Pressure cooking has been around for a while but it has gained quite a resurgence in the past few years. Pressure cookers are favored over other cooking gadgets such as slow cookers for many reasons. For instance, pressure cookers can be used to prepare a wide array of healthy foods, desserts, meats, fruits, and veggies.
Pressure Cooking – What’s Healthy About It?
Pressure cookers are capable of creating healthy, appetizing dishes at microwave speeds. Owing to the improved ease of use and safety of modern pressure cookers, both stovetop and electric pressure cookers have become famed as the go-to gadgets for healthy home cooks.
Why are pressure-cooked meals beneficial?
A cooking method that preserves nutrients
Pressure cooking is one of the best cooking methods to utilize because it preserves the nutrients contained in foods. The method uses small quantities of cooking liquid or water compared to many other cooking techniques. Essentially, steam builds up inside the pot which is what then raises the temperature to high. The combination of high heat, intense pressure, and steam all work to reduce the cooking times, which in turn reduces vitamin and mineral loss in food.
Increased anti-oxidant capacity
The shortened cooking times also has an added benefit in that it increased the antioxidant capacity of food. Traditional cooking methods such as boiling can cause a significant decline in total antioxidant capacity – pressure cooking is one of the few cooking techniques that actually improve antioxidant values in the cooking food.
Only a small amount of liquid used
Because pressure cooking only utilizes a small amount of cooking liquid, less water comes into contact with the cooking food which prevents valuable nutrients from escaping into the water. The water inside also allows pressure cookers to work like steam cookers; steam is better at preserving the nutritional value of food in comparison with other cooking methods such as boiling.
Speedy food preparation
Pressure cookers prepare different types of food quickly and efficiently, which is why it is better to use pressure cookers for preparing dried beans and other high-fiber foods, whole grains, and tough cuts of meat that typically take longer to prepare. Since pressure cookers prepare food quickly and efficiently, it frees your time up by preparing meals that traditionally take hours to prepare in minutes so that you can concentrate on other important things that need handling.
Decreased fat content
Pressure cooking is basically super-fast steaming. You’ll only need a small quantity of cooking liquid – no fats or oils. Omitting oil and fat from your recipe allows you to keep your cholesterol levels low, therefore improving your health considerably.
One of the best cooking methods for grains and legumes
Pressure cookers make preparing legumes and grains a breeze. Not only do pressure cookers reduce the cooking times of grains and legumes considerably, but they also do so while reducing the amounts of lectins and phytic acid that is found in grains and legumes to make them more digestible and easier to consume.