The surprise value of a pressure cooker
You might think that pressure cookers are more your grandmother's style, but did you know that they're faster? Even better, pressure cookers like Kuhn Rikon's Duromatic Pressure Cooker can actually save energy.
My grandmother taught me to cook. Her favorite kitchen tool was her pressure cooker, especially for vegetables. Need a side dish in a hurry? She'd chop up a bunch of carrots, toss in a little butter and sugar, and put it all in the pressure cooker. Shortly, there would be a bowl full of sweet carrots even her picky grandchildren would eat.
I got out of the habit of using the pressure cooker in college, as I switched to the microwave for quick meals. But I've enjoyed getting back to good home cooking, especially when I don't have to spend hours with a pan of carrots on the stove. That's where Kuhn Rikon's Duromatic Pressure Cooker comes in. This isn't my grandmother's pressure cooker. Her's had a valve that was a separate piece from the lid. The process of cooking dinner usually started with a grand hunt for the valve. The Duromatic has two pieces: the lid and the pan. Its handles are also much easier to handle for a cook in a hurry.
But Kuhn Rikon has gone beyond making the pressure cooker a little easier to use. Most cooks use pressure cookers because they require less time. But, according to Kuhn Rikon, they also require a lot less energy. They asked Gaynes Labs to do an independent study: pressure cooking used 67 percent less energy to cook meat and potatoes than conventional cookware. That's the equivalent of turning off a standard 60-watt light bulb for 36 hours. Fast food and a lower electric bill? What's not to love?