Which Foods Are Cooked In A Pressure Cooker And Why

Pressure cooking is defined as the moist-heat cooking technique, so foods that need to be boiled, simmered, or braised are cooked in this instant pot. Some of the good option that must be tried out in such a vessel are soups, stocks, stews, whole grains, dried beans, polenta, risotto, grits, some dense vegetables like carrots, beets, and meats.

Cooking these foods in a Pressure Cooker causes the protein contents in the ingredients to denature, the starch contents to gelatinize, and the fiber contents to become tender in less than half the time needed to cook in a normal cooking pot. For instance, the hard dried beans such as the chickpeas that generally takes almost an hour or more to cook, takes around fifteen minutes to cook in a pressure cooker. In the same way, risotto takes approximately ten minutes to get cooked.

How one releases the pressure while cooking is an important factor. There are mainly three pressure-release techniques, natural release, quick release, and running the vessel under cold water. The natural release technique takes around five to twenty minutes according to the density and quantity of the ingredients. Both the quick release and the cold water methods depressurize the cooker rapidly and are perfect for most of the grains and vegetables that get overcooked easily.  

Reliable recipes are the keys to excellent pressure-cooking because accurate timing is decisive to prevent undercooking or overcooking. Consult the manual provided with the pressure cooker. To stay on the safer side, slightly underestimate the full cooking time. One can always pertain more pressure and heat to finish off the cooking. But overcooking should not be done. If the pressure is released for checking the food in between the cooking process, and if it is found that more time is needed to cook it, just put on the lid and then simmer for a couple of minutes more or just lock the lid and keep the cooker on full pressure for a few more minutes.  

The Best Pressure Cookers in India are always safer to use. These are equipped with the backup vents or the overpressure plugs, which releases the excessive pressure in case if one forgets to reduce the heat after the pressure cooker reaches the full pressure or if the primary vents get clogged with the dish at the cooking time. A stretchable rubber gasket fitted inside the lid makes it difficult to remove or unlock the lid till the pressure inside the cooker is released. Every time the pot is used, the rubber gasket must be checked to make it sure that it is flexible, dry, and do not have any cracks for ensuring a tight-fitted seal . When the lid is removed after the pressure is released completely, the lid is tilted so that the lid acts as the shield between the person who is cooking and the residual steam that rises from the pot.