Surely you have already accompanied someone at your house or at the house of relatives putting some food to cook in a pressure cooker. But have you ever wondered why this pan was named, why it is used and how it works?
The pressure cooker received this name because inside it we have an increase in air pressure compared to any other type of material or environment, with the consequence of increasing the boiling temperature (temperature at which the liquid becomes vapor) of the liquid present in the pan.
It is used when a food is difficult to cook. So, to save time and use lesser amount of cooking gas, we use this equipment. As the liquid present in it (water) has a higher temperature (above 100 OC), the food is in a warmer environment, which makes cooking faster.
O pressure cooker operation it has to do with the fact that she manages (within her, of course) to raise atmospheric pressure. This increase occurs because, when the water is being heated inside the pot, it changes into a vapor state. As the pan is closed, the water vapor has nowhere to exit and then starts to hit the walls of the pan more intensely, thus increasing the pressure. With high pressure, the liquid takes longer to come to the boil and cooks food more quickly.
The pressure cooker has a rubber that is attached to the inside of the lid. This rubber serves to seal it hermetically (do not let in or out air). To allow excess steam inside the pan to escape, thus preventing it from explode, there are two valves. One of them has a pin (called a control valve) that goes up and down, allowing the steam to escape and the pressure inside not to rise to excessive levels. If the pressure is too great and this valve is not enough to reduce the pressure, the other valve, which is the safety valve, will be activated and ruptured so that the pressure is relieved.
Representation of the valves present in a pressure cooker
By Me. Diogo Lopes Dias
