Using a pressure cooker is a skill, at least that is what I have heard. You need to understand how to assemble the pressure cooker and how to monitor the pressure and cooking time to cook different things. The amount of water you add to the pressure cooker with the contents also varies based on what you want to cook and to what degree you need to cook.
But for all these finer adjustments, cooking with a pressure cooker or pressure pan can make your daily cooking easy and a quick affair.
The main components of any Indian pressure cooker are the bottom, the cover, the rubber ring that seals the steam, and the whistle that indicates that the desired pressure is achieved.
You can directly cook in the pressure cooker or use multiple pots, depending on the capacity of the pressure cooker. If you are using the pressure cooker only to cook raw vegetables, rice, or daal and temper them later, you will need to add water to both, the pots and the cooker.
How to use a Indian Pressure Cooker
1. Add at least an inch of water to the cooker
2. Add water to your pots – this changes based on what you are cooking and to what degree you want to cook something. For example, adding two parts water to one part rice will typically yield a slightly uncooked rice. While using three parts water to one part rice will give a more softer and soggier rice. This, of course, also depends on the age of the rice you are using.
3. Cover the Cooker pot with the lid and make sure that it is properly sealed.
4. Put the whistle on and light the stove.
5. Wait until you hear a long whistle. This indicates that the desired pressure is achieved.
6. Turn the heat to low and vary cooking times based on what you are cooking.
For example, if you are cooking just rice or veggies, you can turn off the heat in a couple of minutes after the pressure is reached. But if you are cooking daal or chickpeas, keep the heat on and cook under pressure for at least 15 minutes.
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