How to Use a Pressure Cooker

A pressure cooker is a busy cook's best friend because it can cut up to 70% of the cook time. It's best used for things that typically take a long time to cook, like pot roast or brisket, dried beans, which you don't even have to soak before they go into the pressure cooker, tough vegetables like beets or rutabagas, and chicken stock, which can go from a four-hour project to a one-hour project. Different pressure cookers will be designed a little differently, but basically they all have the same main parts. There's a lid which locks into place. On the inside of the lid is a rubber gasket, which has to be in place. That's what allows the steam to stay in the pot and not escape out into the kitchen. Now, every pressure cooker is going to have lots of safety mechanisms built in, so don't be afraid of a pressure cooker. When you put the lid on, it will lock in place, and you'll feel it lock in place. So here's why a pressure cooker cooks food so quickly. In typical cooking, water comes to a boil at 212 degrees, and no matter how long you boil, the water stays at 212 degrees. In a pressure cooker, though, the boiling point is raised to about 250 degrees. Cook times for different foods will be different depending on the make and model of your pressure cooker, so be sure to refer to the user's manual. For more great cooking tips and kitchen wisdom, visit cookinglight.com.