4 tips for cooking with your pressure cooker

The pressure cookers or quick pot They are an essential kitchen accessory for cooking everything at home, since they allow you to greatly reduce the cooking time of food, especially legumes.

If you do not have a pressure cooker, get one according to your type of kitchen (gas, vitro, induction) and the size of the stove. Now there are a wide variety of models and sizes to choose from: they don’t have to be the huge pots they used to be. Choose one from a trusted brandof good quality, stainless steel and with guarantee.

There are very simple pots to use that have the closing and depressurizing mechanism in the handle, which fits with the lid. So it is very easy to close and open them. These are our tips.

1. How does a pressure cooker work?

Well, it’s very simple. When you close the lid, which has a rubber band on it, it seals. Inside the temperature rises, the water heats up, steam is created but cannot escape, which causes pressure inside the pot. At these pressures the boiling point rises up to 130ºC and this is what cooks the food faster.

When it reaches the pressure stop, the valve opens (which beeps and releases steam) and allow steam to escape
maintain a constant temperature inside the pot.

When we put the pot on high heat and it starts to whistle or we see steam coming out of the valve, it is time to lower the heat and count the minutes that our food spends inside.

In order to open it, you have to wait for the pressure to releaseand for that it is best to turn off the heat, remove the pot, wait a few minutes for it to cool down a bit and allow the lid to be opened.

If for whatever reason we have undercooked the food, it can be closed again and put on the fire for a while longer.

2. And how do we know if what is in the pot is done?

We don’t really know at the moment because we can’t open and look, but we can follow the instructions that the package of what we buy gives us (if it has instructions for an express pot) or look at any cooking time guide for this type of pots.

For the legumes, see the instructions on the package. The time varies according to the type of legume and the type of water (if it is soft water it takes less than with hard water).

Ingredients and cooking times in minutes

Whole New Potatoes (small ones): 5-7Large Whole Potatoes: 10-12Medium Diced Potatoes: 5-7Medium Diced Pumpkin: 4-5Medium Diced Zucchini: 2-3Medium Diced Turnip: 3-4Medium Diced Carrots: 3-4 Cauliflower florets: 2-3 Eggplant, medium pieces: 3-4 Green beans, halved: 3-4 Leeks, medium pieces: 3-4 Frozen peas: 1-2 Whole artichokes: 8-10 Broccoli florets: 2-3 Brown rice: 10-12 White rice: 5-7 Millet: 5-7 Quinoa: 5-7

3. What can I use it for?

Although it can be used as a normal pot, with the addition of pressure, I recommend use it for all those foods that take more than 20 minutes to cook. That is, dried legumes (previously soaked), stews and stews with legumes, stews with vegetables in large pieces (green beans, artichokes, etc.), grains and whole grains that take time.

And always with one good amount of water so that everything is cooked and the pressure we need is formed. Try never to fill it because it needs space for the steam. Never fill it more than ¾ full. In any case, look at the manufacturer’s instructions: in many they do not recommend exceeding half.

In the case of dried vegetables, which are much cheaper and easier to store, cooking time is significantly reduced. Some legumes like chickpeas or the beans can take 4 hours or more in a normal pot, while in the quick pot they will be tender in half an hour.

Yes, the fast cooker does not fry or brown food with pressure. It is a highly recommended previous step and that you can do in the pot itself as if it were a normal pot. For example, you can start by adding oil and making a sauce with onionleek, tomato, etc., and then add the legumes and water and close the pot.

4. Maintenance

In general, they are cleaned like any other pot, although we must always watch a couple of things:

That the valve is very clean inside, without any bit of food or residue that clogs it. This is very important for the steam to be released correctly. the rubber is in good condition, without cracks, that does not dry out or crack and that remains flexible. Use only dishwasher, not vinegar, baking soda, or other things that can be corrosive to rubber. And if it is deteriorated, buy a new one at any hardware store before using your pot again. Most of modern pressure cookers they can be put in the dishwasher, but it is better that you read the manufacturer’s instructions to know if you can or not. Once clean dry it well and store it in a place where it does not collect dust, moisture or grease (for example, inside a low cabinet in the kitchen, closed).