Are you tired of the fast food culture? It can sometimes feel like we’re eating just for fuel – or because it’s that time of the day – instead of really enjoying the meal before us. Well, it’s actually this mentality that has brought cooking with a pressure cooker back into focus.
We’re taking a closer look at this clever appliance and how it works to see what the advantages of cooking with a pressure cooker are.
Would you like to know more?
Pressure Cooking Exposed
Pressure cookers are a great way to speed up your cooking time – in a good way – save energy and make delicious meals. How do they do this?
Pressure cookers cook food faster
Pressure cookers use steam to cook food. The water in the cooker gets much hotter than it does when you boil things on the stovetop, and that makes pressure cookers faster than many other cooking methods.
Simple physics tells us that water boils at 100 degrees Celcius and won’t get any hotter while on the stovetop, as it then turns into steam. (Those of us that have had a run-in with steam understand exactly how hot it can get!) However, the pressure cooker locks in this steam which can reach temperatures of 120 degrees Celcius. This not only cooks the food faster, but makes it more tender too.
Save energy with a pressure cooker
A faster cooking process requires less power.
We all know how quickly our money seems to dribble away each month, and more so with the steady increase in energy costs! In this case, faster is definitely better.
Delicious meals with a pressure cooker
So we’ve saved time and money, but is the resulting dish worth it?
Forks Over Knives comments on this, saying “The food doesn’t cook by boiling; instead, it cooks with superheated (almost 250ºF) steam. Because the food cooks faster and very little moisture escapes, the flavors are richer and more developed. In my many years of pressure cooking, I have always noticed that vegetables tend to have brighter colors and better textures when cooked this way compared to many other ways of cooking.”
Vegetables (especially tough root veggies), legumes, beans and whole grain foods cook super fast under pressure without losing their nutrients. Of course, soups, stews, and casserole dishes are cooked to perfection using either pressure or slow cooking.
Good Housekeeping notes that “Beef, carrots, and potatoes all retained their rich flavors” in a pressure cooker.
A pressure cooker can also be used to cook a wider variety of foods and is useful for both pressure cooking and slow-cooking since it can be set to operate at either pressure level. This means that a pressure cooker can be used in place of your rice cooker or crock pot.
Kitchen Convenience
One-pot cooking is music to a mother’s ears, especially when we’ve got a big family to feed. Less mess and easy cleaning is just another advantage of cooking with a pressure cooker.
By way of example, take a look at the Russell Hobbs 6L Electric Pressure Cooker. Not only is it a stylish addition to your kitchen, but it offers 16 multi-function menus to make your dinner prep that much easier. Cool touch handles and 9 advanced structural and technical safety features ensure you and your family stay safe while cooking. And of course, the non-stick removable 6l cooking pot is dishwasher friendly.
Russell Hobbs 6L Electric Pressure Cooker- RHEP7
If you want to advance to the next level, consider the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 8L Smart Cooker. This incredible appliance combines 7 kitchen appliances in one: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice maker, steamer, sauté pan, warmer, and yoghurt maker. With 14 smart programs and an advanced microprocessor that continuously monitors temperature, pressure, and time, this cooker does everything but dish up for you.
What’s not to love?
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 8L Smart Cooker – 113-0034-01
If you’re shopping for a pressure cooker, please take a look at our specials and promotions to find the right kitchen appliance for you.