Healthy Meals Because very little
water is used in pressure cooking
and because the pressure cooker is
a “closed system,” few vitamins and minerals are
lost to the cooking water or dissipated into the
air. Because they are not exposed to oxygen,
vegetables not only retain their vitamins and
minerals, but their vivid color as well.
Low fat, high protein beans and legumes,
healthy additions to any diet, are frequently
avoided because of their long cooking time
under normal cooking conditions. In a pressure
cooker, however, most beans and legumes can
be cooked in less than 15 minutes.
Better Taste This is the direct result of the
health benefits explained above. Moreover, for
dishes such as stews and pasta sauces the
pressure actually causes the ingredients to
quickly mingle and their flavors to intensify.
Pressure cookers keep the flavor in the food.
What are
the benefits
of using a
pressure
cooker?
Faster Cooking The cooking times for most foods in the pressure cooker
are approximately 1/4-1/3 the times for those same foods cooked in tradi-
tional manners and, in many instances, faster even than in a microwave.
Some sample times include:
Food Pressure Cooking Time Traditional Time
artichokes 10-14 minutes 40-45 minutes
black beans 10-12 minutes 2-1/2 hours
whole chicken 5 minutes/lb 15 minutes/lb
white rice 5 minutes 15-25 minutes
brown rice 20-22 minutes 45 minutes
whole new potatoes 5-6 minutes 25-30 minutes
beef stew 15-20 minutes 2 hours
pasta sauce 20 minutes 1-1/2 hours
7
Ecological/Economical The decreased cooking time required for foods
cooked in a pressure cooker results in proportionally reduced consumption
of energy. An additional benefit, especially on hot summer days, is that the
kitchen doesn’t heat or steam up when a pressure cooker is used, as it
does when conventional cooking methods are used.
