What is the pressure in the pressure cooker

The pressure cooker is a brilliant invention that has long been firmly established in our everyday life. It allows you to quickly prepare any dishes, even from slowly boiled products under normal heat treatment conditions, while preserving most of the nutrients and taste.

Types of pressure cookers

Nowadays many varieties of them are produced:

• having different volumes - from 0.5 to 40 l (the most optimal 3-5 l);
• mechanical for cooking on the stove;
• electric with heating device and control panel;
• differing in body materials and design complexity.

But they all work on the same principle - in a hermetically sealed container, under the influence of high pressure obtained from steam when heating water, the temperature increases to a level exceeding the boiling point of 100C under normal conditions. It can reach up to 120C, resulting in much faster cooking.

Important! Modern pressure cookers are made of different materials (aluminum, stainless steel, Teflon coating). It is not recommended to cook salty or sour dishes in aluminum cookers, as the metal oxidizes and releases harmful substances.

Pressure level in pressure cooker

The boiling point of a liquid depends on the level of atmospheric pressure. Under natural conditions and access to oxygen, it is impossible to increase the temperature of the liquid above 100C. And in high mountain areas, where atmospheric pressure is low, water boils at even lower temperatures (4C lower for every kilometer of altitude), which significantly extends the period of heat treatment of products.

In conditions without access to oxygen, a pressure is created in a hermetically sealed container with a lid, which affects the increase in temperature - every 10 mm of mercury increases it by about 0.3 C. Based on this law of physics, a pressure cooker was invented, which significantly speeds up the preparation of food.

Important! It is better to choose pressure cookers with hermetically sealed gaskets at the junction of the bowl and the lid, and protect them from damage. The slightest deformation will break the seal and render the dishes unusable. Pressure cookers without special rubber gaskets are especially susceptible to this.

Depending on the temperature

Each model has two temperature settings:

1. At a pressure of 0.3 bar, the maximum cooking temperature will be up to 109C. This mode allows you to cook foods with a soft structure - vegetables, fish, poultry.
2. The second mode at a pressure of 0.7 bar gives a temperature of 166C (in some models up to 120C). This allows you to quickly cook meat, beans and other slow-cooking foods.

Reference! For comparison, rice takes 40 minutes to cook in a slow cooker, and 12 minutes in a pressure cooker; cooking chicken in a slow cooker takes about an hour, and 15 minutes in a pressure cooker; jellied meat takes 2-3 hours to cook in a slow cooker, but only 40 minutes in a pressure cooker.

What pressure does the valve hold in the pressure cooker?

For safe operation, pressure cookers are equipped with safety valves on the lids - main and emergency (some models even have 2 spare ones). Valves regulate the release of excess pressure. If this is not done, the unit may explode at the maximum level.

Mechanical models that require more careful handling - when heating on a gas or electric stove, you need to make sure that they do not overheat. Modern ones with safety valves are safer - when the pressure inside the pan increases to the maximum permissible level, the main valve is activated and steam is released. The emergency one is configured to a higher pressure level and is triggered in critical situations when the main one has failed. Electric pressure cookers have automatic temperature control.

What is the maximum pressure a pressure cooker can withstand?

Due to the high pressure in the pressure cooker, the following precautions are taken for safety:

• valves that release excess steam;
• mechanical locks on the lids to protect against accidental opening;
• electronic devices for pressure regulation;
• The lid cannot be opened immediately after switching off - you need to wait until the pressure drops or speed up this process with cold water.

Depending on the model, the maximum permissible pressure varies - from 1 to 4.5 bar. According to consumer reviews, there are cases when containers explode even at 2.5 bar. This leads to injuries, burns, and damage to surrounding objects. Therefore, you need to use pressure cookers with extreme caution. Each of them is accompanied by instructions for use, which indicate the maximum permissible level.

Even models that are well equipped with protective devices can fail if used incorrectly - when the valves become clogged, if the lid is opened while the pressure cooker has not yet cooled down (the result is a release of hot splashes that cause burns).