Pressure cooker is the most typically and widely used kitchen appliance in many parts of the world. It helps to cook the food at a rapid speed. It also helps to preserve the nutritional elements of the food, which is crucial for human body. Not only does it save cooking fuel, but it also saves a lot of time by cooking the food faster than traditional methods. This is the reason, that it is considered to be an economical and handy utensil.
In most cases, water or other fluids are added to the raw food. When the lid of the pressure cooker is closed, it traps, the heat and this too allows the food to be cooked faster. This also increases the pressure inside the cooker. When the temperature inside the cooker, is more than 100 degree C, the food inside the cooker gets cooked quickly as the temperature is raised.
Usually pressure cookers are manufactured from aluminum alloys to ensure that there is rapid heating. This is the reason, that it has bakelite handles. These handles ensure that those who use the pressure cooker don’t get burned by the heat generated from it (while handling it). The dead weight or the whistle that is attached to the lid of the pressure cooker, releases the pressure from the cooker, to prevent the cooker from bursting. In this way, it maintains the optimum heat and pressure required for cooking the food.
Let us now discuss the advantages of using a pressure cooker.
Advantages of a Pressure Cooker
1. Food is cooked at a rapid rate than the traditional style of cooking in open utensils. Water and other fluids make the cooking process faster and food takes shorter time to be cooked.
2. Other cooking methods involve the use of water like-boiling, steaming, etc. But they require large quantities of water in comparison to what is needed in a pressure cooker, hence there are chances that the essential nutrients of the food like proteins, vitamins, minerals and starch are lost or absorbed or washed away by the water.
A pressure cooker uses less water compared to the other cooking methods. It requires minimal water to generate the steam inside the pressure cooker and maintain it. This is the reason that all essential ingredients are still present in the food when a pressure cooker is used. This also makes the food tasty and pleasing.
3. Pressure cooker removes health hazards. Since the food inside the cooker is cooked at a very high temperature (above 100 degree C which is the boiling point of water), it kills many germs, freeing the food from various kinds of bacteria and smaller micro-organisms that may be present.
4. Pressure cooker is a very significant and essential utensil for hilly areas. In the high altitudes, due to low atmospheric pressure, the boiling point of water is very low (below 100 degree C). This is the reason that it takes longer for the food to be cooked in the mountainous areas. Only with the use of a pressure cooker, the food can be cooked properly in the high altitudes. Hence, it’s a mandatory requisite for people in hilly areas.
very understandible explaind