Pressure cookers are fantastic tools. They develop the characteristic flavors and textures of foods so quickly that what is conventionally a long, labor-intensive process becomes one hardly more time-consuming than a casual sauté. Risotto takes 7 minutes instead of 25. An intense chicken stock takes 90 minutes instead of 2 or 3 hours. You can even pressure-cook food in canning jars or in oven bags or Foodsaver bags rated for high temperatures—which means grits and polenta, for example, no longer require constant stirring to avoid sticking. The high temperatures inside the cooker also promote browning and caramelization, reactions that create flavors you can’t get otherwise in a moist cooking environment. If you’re not a believer yet, try our Caramelized Carrot Soup recipe.
A pressure cooker is essentially just a pot with a semi-sealed, lockable lid and a valve that controls the pressure inside. It works by capturing steam that, as it builds up, increases the pressure in the vessel. The pressure increase in turn raises the boiling point of water, which normally limits the cooking temperature of wet foods to 100°C / 212°F (at sea level; the boiling point is slightly lower at higher elevations). Because the effective cooking temperature is higher in the pressure cooker—as high as 120°C / 250°F—the cooking time can drop substantially. Whether you’re cooking a stock, braising a stew, or fixing a pot of beans, the temperature of these water-laden foods ordinarily won’t exceed the boiling point of water, 100°C / 212°F, until they dry out—which you usually want to avoid.
Fast, even, energy-efficient cooking is all very nice, but it’s the higher quality of the food that really clinches the deal. Wonderful culinary aromas wafting through the kitchen while you cook may warm the heart, but those are some of the most crucial components of the flavor of the food, and they are now forever lost to the air. The sealed environment of the pressure cooker locks in more of these volatile aromatic compounds. They condense onto the lid and drip back into the pot, so more of the nuances of the food are there when you put fork to mouth. You can learn more about how pressure cookers work here.
Even if you bake more than you cook, pressure cookers are invaluable tools for bread and pizza enthusiasts. Do you include flavorful additions in your bread recipes? Pressure cookers can caramelize ingredients like vegetables, fruits, and grains, transforming them into rich inclusions for bread or pizza toppings. For perfectly cooked grains to be used in breads, a pressure cooker is your best friend. You can easily achieve al dente grains, as detailed on page 29 of Modernist Bread at Home. Pressure cookers allow for precise control over softness in a fraction of the time.
Pressure cookers also excel at caramelizing toppings and sauces for pizza, such as the Mushroom Comté Pizza sauce from Modernist Pizza. The book also highlights recipes for other pressure-caramelized sauces, including cauliflower puree, Bolognese, bisque, and more.
Using an Instant Pot is quite similar to a traditional pressure cooker, and most of the same safety tips and guidelines apply. Our books provide clear instructions for both tools, ensuring that you can use either confidently.
Safety Tips for Pressure-Cooking
Too many people shy away from pressure cookers because they are skittish about safety. Rest easy: today’s devices are designed and manufactured with safety as the primary concern. We recommend pressure cookers with built-in spring-loaded pressure valves or jiggling-weight pressure cookers. An electric pressure cooker, such as the Instant Pot, is even simpler—you set the time, and it does the rest. The older pressure cookers and pressure canners will also work, although they are a bit noisy and tend to lose steam and aroma.
Consumer-grade pressure cookers range in size from 4–10 L / 4–10 qt. Look for a stainless-steel cooker having a three-ply base (aluminum sandwiched by stainless steel), which helps avoid hot spots. Also make sure the cooker indicates when it has reached a gauge pressure of 1 bar / 15 psi, as commonly used in recipes.
Here are our recommendations for cooking safely with a pressure cooker:
- Read and follow the safety instructions in the manual that came with the cooker.
- Releasing a pressure cooker lid while its contents are still hot can splatter boiling water or food all over the kitchen—or you. Before opening the cooker, use the pressure-release button, let the cooker sit, or cool the pot under running water. The pressure valve will sink down fully when the cooker is depressurized and is safe to open.
- Before cooking, check that the ring of rubber lining around the lid isn’t dried out or cracked. These gaskets don’t last forever; replace them as recommended by the manufacturer.
- Make sure the rim of the pot and the gasket are clean; any food particles stuck there could break the seal.
- Don’t fill the cooker more than two-thirds full. For beans and grains, which tend to swell as they cook, fill the cooker only half full.
- Avoid cooking foods that froth, like oatmeal and pasta. The foam can block the steam valves and pressure-release vents.
- Tip the opening away from you as you lift the lid off the cooker to protect yourself from the steam that is released.
- Use canning tongs to remove hot canning jars from the cooker, and let the contents cool slightly before opening the jars.
- To cook porridges in a pressure cooker, put the grains in canning jars, and rest them on a trivet. We don’t recommend directly pressure-cooking porridges because they will scorch the bottom of your pot. (See more about using canning jars in pressure cookers below).
How to Use a Pressure Cooker
Cooks who are new to pressure-cooking often use too much heat and over-pressurize the cooker. It’s important to realize that over-pressurizing the cooker doesn’t make the temperature inside it any higher—it merely causes the safety valve to release steam, which allows the water inside to resume boiling. Repeated over-pressurization can ruin both the flanges and the seal around the lid. Familiarize yourself with the manufacturer’s instructions for understanding when your cooker is fully pressurized, over-pressurized, and depressurized.
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients. If you will be browning onions or other aromatics before pressure-cooking them, save a pan by sautéing the food directly in the base of the pressure cooker before covering it with the lid.
Step 2: Add all the ingredients, stir, and lock the lid. Stirring to evenly distribute the liquid or fat is important to keep bits from burning on the bottom of the cooker. Once you lock the lid, you won’t be able to stir again.
Step 3: Warm the cooker on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Watch or listen for the cues that the cooker has reached full pressure, and then turn the heat down to low. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the cooker fully pressurized.
Step 4: Start timing the cooking as soon as the cooker reaches the target gauge pressure given in the recipe. If your cooker has a spring-loaded pressure valve, the valve should pop up just to the line, not beyond it. The cooker should not hiss loudly. If you have a jiggling-weight pressure valve, the weight should move three to five times a minute; it shouldn’t dance around wildly.
Step 5: After cooking, remove the pressure cooker from the heat, and let it cool. You can simply let the cooker sit for several minutes to cool down if the food can tolerate some additional cooking (as stocks can, for example). For foods that are more time-sensitive, such as risottos, run lukewarm water over the rim of the lid to depressurize the cooker quickly. (Don’t let water run into the pressure valve.) Some cookers have a manual quick-release knob or dial; be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use this feature safely. Never attempt to open a pressurized cooker. Not only will it spray hot liquid, but you’ll also lose a lot of the flavorful vapors.
Step 6: Set the cooker in the kitchen sink and unlock the lid. If the lid is difficult to open, don’t force it; let the cooker cool longer until it opens with little resistance.
Step 7: If the food isn’t done, simply finish it on the stovetop without sealing the lid. Alternatively, return the pressure cooker to full pressure, and continue cooking.
Pressure-Cooking in Canning Jars
Several recipes in Modernist Cuisine at Home and Modernist Cuisine take advantage of cooking in canning jars (also known as Mason jars). We use them for ingredients that would otherwise need an intensive amount of stirring, such as polenta, and for making small batches of rendered fat, garlic confit, or extracted juices.
Always leave at least 1.3 cm / ½ in of headspace when filling the jars. The jars should also never touch the bottom of the cooker. Set them on a metal rack or trivet—or, in a pinch, on crumpled sheets of aluminum foil. Add enough water to cover the rack so that the pressure cooker can build up steam. After fully tightening the lids of the jars, loosen them a quarter turn; otherwise, the pressure may crack the jars or blow their lids off inside the cooker. After using a jar for pressure-cooking, inspect the glass for cracks before cooking with it again.
Other Tips
- Most spring-loaded pressure valves are ringed with two lines or colors to indicate low pressure and high pressure.
- We always cook at a gauge pressure of 1 bar / 15 psi.
- A jet of steam or fog from an overextended pressure valve means that the pressure cooker is over-pressurized, and for safety’s sake the valve is relieving the excess pressure. Over-pressurizing can bend the flanges that hold the lid tightly on the pot; they won’t seal properly, and the pressure cooker will then be useless.
Pressure cookers are a game changer in the kitchen, offering speed, efficiency, and an unparalleled depth of flavor. Whether you’re crafting a velvety risotto, an aromatic stock, or perfectly tender beans, a pressure cooker can help you achieve results that are as impressive as they are effortless.
From the science behind their high temperatures to the practical safety tips and techniques, mastering this versatile tool can transform your cooking experience. With just a little practice, you’ll discover why pressure cookers have become indispensable for both home cooks and professionals alike.
Further Reading and Recipes
- Caramelized Inclusions with a Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot
- Pressure-Caramelized Sweet Potato Soup
- Pressure-Cooked Chicharrón
- Pressure-Cooked Carnitas
- Red Wine Glaze
- Garlic Confit
- Mushroom Comté Pizza with Pressure-Caramelized Vegetable Sauce
- Caramelized Carrot Soup—No Centrifuge Necessary!
- How Pressure Cookers Work
- Pressure-Cooked Fresh-Corn Tamale
- Pressure-Rendered Chicken Fat
- Pressure-Cooked Vegetable Risotto
- Caramelized Pumpkin Pie
- Modernist Cuisine at Home
- Modernist Cuisine