The pressure cooker is often seen as an old-fashioned kitchen appliance, something your grandmother used way back when to whip up massive stews. You remember it as bulky and noisy, hissing and spitting away on the backburner like an angry cat. But pressure cookers have come a long way since those olden days. Many of today’s electric models (Instapots) and stovetop models are sleek, safe, smart, and easy to use. Many also boast multi-functional settings, sophisticated control panels and digital timing technology. Using a pressure cooker can revolutionise the way you cook. Here are five reasons to consider owning one.
1. You’ll save time
You can cook your food up to 10 times faster than other methods such as steaming, boiling, braising or simmering. Using a pressure cooker, you can whip up hot pots, risottos, soups, tagines, casseroles and even desserts in 20 minutes or less (check out our 3-Minute Fried Rice, below)! And unlike slow cookers, you don’t have to prepare your evening meal first thing in the morning or the night before – you can come home from work, throw all your ingredients into one pot and sit down to eat within half an hour of walking in the door.
2. Your food will retain vitamins, nutrients and flavour
Only a small amount of liquid is needed to generate the steam in a pressure cooker, and that liquid becomes part of the dish, so you’re not losing all the good stuff that can evaporate or get diluted via other food-preparation methods. Shorter cooking times also cut down on the loss of food’s heat-sensitive nutrients, locking in colour and flavour.
3. You’ll use less energy
Because you’re cooking in just one pot, you’re not using multiple burners at a time to prepare a meal. Plus, less cooking time means less energy used overall. Andduring the summer months, you’ll appreciate how using a pressure cooker generates less heat in the kitchen – meaning you won’t have to switch on cooktop fans or air conditioning to cool things down.
4. You’ll save money
In addition to lowering your energy bill, a pressure cooker can tenderise even the most stubborn “secondary” (that is, cheaper) cuts of meat – and don’t forget, nose-to-tail eating is a huge sustainability trend right now. Low-cost lamb shanks, oxtail and pork shoulder are ideal for creating succulent, falling-off-the-bone dishes in a fraction of the time slow-cooking or roasting would take. Pressure cookers also work wonders with grains, dried beans and legumes that take an eternity to cook from scratch.
5. You’ll make your life easier
Think about it – you’re using one pot instead of several. Nothing will spill or splatter or boil over. You don’t have to time several different elements at once. You’ve got infinite options for meals of all varieties. And you’ll cut down on washing up. What’s not to love?
3-Minute Fried Rice
(6 servings)
We have chosen these vegetables to give a nice mixture of colours and textures, but you can ring the changes of this family favourite with different veggies, meat, or seafood. You can even use brown rice – just increase the pressure cooking time to 20 minutes.Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced ginger
2 spring onions, sliced (white and green parts separated)
4 slices short-cut bacon
1 red bell pepper (capsicum), chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 eggs
2 cups basmati or long grain rice, washed and well drained
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or water, boiling*
1 tbsp. soy sauce, plus extra to serve
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 cup frozen baby peas
1 cup bean shoots (opt.)
Instructions:
1. Heat oil in pressure cooker over high heat. If using electric pressure cooker, set it to "brown". Add garlic, ginger, and white parts of spring onion, and stir for a few seconds, until fragrant. Add bacon, bell pepper, and carrot. Cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add rice, and stir until each grain is coated with oil and vegetable juices. Add beaten eggs, and stir to scramble. Add boiling chicken stock or water, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Cover, and bring to pressure using the HIGH setting. Count down 3 minutes, and remove from the heat. (If using an electric pressure cooker, turn off the "keep warm" setting). Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
3. If there's remaining pressure after 10 minutes, release it, otherwise remove lid and fluff rice with a spatula or rice paddle. Stir in baby peas and bean shoots if using (baby peas will thaw out in contact with the hot rice). Spoon into bowls, and sprinkle with spring onion greens. Serve with extra soy sauce for sprinkling to taste.
* The stock or water doesn’t have to be boiling – it just makes the cooker reach pressure quicker.
FAQs
Helps food retain nutrients and taste better
Pressure cooking reduces the cooking time for most foods. This shorter cooking time can result in fewer nutrients being leeched out of food during the cooking process. Put another way, your food keeps more of the nutrients inside.
How does a pressure cooker help us? ›
Reduced Cooking Time
Pressure cookers use steam and heat inside a sealed pot to quickly produce rich flavors. In fact, food can be cooked up to 70% faster than conventional cooking methods. It can cook chicken from frozen in a little over 5 minutes or make tender and juicy pot roast in under an hour.
What is the effect of pressure cooker? ›
At that pressure, water boils at 121°C (250°F). That means food can cook at a much higher temperature than it ever could at atmospheric pressure—and since cooking reactions speed up at higher temperatures, your food cooks faster. It also doesn't dry out, since the water stays in liquid form.
Does pressure cooking bone broth destroy nutrients? ›
Is it better to slow cook or pressure cook bone broth? It is better to choose a technique that suits your life and goals. A pressure cooker will save you batch time and get you 75% of the nutrition benefits of bone broth.
What are the benefits of pressure? ›
Pressure can be a positive aspect of life and work for most people. In many ways, we all have standards, targets and deadlines to push us towards good performance. We all need a degree of pressure to raise our adrenaline levels to allow us to push on and achieve the goals that we create for ourselves.
What is the life of a pressure cooker? ›
The lifespan of your pressure cooker is going to vary based on its brand and usage. If you're using your pressure cooker on a daily basis and investing in regular maintenance, it may last you up to five years. On average, though, most pressure cookers perform well for up to three years.
Is pressure cooking good for you? ›
Additional Health Benefits of Pressure Cooking
Pressure cooking extends its benefits beyond nutrient retention. For instance, pressure cooking starchy foods like potatoes and then cooling them can increase resistant starch formation, which is beneficial for gut health and potentially aids in blood sugar management.
What are the pros and cons of a pressure cooker? ›
Advantages of pressure cooking include reduced cooking times and retention of nutrients, plus it's a great way to make energy-efficient, one-pot meals. The downsides include problems with foods that have different cook times and not being able to check the progress of the food cooking.
What is the idea behind a pressure cooker? ›
Pressure cooking is the process of cooking food with the use of high pressure steam and water or a water-based liquid, inside a sealed vessel called a pressure cooker; the high pressure limits boiling and creates higher temperatures not possible at lower pressures which allow food to be cooked much faster than at ...
What is a pressure cooker best for? ›
While they are invaluable when it comes to braising, stewing and transforming tough cuts of meat, and cooking ingredients like dried pulses from scratch, pressure cookers are less successful with delicate foods like fish or green veg, as they use such a high heat.
Stainless steel pressure cookers are generally considered to be the better choice for health, as they are less likely to leach metals into food during cooking. Additionally, stainless steel is more resistant to corrosion and rusting, meaning it will last longer.
What to avoid when using pressure cooker? ›
Pressure Cooker Don'ts:
- Don't open the pressure cooker while cooking. ...
- Don't release the pressure before it's time. ...
- Don't overfill the pressure cooker. ...
- Don't add thickeners. ...
- Don't give up after one bad experience.
The Bottom Line. Consider incorporating bone broth into your regular routine for its many benefits, including reduced inflammation, improved bone health, better joint support and a healthier gut.
Does pressure cooking destroy vitamins? ›
Researchers found that sautéing spinach or amaranth leaves in a pan for 30 minutes destroyed about 95 percent of the vitamin C, whereas ten minutes in a pressure cooker wiped out only about 90 percent.
Who shouldn't eat bone broth? ›
The sodium in bone broth may not be an issue for the average healthy person, Zumpano says, but it could be risky for people who have high blood pressure, heart disease or kidney disease. Always talk to your doctor if you have concerns.
Are pressure cookers good for the environment? ›
They are also an eco-friendly option that can help reduce energy consumption and, by extension, carbon emissions. Pressure cookers use less energy than conventional cooking methods, which means that they can help lower your electricity bills while also reducing your carbon footprint.
Is pressure cooking the healthiest? ›
Pressure cooking extends its benefits beyond nutrient retention. For instance, pressure cooking starchy foods like potatoes and then cooling them can increase resistant starch formation, which is beneficial for gut health and potentially aids in blood sugar management.
Do pressure cookers save energy? ›
Heat cannot escape, so the cooking temperature is maintained with minimal energy input. A pressure cooker saves 90 percent of the energy used to boil a pot on the hob. Some foods are perfect to cook under these hot and steamy conditions: a meat stock, for instance, takes advantage of all the pressure cooker's benefits.
