How to Use a Pressure Cooker Guide | Amy + Jacky (2024)

If you’re wondering How to use a Pressure Cooker, this simple guide is for you!

What comes to mind when you think about cooking with a pressure cooker?

Mom’s exploding chickens or grandma blowing food up the ceiling? It seems crazy that one would want to challenge that steamy, noisy beast in the kitchen.

But hey, those terrifying dinosaurs are long gone!

Modern day pressure cookers are quiet, very safe, and easy to use.

We’ve been using our Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cookers heavily the past years and the kitchen has never been this peaceful.

How to Use a Pressure Cooker Guide | Amy + Jacky (1)

We want to get YOU excited about pressure cookingbecause we totally are!

If you haven’t started cooking with a pressure cooker, you’re totally missing out. It’s never too late to start NOW. 😀

Basic on How to Use a Pressure Cooker:

  • What is a Pressure Cooker?
  • How does a Pressure Cooker work?
  • How to Cook with a Pressure Cooker?
  • What Can You Cook in a Pressure Cooker?

How to Use a Pressure Cooker Guide | Amy + Jacky (2)

What is a Pressure Cooker?

A pressure cooker is a tightly sealed cooking pot that cooks food with high pressure.

Pressure cookers have been around for over 300 years, but it was only after World War II that they became super popular.

But what happened? Is it because people don’t know how to use a pressure cooker? Why isn’t everyone using them now?

One word: Greed.

Many businesses started manufacturing faulty pressure cookers fulfilling the soaring demand. Eventually, exploding incidents happened over and over again until homemakers were too scared to use them.

However, it’s starting to have a big comeback because the new generation of pressure cookers are so much safer to use.

How to Use a Pressure Cooker Guide | Amy + Jacky (3)

How does a Pressure Cooker Work?

Before we learn how to use a pressure cooker, let’s take a look at how does pressure cooker works.

Pressure cooking is using steam pressure in a tightly sealed pot to cook food.

Okay, here goes a little Physics 101. Please bear with me, but I won’t blame you if you REALLY need to rest your eyes 😛

How does the steam pressure build-up in the pot?

When you heat up a pot, the liquid inside boils and turns into steam. When this steam is trapped in a tightly sealed pot, pressure begins to build.

How does the steam pressure cooks the food?

The pressure cooks the food by transferring heat energy from the steam pressure and the water to the food.

Why does pressure cooking cooks faster than most other methods?

Pressure cooking cooks faster because of high pressure:

  1. Increases the liquid’s boiling point –At standard pressure, when the liquid boils and turns into steam, the liquid will stay at the same temperature no matter how long you continue to boil it.However, you can increase the temperature past the boiling point by adding pressure. So, food cooks faster under pressure using the extra hot steam.
  2. Forces the extra hot liquid into the food – Imagine putting your hand over the boiling water compare to putting your hand in the oven. The steam is the one that immediately burns because steam is very efficient in transferring heat. With pressure cooking, it’s like there’s an extra force pushing this extra high and fast heat energy into the food. That’s why the food cooks faster than usual.

Since you need a cooking liquid to create steam and pressure, this explains why cooking with a pressure cooker always requires some form of liquid.

How to Cook with a Pressure Cooker?

Pressure cooking is a whole new way of cooking. No doubt there’s a bit of a learning curve. But fear not! Once you get the gist of it, it’s very easy.

Cooking with a pressure cooker in 6 easy steps:

  1. Add food &liquid in the pot
  2. Close lid,ensure valve is at the correct position
  3. Select pressure setting
    • Electric pressure cookers: select cooking program and time
    • Stovetop pressure cookers: put on stovetop, select pressure setting, turn heat to high
  4. Wait for the pressure to build up inside the pot
  5. Starts cooking under pressure
    • Electric pressure cookers: the screen will display the cook time countdown
    • Stovetop pressure cookers: turn heat to low and start timer using the required cook time
  6. Release pressure

One disadvantage of cooking with a pressure cooker is you can’t inspect, taste, or adjust the food along the way.

That’s why it’s essential to follow a recipe with accurate timings as you learn how to use a pressure cooker.

However, you may halt the cooking by quickly reducing pressure and open the lid if necessary.

If you want step by step instructions, check out our and Pressure Cooking Videos.

What Can You Cook in a Pressure Cooker?

You can cook most food in a pressure cooker. However, most people use it to cook food that takes a long time to cook with conventional methods.

  • Beans
  • Stews
  • Tough cuts of meat – including beef, pork
  • Lentils
  • Artichokes
  • Squash
  • Soups
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Chicken – including whole chicken
  • Homemade stocks
  • and many more!

What cooking methods can you use with a pressure cooker?

You can use a pressure cooker to brown, boil, steam, poach, steam roast, braise, stew, or roast food. Nowadays, you can even bake in your pressure cooker!

Many people who are using electric pressure cookers like Instant Pot Pressure Cooker are even making cheesecakes and homemade yogurt.

So really, the possibilities on how to use a pressure cooker are endless!

Want some ideas and inspirations on what to cook? Check out our and Pressure Cooking Videos.

If you have any questions or comments on how to use a pressure cooker, let us know in the comments below.

Also Read:

  • 7 Reasons Why You Need a Pressure Cooker

Some Useful Tips & Resources

50+ Instant Pot Recipes

All Our Pressure Cooker Recipes

*Disclosure: We are an Amazon Influencer/Amazon Associate. This means that if you decide to purchase items or services on Amazon through our links on Pressure Cook Recipes to Amazon, Amazon will send a small commission to us at no additional costs to you. Thank you!

How to Use a Pressure Cooker Guide | Amy + Jacky (2024)

FAQs

How do you use an older pressure cooker? ›

For an old-fashion-type pressure cooker, place the cooker on medium-high heat and brown the foods. Then add liquids and remaining ingredients, cover, bring pressure up, and complete the pressure cooking. For newer cookers, most have a brown function—see manufacturer's instructions.

How do you use a pressure cooker efficiently? ›

Steps to Consider after Cooking
  1. Turn off the heat once cooking time is complete to prevent overcooking.
  2. Choose a pressure release method based on recipe instructions:
  3. Natural Release: Allow pressure to decrease gradually for long-cooking dishes.
  4. Quick Release: Use the lid's release button for faster pressure reduction.
Apr 30, 2024

What is the correct procedure for using a pressure cooker? ›

  1. Step 1: Check all important points. Check all important points. ...
  2. Place the lid firmly. Add pressure only after pressure cooker is completely sealed with the lid. ...
  3. Start heat to create pressure. Leave on low heat when the pressure has reached the desirable level. ...
  4. Lower the pressure. ...
  5. Remove the lid.

What not to do with a pressure cooker? ›

Pressure Cooker Don'ts:
  1. Don't open the pressure cooker while cooking. ...
  2. Don't release the pressure before it's time. ...
  3. Don't overfill the pressure cooker. ...
  4. Don't add thickeners. ...
  5. Don't give up after one bad experience.
Oct 5, 2018

Can you overcook something in a pressure cooker? ›

Steam penetrates food easily under pressure. So connective tissues in cubes of beef for soups or stews soften in 15 minutes or less, and a pot roast will be medium-rare in 30 minutes. Be sure to follow instructions carefully; at this speed, it's easy to overcook things in mere minutes.

What are the two settings on a pressure cooker? ›

Having dual pressure (both a high and a low pressure setting) allows you to cook at maximum speed on the high pressure setting but still allows the cooking of delicate foods, such as some types of fish and seafood and some fruits and vegetables such as spinach, on the low setting.

What is the function of the vent pipe on a pressure cooker? ›

Located on the cooker/canner cover, the vent pipe allows excess pressure to be released. It is also what the pressure regulator sits on.

Should my pressure cooker be on vent or seal? ›

When starting your cook, you want this lever pointing toward "sealing" and not "venting." Sealing means the Instant Pot is going to hold all the pressure created inside the pot, while venting is what you'll likely do to release the pressure when the food is finished cooking.

Do you close the vent on a pressure cooker when slow cooking? ›

Another tip, taken from an Instant Pot Facebook group, is to open the valve all the way on your Instant Pot lid when slow cooking. This allows some moisture and steam to release and keeps the Instant Pot from overcooking your slow cooker recipes.

How to use a pressure cooker for beginners? ›

If using an electric cooker, plug it in and set it to the cooking time and pressure dictated by your recipe. If using a stove-top cooker, you will heat it on your stove until it comes to pressure, and then maintain pressure for the cooking time of your recipe.

What are the common pressure cooker problems? ›

What Are the Main Causes of Pressure Cooker Explosions?
  • Overheating. Overheating can cause your pressure cooker to explode if you're not careful. ...
  • Faulty Pressure Release Valves. ...
  • Defective Gaskets. ...
  • Excessive Pressure Buildup. ...
  • Improper Lid Seals or Locks. ...
  • Improper Ventilation. ...
  • Fault Wiring. ...
  • Digital Indication Malfunctions.

What are the rules of pressure cooking? ›

Follow these 7 simple safety tips to ensure you succeed under pressure!
  • Don't Leave Your Pressure Cooker Unsupervised. ...
  • Pressure Cookers Are Not Deep Fryers. ...
  • Use the Proper Liquid to Maintain Pressure. ...
  • Don't Overfill It. ...
  • Keep Your Face and Hands Away from Steam. ...
  • Do Not Lift Lid Until Pressure is Down.
Nov 16, 2020

Do you always put water in a pressure cooker? ›

It is important to never run a pressure cooker without water. It cannot cook your food properly without water, and the pressure will build to such an extent that the lid, pressure valve, plugs, and hot food could be thrown all over the kitchen.

How much water do I put in pressure cooker for meat? ›

Add Liquid

“Jiggle top” cookers need a minimum of one cup of water, while valve cookers need at least half a cup. Put food in the cooker first, then add water. When learning how to use a pressure cooker, make sure the unit is never more than two-thirds full of liquid, so the steam has enough space to accumulate.

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