A pressure cooker is quite useful when it comes to cooking certain time-consuming foods like soaked dry beans, lentils, meats and some vegetables. It uses excessive steam pressure to force the food into quick cooking. Before opening the lead, all the steam has to be released through a vent. If we talk about the design, it’s a bit complex. It consists of a metal pot made of Aluminum or Stainless Steel and has several other parts to it:
- A metal pot handle covered with either rubber or silicone
- A lid and its handle with a locking mechanism
- Gasket or a rubber sealing ring
- Steam vent and release valves
There are certain drawbacks linked with the way a pressure cooker cooks food:
First of all, the pot is typically made from metal, which is reactive to food (this is an innate property of metals). At cooking temperature, it leaches ions that are reactive to the biochemical entity it is in contact with – food. The nutrients are in the form of acids, bases and hydrogen halogens which react with metal ions. These metal toxins contaminate the food and are ingested with it. Over time, they start accumulating in tissues and organs where they affect the immune system and create a foundation for various illnesses and diseases.
Secondly, most essential nutrients are very delicate – they barely survive the harsh heat from these metal pots created under excessive steam pressure. As all the steam has to be released through the vent, the water-soluble nutrients also evaporate as steam. Food thus cooked doesn’t only taste bland, it is nutritionally depleted as well. Obviously, this way of cooking is not the best if you are trying to cook something healthy and nutritious.
The same recipes can be cooked in a healthier cookware in almost the same time – pure clay pots. The material used is certified primary clay that is harvested in its natural form where it is free from chemical toxins and other pollutants. It is naturally inert and doesn’t leach anything into food. You can do an alkaline baking soda test on any cookware to test their toxicity.
As they are 100% non-toxic, they do not mess with the health of your healthy ingredients by contaminating them. Adding to the benefits, they radiate a unique far-infrared heat that is appropriate for delicate nutrients – it doesn’t cause any them harm. Pure clay pots and lids are ergonomically designed in concentric circles so that steam that leaves the food condenses and settles right back instead of leaving the pot completely. In this way, the water-soluble nutrients are saved.
For all the dishes that are cooked in a typical pressure cooker, pure clay pots are the ideal pressure cookers because they cook them in the healthiest way without compromising their natural taste.