How to use an old-style pressure cooker: instructions

The pressure cooker has been around for a very long time and helps housewives in preparing various dishes. The cooking process in this case is reduced by half, if not three, which makes our life much easier. In addition, all nutrients are preserved during the cooking process, unlike other cooking methods. But some people don't have it or they simply don't know how to use it. And you need to know the operating mode so that nothing bad happens. Now we will look at everything in detail.

How do old style pressure cookers work?

This cookware is used for faster cooking. When heated, steam appears, which helps to do this. The old type has a pressure valve located on the exhaust pipe, on the cover. One of the main elements is the O-ring. If it is not there, then the pan will not work as it should.

Important! Before you start working, carefully inspect the rubber seal for defects, if any, then it must be replaced.

How to cook in an old-style pressure cooker: step-by-step instructions

If after inspection everything is fine, we’ll start cooking.At the same time, do not forget that you should not completely fill these kitchen utensils with food - a maximum of two-thirds of the volume. So where should you start?

Preparing food for the pressure cooker

Before cooking, you need to prepare the ingredients for this. Sometimes the box from under it contains instructions in which everything is written in detail. Let's look at the most common products that can be cooked in it:

• Meat. Before you start cooking, season it with various spices. If you want, you can fry the meat in a frying pan before putting it in the pressure cooker.
• Seafood. First, you need to rinse them thoroughly, and then put them in a pressure cooker and add at least 175 milliliters of water to them. When cooking fish, grease the basket with vegetable oil to prevent it from sticking.
• Legumes. Soak the food for five hours in water without salt, and when the time has expired, drain it. Add clean water, preferably with 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil. After this, add the beans to the pan and start cooking.
• Vegetables. If they are frozen, then defrost them, and if they are fresh, rinse them.
• Cereal products. Soak them for 4 hours in water at room temperature. But if you are going to cook rice or oatmeal, you cannot soak them.
• Fruits. First you need to wash them. To prepare fresh fruits, you need half a glass of water, and if it is dried fruits, then pour out only one glass.

The main stage of preparation

After the vegetables and fruits are ready, you can proceed to the next stage - adding vegetables. For this:

• First, place the food you want to cook in the pressure cooker and add as much water as required to cook the food.
• Remove the safety valve before closing the lid tightly. Check that the closing mechanism works and that the lid fits tightly to the pan. Only after this can it be placed on a heated stove or on the largest burner of a gas stove. Turn on the burner at full power, soon after this the pressure cooker will start working - the water will evaporate, forming steam.
• As soon as it reaches the required pressure, cooking will begin. You can control this using a pressure sensor, which will begin to release steam.

Important! Don't forget that as soon as steam starts coming out, you need to install a valve.

• It is necessary to reduce the power of the heating element so that the pressure cooker stops whistling. Just be careful, the water should continue to boil. Record the time it takes for your chosen product to cook. The whole point is to maintain pressure in the pan while cooking is in progress. The valve will only work if you do not reduce the heat in time.

Reference. The safety valve is necessary to prevent the pressure cooker from bursting if you forget to release the pressure in the pan.

How to properly remove food from a pressure cooker

After the cooking time has ended, turn off the stove and reduce the pressure. This can be done in three ways:

• Natural. It is used if you were preparing dishes that require a lot of time, for example, cabbage rolls. Even during the cooking process, you can begin to reduce the pressure. The total time needed is 10–20 minutes.
• Accelerated. You can press the pressure release button found on most older models. After it is lowered, the pressure decreases.
• Cold. In this case, you need cold water. The pressure cooker must be placed in the sink and then turn on cold water so that it hits the lid. Let her stand there until the pressure drops. Make sure that water does not get on the valve. This is the fastest way.

Important! This method is not suitable for electrical appliances.

It can only be opened after the pressure in the pressure cooker has completely reduced. To make sure of this, move the pressure regulator; if no sounds are heard, then everything is in order - you can open it.

Important tips for using an old style pressure cooker

In order for her to enjoy delicious and healthy dishes for as long as possible, it is necessary to properly care for her. Here are some recommendations that will help you with this:

• Before first use, be sure to wash as thoroughly as possible to remove any industrial dirt.
• Make sure that the O-ring and the cap body it comes into contact with are clean so that they do not leak steam. Also protect from damage.
• Do not cover the container itself during storage. This is necessary to ensure that the ring is not damaged.
• When dry brushed with cotton pads and tooth powder, it will always leave you looking shiny.
• To prevent the lid from becoming deformed, do not close it tightly while the cooked food is cooling.
• Make sure that the fire does not touch the handles, otherwise they will deteriorate.

So, careful storage and operation, and the pressure cooker will work like a clock.