Using a pressure cooker and its accessories simplifies cooking and greatly reduces cooking times. We live in a climate of heightened awareness regarding responsible energy consumption. carbon footprints and sustainable lifestyle choices – we take these seriously. We declare with complete conviction that we are committed to act as responsible citizens.and caretakers.
However, do we always act on these convictions? Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. I first noticed this when I came to the US more than 30 years ago. No one outside my circle of Indian friends even knew what a pressure cooker was! I was astounded and appalled by the overall blase attitude toward energy consumption and waste! Pressure cookers have been around for a long time. Many folks around the globe even consider them essential kitchen equipment. In the US, though, they are only now starting to gain popularity. Better late than never, I suppose!
So, awareness of this efficient, fast-cooking method, by using a pressure cooker, is particularly relevant as we consider ways to reduce energy waste. As an example, black beans, soaked overnight, take more than an hour to cook on the stove-top. In a pressure cooker, they’re done in about 15 min!
How does it work?
When food placed in the cooker is heated, the moisture evaporates, generating steam. The steam cannot escape easily, causing the pressure to build up a little. This pressurized steam percolates through the food, and ‘cooks’ it. Of course, this is the same thing that happens when food is cooked without a pressure cooker, except for one major difference. The pressurized steam cooks the food significantly faster! So: much less energy consumed and a lower carbon footprint!
Accessories :Racks, Insert containers and Tongs
Why use a rack? Placing the accessory rack on the bottom, inside the cooker, with the food in an ‘insert’ container set on top of the rack, helps to raise the food above the level of water, which is needed to generate the steam which ultimately builds up the pressure. Doing so makes it less likely that the vigorously boiling water will get into the food container.
Placing the insert container on the rack also prevents the food in it from getting burned, because the container gets heated by the steam and boiling water, and has no direct contact with the external heat source, the stove-top.
What is an insert container? Any stainless steel containers that have a flat bottom and can fit inside the pressure cooker (inserted) can be used for this purpose, as a cooker accessory. You can also use these in electric multi-purpose cookers such as InstantPot.
Need special tongs! Before putting any food in the insert containers, though, first check to ensure that the container can be placed on the rack easily, and then removed easily while still hot. There are special tongs made for this purpose – these are “standard and essential” in every Indian kitchen! You can find these tongs, called Pakkad, Chimta, Saanshi, etc., in specialty Indian stores outside India. They are also available online, of course.
Start using a pressure cooker
So, go ahead: start using the pressure cooker and various accessories to simplify your work in the kitchen. Since this also brings your cooking techniques to be in sync with your commitment to reducing your carbon footprint, well…. “Double Bonus”!
An assortment of commonly used pressure cookers, racks, insert containers are shown below.
racks for pressure cooker 
Pressure cooker with rack 