My absolute favorite small kitchen appliance is my Electric Pressure Cooker!  I use it several times each week for preparing dinner.  I bought mine several years ago when we first decided to adopt a plant-based lifestyle. At that time, there weren’t as many varieties or choices on the market as there are now.  These handy little gadgets can really help you save time with your plant-based lifestyle.

The History of Pressure Cooking

The first pressure cooker was invented in 1679 by Denis Papin, a French physicist, mathematician, and inventor. He called his invention a steam digester. The invention was also called Papin’s digester as it was advertised to “extract fats from bones in a high-pressure steam environment”.  This invention was the inspiration of the modern day pressure cooker.  It took many years and lots of testing before pressure cookers were safe enough for the average person to own.

What is Pressure Cooking?

Basically, pressure cooking occurs when the pressure created by the steam inside a sealed pot raises the boiling point of water from the usual 212° F/100°C to as high as 250°F/121°C.  Because the temperature is higher, cooking under pressure with steam reduces the amount of time it takes to cook food and it also takes less energy. Additionally, because of the shortened cooking time, this type of preparation helps to keep the nutritional values in your food that can be lost when using other cooking methods.

Stove Top Pressure Cookers

A stove top cooker is heated by the burner on your stove.  You need to keep a close eye on the temperature to be sure it is high enough to maintain the pressure, but not so high that your food burns. With a gas stove, the temperature is more easily regulated than with an electric stove because you can instantly turn down the heat if necessary. So, it’s trickier using a stove top cooker on an electric stove.  This type of pressure cooker is usually used for cooking meat or vegetables.

I remember my mom using a stove top pressure cooker when I was a kid. My grandma gave me hers when we were first married. But not understanding how it worked, I was afraid of it and ended up giving it away without ever trying it out. You can still buy this type of cooker for under $50 at many locations.

Electric Pressure Cookers Are So Easy!

Programmable electric pressure cookers are so simple to use and they are not just for pressure cooking food either!  You can brown, steam, pressure-cook, slow-cook, and even just keep food warm in these amazing gizmos!  Because they are programmable, you can set a timer for when you want the cooking to begin or to end. Once it’s finished cooking, it keeps the food warm for up to 8 hours.

On days when I work away from the house, I set it to start pressure cooking about 30 minutes before I will get home. When I walk in the door, the food is done, the pressure has released and voilà – dinner is all ready to go.  Plus, a benefit in eating a plant-based diet is that food can sit in the cooker for hours without you having to worry about it spoiling – unlike meat or dairy which are perishable if left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Another bonus is not having to worry about about regulating any certain temperature during the cooking process. You just plug it in and it heats and does all of that automatically.

Cooking Times Using A Pressure Cooker

As you can see by this chart, it takes a short amount of time to cook foods!  A pressure cooker cooks approximately three times faster than a conventional oven. However, you will probably need to experiment on actual cooking times by trial and error and by reading the manufacturer suggestions for your specific brand and model. Note – if you live at a high altitude, you may need to increase the cooking time for certain items.

Are Pressure Cookers Dangerous?

Modern pressure cookers are built with all sorts of safety features to assure they won’t explode and get chili or sauce all over your ceiling. 😉 However, following these helpful hints will assure safe use:

• Check the rubber gasket on the inside of the lid now and then to make sure it isn’t drying out or getting cracked (the gaskets are replaceable).
• Clean the cooker well and remove and wash the rubber gasket each time to be certain dried food isn’t keeping it from sealing properly.
• Make sure the valve is clean and free from any food.
• Use the proper amount of water. My cooker needs a minimum of 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) of water for the steam to build.
• Don’t overfill the cooker with food or liquid.
• Release the pressure (either naturally or by quick release) in a safe way according to the owner’s manual.
• Do not open the lid before the pressure has been completely released (modern cookers will remain locked until the pressure has gone down).
• Keep your face and hands away from the pan as you open it. No steam burns, please!

Steaming to the Finish Line

Cooking under pressure with steam is a super fast, super easy way to prepare plant-based foods. If you’re not familiar with pressure cooking – I hope this post will encourage you to give it a try! You’ll be very happy you did!  😃

Note-The version I bought years ago has a non-stick, aluminum cooking pot which can get scratched a little too easily. If I were purchasing one today, I’d get one with a  stainless steel pot inside.  Hmmm….maybe I’ll put an Instant Pot on my birthday list! 😊

Recipe

Foolproof Brown Rice

Thank you for sharing! 💚