Advantages of Pressure Cookers

Pressure cooking is a method of cooking in a sealed vessel that does not permit air or liquids to escape below a preset pressure. Because water's boiling point increases as the pressure increases, the pressure built up inside the cooker allows the liquid in the pot to rise to a higher temperature before boiling.

Food can be cooked faster in a pressure cooker since the boiling point of water increases with pressure. The pressure cooker consists of a pressurized pot which has controlled vent at a specified pressure above atmospheric pressure. It is typical for the pressure of venting to be about 15 pounds per square inch above atmospheric pressure. That raises the boiling point to about 121°C or 257 °F.

The pressure cooker presents several advantages:

• Foods are cooked much faster than other methods, (except perhaps the microwave), so dishes can be ready sooner. Due to the shorter cooking time and the fact that food is cooked in less liquid that gets boiled away, more vitamins and minerals are retained than with conventional cooking methods.
  
• Less energy is required than when boiling, steaming or oven cooking, particularly if multiple foods are cooked at once. This also reduces washing up - a pressure cooker is also easy to clean after cooking.
  
• A pressure cooker is more hygienic compared to open cooking in a pot or utensil. The kitchen is kept cleaner because, compared to traditional, open boiling, almost no steam and oils escape to the atmosphere - to end up deposited on the walls.
  
• The food is cooked above the boiling point of water, killing more germs. (But note that some toxins are thermostable, and will not be neutralised. Most foods must be cooked for at least 15 minutes to be sure that reasonable sterilisation has been achieved).

The pressure cooker can also be used as an ad hoc steriliser - for jam pots, for example.