You've seen chefs fighting over one during the Top Chef competition, Jacques Pépin uses it in his latest book, Wolfgang Puck is selling one on TV, and contestants are fumbling with them on Next Iron Chef - pressure cookers are coming back in a big way.

Why?

1. It's Faster - The pressure cooker will cook foods in 1/3 of the time of comparable stove-top or oven recipes.
2. It's Healthier - Up to 95% of the vitamins in food are retained and not dissolved in water or evaporated into the air as with other cooking methods.
3. It's Tastier - Flavor has gone High Definition with the pressure cooker because, just as the vitamins, it is not dissolving or evaporating away.
4. You will save Money & Energy - According to Mother Earth News, many meals you will make in your pressure cooker will only cost you one penny in energy. But the savings also come with using cheaper cuts of meat (which can fall off the bone in just 30
   minutes under pressure) or using dried beans instead of canned!
5. It's Safer -  Modern pressure cookers have two or more independent safety valves plus additional features.

How?
A pressure cooker is a normal pan with a fancy top that can be used on a flame, electric or induction cooktop OR it can be a counter-top gadget (like a slow cooker on steroids). Both versions
have a top that locks closed and will not open while there is pressure inside (to avoid boiling liquid from spraying you -safe!)

While liquid boils and turns to vapor inside, the pressure rises and a valve on top (either spring-loaded, jiggly or weight-modifyed) opens automatically to let out excess vapor and maintain the pressure at about 15 psi. Also on the top of the pan, there is a rubber or silicone safety valve that will pop out and release pressure in case the vapor valve were to clog (to avoid "explosions"
- safe!) 


What?
You can use a pressure cooker to cook vegetables, meat, fruits,
fish, grains and it is famous for how quickly it can cook beans! A
pressure cooker will let you cook in the following ways:

• Brown – this is the first step in many recipes, like risotto, and can be done before or the lid is placed, or after it is removed.
• Boil – just add enough water to cover the food by half.
• Steam - insert the accessory, or a metal-foldable steaming basket with ½” of water.
• Braise – brown the food in the pan, and then add cooking liquid (wine, milk, broth, water).
• Stew - throw everything in and close the top.
• Roast – place the meat and vegetables inside with just 1-2 cups of cooking liquid.
• Reduce – after the lid is removed, cook on high flame to reduce liquids if desired.
• Water Bath – place a heat-resistant bowl (ceramic, pyrex, stainless steel), covered in aluminum foil on steamer basket inside pressure cooker with 1 cup of water on the bottom.

Pimp-out your pressure cooker

You can also do so many varied an interesting things with your pressure cooker, using accessories like steamer baskets, pan-in-pot inserts, forms and molds, trivets & racks, spring form pans and the like.  Chances are that you already have some of these things in your kitchen to pimp it out.  Check out my pressure cooker accessories page for ideas and, my favorite, suitable substitutes (because we all like to McGyver it in the kitchen)!

To get you started, try..

Sweet, tart, crunchy and elegant these peaches take more time to describe than to cook. They are steamed in red wine and dessert is served in just 4 minutes!

More recipes to try:

• 
  
• Basic Risotto, 7 minutes
• Calamari Sauce for pasta or rice, 15 minutes
• Red Wine Stewed Pears
• Quick Italian Pate', 10 minutes!

About the Author: Laura Pazzaglia is the cook and photographer behind hip pressure cooking, a
blog to inspire others to use their pressure cookers more often by
posting unexpected and delicious recipes with easy-to-find
ingredients, vivid step-by-step photographs and recipes in both U.S. & metric measurements. 

Illustrations:
Photo Chef Collage (clockwise): Top Chef, Magefesa Practika Luxe
Pressure Cooker, Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way, and Wolfgang
Puck on HSN

Photo Pressure Cooker Collage (clockwise): Magefesa, Cuisinart, Kuhn Rikon, and Fissler Pressure Cookers

Illustration Chili Comparison: Hip Pressure Cooking