Pressure cookers are often thought of as a modern development in cooking but in fact they have been with us since the mid 1800's. The idea of cooking under pressure makes sense as less heat is required, lowering the amount of energy used and preventing any valuable heat or steam energy escaping. Essentially using a pressure cooker is cooking with steam.

Let’s take a closer look at how this type of cooking works.

Originally pressure cookers were a form of sealed pan, designed to be placed on a heat source such as a hotplate or directly on a cooker ring. In contrast, modern forms usually include their own electric heat source, which means the energy used and the steam pressure can be more effectively controlled, resulting in better quality results.

Whichever type of pressure cooker you use, there are essentially two options when it comes to cooking food - either in liquid or out. This means that some foods, such as a joint of meat, will be cooked in the liquid itself, allowing the flavours to be absorbed by the meat. On the other hand foods such as vegetables can be cooked above the liquid, only being touched by the steam which is free of flavours.

When using a pressure cooker for the first time you should only start the cooking time from the point at which the pressure reaches the setting which you have selected, not from the point at which the pressure gauge first moves. As this is a common mistake it often results in food which has not been cooked for as long as it should be, causing many new owners to be disappointed with their new pressure cooker. In fact you should carefully set the correct pressure and begin the cooking time from the point the pressure cooker reaches that level.

Generally speaking a pressure cooker will reduce cooking times by approximately 30% and produce excellent results if used properly.