With meat grinders, stirring sticks, juicers, toasters, blenders and microwaves, the technology found its way into both professional and domestic kitchens in the 20th century. Common denominator of the appliances: They make it possible to cook efficiently and prepare delicacies faster. The pressure pressure cooker has proven to be particularly effective.
By exposing the food to a higher pressure than the atmospheric pressure due to the accumulation of steam, the temperatures inside the pot rise sharply, to about 115 to 120 degrees Celsius. This creates special cooking conditions, and the process is accelerated.
The cooking miracle of physicists Denis Papin has made it possible. He had already carried out decisive experiments in 1681. In his book "A New Digester Or Engine for Softning Bones", Papin described an apparatus for the use of thrown away food. With his idea he wanted to prevent food waste to solve the hunger problem in the world. Although it was something optimistic, one could define his approach of a closed pot as the origin of the steam pressure pot.
The idea was more or less forgotten until José Alix Martínez, in 1919, patented the first pressure cooker for domestic use, which he called the "express pot". The inventor also began to market it, for which he created a collection of recipes that made it easier to use. He later transferred the patent to Camilo Bellvís Calatayud, who in turn made the device known as the »Bellvís pot« or CBC, after his initials. It was presented at the 1924 World's Fair in Brussels and received the Medal of Honor there. But the big breakthrough came only when Alfred Vischer created small variations and presented his »Flex-Seal-Speed Cooker« at the 1939 World's Fair in New York after patenting.
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Only a few nutrients are lost in the pressure cooker
However, from the 1980s he began to lose prestige for several reasons: there were household accidents, the microwaves, the Thermomix. The pots are not particularly glamorous either. Then came the trend of low- and vacuum cooking, while the conviction was strengthened that nutrients would be lost in the pressure cooker.
Which is not true, as several studies have shown. An investigation published in the "Journal of Food Science" showed that under pressure cooked broccoli preserves 90 percent of its vitamin C, in contrast to damping (78 percent) and cooking (66 percent). The researchers emphasized that the shorter cooking time - with regard to the preservation of nutrients - was more important than the temperature.
In the meantime, the gastronomy has returned to the advantages of the steam pressure cooker. One example is chef Ricard Camarena, who published the book »Caldos: El código del sabor« in 2015, in which many of his dishes are based on the pressure cooker. Camarena has opted for an electric model that gives it greater control over the process. After 15 years of research, he has come to the conclusion that the pot allows him to concentrate flavors without adding water.
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From the pressure cooker, clam soup
For a mussel broth, for example, he uses violet garlic, laurel, white wine, black pepper, parsley and lemon next to the mollusks. He puts everything in the pressure cooker and heats it until steam leaves. He lets the mixture rest for an hour, it releases and gives it again through a fabric sieve so that the broth is fully clarified. Camarena has revolutionized one of the basics of cooking by reducing the cooking times, giving up processes such as clarifying by means of egg and thus receiving other brewing, entirely against the trend of low -temperature tores, which prevails in contemporary haute cuisine.
Nathan Myhrvold is also convinced of pressure cookers. In his book Modernist Cuisine, he argues that in this pressurized environment, rice cooks faster, broths gain flavor, and caramelize food sugars more easily. In view of these arguments, the devices could regain importance.
Nevertheless, the competition for space in the kitchen remains. The solution probably lies in new models that are smaller and better adapted to the current needs of cooks. And to restore the good reputation. Conjuring dishes in a steam pressure cooker requires less energy than other preparation methods, the flavors are more intense and the cooking time is significantly shorter. So what else is there to say against bringing back the appliance that was all the rage in the grandparents' kitchens?
This text was first published by "Investigacion Y Ciencia" under the title "La Olla a Presión". The article was adapted for better readability.
