PRESSURE COOKER BASICS
PRESSURE COOKING AND INDIAN RECIPE.
It can be tricky to really get stuck into experimenting with regional Indian recipes at home without a pressure cooker, just because so many Indian cookbooks will call for them. Mine included! There’s good reason for this. Read on below to find out more about what makes the pressure cooker an important part of regional Indian recipe.
TOP TIPS
PRESSURE COOKERS
Are pressure cookers different from slow cookers?
Yes. Pressure cookers cook under intense steam. This speeds up the cooking process, while allowing meat-based proteins and pulses and lentils to retain their texture and taste.
What size and shape pressure cooker should I buy?
It depends how many people you are cooking for, and the style of cooking you are doing. But as an entry-level, general purchase, think about buying a 3 to 5 litre pressure cooker (depending in the size of your household) in that standard “pressure cooker” shape.
Why do pressure cookers get used so much in Indian recipes?
Indian food traditionally works with produce that can take quite a bit of cooking—lentils for dals, pulses for sabji, or even meats that needs to be cooked to a tender bite. Pressure cookers are the quickest way to cook said ingredients.
What kind of pressure cooker works best?
The one you are most comfortable using. I prefer to use non-electric pressure cookers. So simple models that I use on the stovetop. I find these easy to control, they are cheaper to buy, and with less moving parts they also last much longer.
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