Most of us know the sound of pressure cooker releasing steam under pressure while being on a stove and cooking food. But have you ever really think how does it work? Why is cooking in pressure cooker faster? Let’s see what we found out about it…
The physics behind pressure cooking?
Water starts boiling if heated over 212°F (under normal air pressure, at sea level height), by boiling it turns from a liquid state into a gas state. Why it does so? Simply put, when heated to the certain temperature, water molecules are producing enough energy to overcome the air pressure above it and turn into vapor. In kitchen, it means that if you are cooking something (in water), the max temperature you can do it at is just above 212°F…that is unless the air pressure around that water is not higher or lower than normal… For example, if you are cooking an egg in Boston, the temperature needed for water to start boiling is 212°F; but if you are doing the same thing in Denver (CO), since it is situated on higher altitude, the air pressure is lower and it will start boiling at around 203°F.
The pressure in pressure cookers
Contrary to the Denver situation, in pressure cooker the air pressure is much higher than normal air pressure at the sea level. It is actually double the normal air pressure so to overcome that pressure and turn into vapor water molecules needs more energy, which means water needs to be heated even more. How much more? Around 250°F. This higher temperature, combined with higher pressure inside the cooker (which forces the heat into the food even more) helps cooking food inside pressure cooker much faster.
Is it dangerous, high pressure trapped in a closed pot? It could be dangerous if there wasn’t a pressure valve which is there for the sole purpose of releasing some of the pressure and keeping the inside pressure at the safe and just the right level.
Modern electric pressure cookers
One of the main flaws of pressure cookers is that you cannot open the lid to see if the food is done…actually you can, but then you release all the pressure and if not done, you need to close it again and wait to heat to the needed temperature again… The solution comes with the new, smart electric pressure cookers. With smart controls and preset modes, all you need to do is put the food inside, select needed preset mode and leave it to do its work. At any moment you can see the temperature your food is cooking at and what is the pressure level inside.
Check out ZOKOP Electric Pressure Cookers in our store! We offer the best and exclusive deals for all ZOKOP products including ZOKOP Electric Pressure Cookers.
