Using a power cooker to prepare your meals removes a lot of prep time and cook time. Cooking using pressure can be confusing for some, especially those who have never done so before. If you are trying to decide whether or not to start cooking with a pressure cooker, here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the method.
Capacity
The capacity of a power cooker ranges from six to eight quarts. Just remember that you should never completely fill a power cooker with food or liquid. This will not leave enough room for the steam to cook the food.
Time and Pressure
Both cooking time and pressure can be adjusted in pressure cookers. You can choose to manually adjust the cooking time on a cooker or choose a predetermined cook time for the food group you are cooking. The pressure can also be changed as most cookers have pressure that ranges from 10-80 kPa.
Brown and Saute Food
What many don’t realize is that pressure cookers can also brown and saute food. This is done by pressing the “Brown” button when the lid is off and prior to the food being pressurized. You can also saute food by selecting a preset button while the lid is off the cooker.
Rice
Pressure cookers can be used to cook rice. Most units have a button specifically for rice. Others have a setting for rice and then sub settings for white rice, brown rice and wild rice. Each sub setting has a specific time and pressure used for cooking the rice.
Pressure
Those who haven’t used power cookers before might not know when the food has been pressurized. When pressure has been reached, the zeroes on the screen will stop rotating and the cook time countdown will begin. You can remove the lid from the cooker when all the pressure has been released. If you cannot remove the lid, it means the pressure has not been released. Do not force the lid open. This can be very dangerous.
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