Kitchen Cookware Reviews and Recipes

Pressure cookers rely on some basic science you have to understand.

If you put a put of water on your stove, the water will reach 212 degrees Fahrenheit and boil.  No matter how hard you try, you cannot get water raise the temperature any higher.  It does not matter how high you set the heat on the stove or how long you let the water boil — it will never go above 212 degrees.

By raising the pressure on the water, you can get the water to go higher that 212 degrees.  As the pressure rises, the boiling point or maximum temperature water will reach will also rise.

Water and steam also transfer heat much more efficiently than air does.  Consider your oven — at 400 degrees you can reach into your oven without hurting yourself as long as you don’t touch anything and don’t leave your hand in there for a long time.  However, if you reach into a boiling pot of water you will be scalded almost immediately.  This demonstrates how much more efficient water is at transferring heat than air.

This is where the pressure cooker comes in.  Just as boiling water will scald your hand quickly, boiling water and steam will transfer heat into the food quickly and efficiently.

This speed has two attractive points for cooking.

The first is obvious, meals can be prepared much faster than conventional cooking methods.

The second benefit is less obvious — food cooked quickly in a pressure cooker tends to be more healthy and flavorful than food cooked in an oven or on the stove top.

As the pressure cooker does its job, the cooker is sealed.  This prevents nutrient rich steam from escaping into the air and this steam collects in the cooker itself.  This flavorful steam will collect with the juices at the bottom of the cooker.

The Presto 23 Quart Pressure Cooker and Canner has a large capacity suitable for cooking large meals or canning.

Pressure Cooking is a great way to eat healthy, as the pressure cooking process preserves the food’s natural flavors and nutrients.  Additionally, pressure cooking usually results in dramatically shorter cooking times so you can have delicious meals quickly at night after a long day of work.

Built out of heavy-duty aluminum, this a professional quality tool that will last for years if properly maintained.  The stay cool handles ensure easy lifting, although I would probably still wear oven mittens if lifting this while it was full and hot just to prevent accidental touching of the sides.  The lid is built of the same heavy-duty aluminum as the base and provides a strong lock for pressurizing the cooker.

There is a removable rubber gasket in the lid to help provide a tight seal.  This rubber gasket should be removed after each use.  By cleaning and inspecting the gasket you can ensure the gasket will be ready for you the next time you want to use this professional quality tool.

For canning, this item comes with a rack for the bottom of the pan that will keep cans off the bottom, allowing water to circulate around the jars.  This allows the jars to be heated all around and prevents the jars from touching the bottom of the cooker.  By applying an even heat to the jar, the jar should not break due to uneven heating.

Excess steam is vented through an over pressure  built into the lid.

The lid also has an easy to read pressure gauge.  The pressure gauge should be tested to ensure accurate readings.  Your local Cooperative Extension may be able to test your pressure gauge for you, or provide you with information on local sources to have it tested.  If nothing is available locally, try contacting the manufacturer.  Be prepared to pay a little for service from the manufacturer, but this is a safety issue you really should not skip.

The dial gauge is also a delicate part of the pressure cooker and should be handled with care.  The booklet supplied with this pressure cooker provides instructions on handling and cleaning the dial gauge.

The air vent and overpressure plug should be removed during each cleaning.  The vent pipe and open holes can then be easily cleaned with a pipe cleaner or small nylon brush.

Click here to read more reviews about the Presto 23 Quart Pressure Cooker and Canner

Like any fine cookware, cleaning is part of routine maintenance to keep your pressure cooker working for many years.  You pressure cooker should be thoroughly cleaned after each use and dried before putting it away.

It is important that pressure cooker parts are never placed in an automatic dishwasher.  In the dishwasher, food particles or dishwasher detergent could collect in the safety valves or pressure valves causing the valves not to work properly.  If fully disassembled, some pressure cooker bottoms can be run in a dishwasher, you should check your manufacturer instructions for more information.

Avoid using abrasive detergents and scouring pads on the pressure cooker, as these may cause permanent damage to the seals, valves and surfaces of the pressure cooker.   Abrasive detergents may also scratch the finish and make cleaning even harder in the future.  These scratches can shorten the useful life of your pressure cooker.

To clean your pressure cooker follow these steps:

1. If your pressure cooker has a rubber seal, you should remove it and clean it separately.  Some pressure cookers don’t use a gasket.  The gasket should be cleaned using a mild detergent such as Bon Ami or similar non abrasive cleansers.  While you clean the rubber gasket, inspect it for any tears, cracks or rips in the rubber.  If you find any problems with the gasket, you should replace it before using the pressure cooker again.
2. Remove all parts that can be removed from the lid, such as the pressure valves, safety valves, handles or knobs.  There are many different styles of pressure cookers, and you may need to refer to your manufacturer instructions.
3. You should clean all holes and valves with pipe cleaners to ensure no food is left that may interfere with the normal operation of your pressure cooker.
4. Clean the bottom and the lid using non abrasive detergents and nylon pads.
5. Dry all the parts using a soft cloth or air dry.
6. Reassemble the pressure cooker.  take care that all knobs, handles and valves are properly seated and tightened.
7. Inspect and tighten any screws or nuts.
8. Remember that when using the pressure cooker, it tends to get very hot.  Ensuring that all knobs, handles, nuts and bolts are all tightened properly will help ensure the pressure cooker is safe to use.
9. Store the pressure cooker with the lid upside down to allow some air to circulate.  If any moisture is left in the pressure cooker, you don’t want to seal it by the lid sitting on its gasket.   Also, you want the gasket to be relaxed during storage, not pressed by the weight of the lid.
10. If you are storing your pressure cooker for a period of time, you might want to sprinkle some baking soda into the bottom of the pressure cooker.  This will prevent any smells from building up — just be sure to rinse out the baking soda before using the pressure cooker in the future.