coveted dish – chłodecks – will be ready. And that there are no excuses for not having time to cook it!
You can pressure cook in the pressure cooker in almost any program – “Meat”, “Stew”, “Steam”, “Soup”, “Legumes”. The main thing is to have enough liquid – water or broth – in the bowl to generate steam. Exceptions are the “Bake” and “Roast” programs. The pressure regulator must be set to “normal pressure” here.
“How come it’s so tender??”
A fact is a fact: everything tastes better in a pressure cooker. “Seems like the same soup, but tastes better!”Meat on grandmother’s recipe is even better than my grandmother’s,” “My husband could not tear himself away from the pilaf, he almost swallowed a spoon, and even my mother-in-law praised me, “- such hostesses impressions we spotted on various Internet forums, where they discussed cooking under pressure.
So why is the soup more fragrant, the meat melts in the mouth, and pilaf became a means of strengthening the family? With less time of heat treatment and cooking in a “confined space” preserved more flavor substances, and they are responsible for the taste of the dish.
At the same time, the fibers of food under pressure open up better and let the flavors of spices, herbs and … each other, and how it softens the ingredients! – ♪ that’s the tenderness, that’s the melt in your mouth ♪.
In addition, the short time does not have time to “boil out” the color, so “fast” dishes look more appetizing.
Buy it right!
Three things are important when choosing a pressure cooker: safety, multifunctionality and ease of operation. It must be a robust unit in a quality steel case, with well-matched parts, problem-free screw-on lid, reliable O-ring sealing, collapsible steam outlet valve, sensors and pressure regulators, and of course – with a device for resetting excessive internal pressure and auto shut-off in case of overheating.
The more degrees of protection your appliance has, the better! A variety of modes means room for the culinary imagination, but the control panel and display should be russified, signs clear and simple, because it ensures not only convenience, but also safety: you should easily understand what the device “says and shows”.
It is not unimportant, what will be the coating pressure cooker bowl. Ideally, if not just non-stick, but particularly durable and technologically advanced, designed specifically for use in pressure cookers.
What are some examples of dishes that can be prepared quickly and easily in a pressure cooker?
Can you please provide more information about the specific tasks or functionalities that a pressure cooker can perform quickly?