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The pressure cooker is one gadget which should find a place in every kitchen. It is simple to use – once you learn how – versatile and can cook almost anything. It can be made of a variety of metals, usually aluminum, hard anodized aluminum and stainless steel. You can get one with a clock like thing on the top which will tell you the pressure or a simpler one without the clock.

It works on the steam principle. The cooker seals tight and when it is heated, the steam forms and creates pressure. Once the pressure is full, the weight which is top will give a shrill whistle which will be an indication either to reduce the heat or take it off the stove, depending on the cooking time of the dish you are cooking.

This cooks the food extremely fast – you can save as much as 70% cooking time and whether you use gas or electricity that means immense time, power and money savings. For the eco-friendly consumer, these are major benefits. Additionally, food retains more nutrition than that cooked by conventional methods. You can use it for steaming, boiling, soups, rice as well as cooking gravy dishes and sauces.

The pressure cooker is also used for canning purposes, but you need a large one for that. For normal use a 3-5 liter capacity one is good enough. You can get pressure cookers which you can put on top of a stove or even ones that run on electricity, which would be of use if you live in a bed-sit for instance. Some pressure cookers are also available with multiple containers, so you can cook two-three dishes at the same time. Without its pressure lid, the cooker can also be used like a normal cooking utensil or saucepan.
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