All about pressure cookers

Everyone knows that every kitchen appliance, any appliance has its own specific task. But if the purpose of the pan, the pan is quite obvious, then the idea of ​​more specific devices is much worse. It's time to deal with such a device as a pressure cooker.

Already from the very name “mantyshnitsa” directly follows that it is intended primarily for cooking manty. But this is only the main specialization of the kitchen appliance. In it you can cook a number of other tasty and important for health dishes. Using a mantovar for cooking, there is no doubt - the food will retain its shape and color, will not spill, will not blur, and will not lose its juiciness. There are various options for pressure cookers. They may differ:

• the number of tiers;
• material used;
• internal volume;
• design features.

Water is poured into the bottom, and all other "floors" are used to bookmark products. The design is necessarily made collapsible, and on the first tier there is a trellised bottom, approximately the same as in the colander. The middle of all tiers is equipped with a special round hole that allows you to support the movement of steam throughout the volume. Therefore, wherever the dish is placed, it will be cooked evenly and simultaneously with food at other levels.

It is very important to know another point - what are the differences between a pressure cooker and a double boiler. It has long been established that steaming makes dishes healthier than cooking, frying or stewing. If people decide to make their diet as complete as possible, they need to use a double boiler. It is much more functional and versatile. When comparing the two devices, the difference between them immediately becomes clear: the pan in the manty fry is larger than in the double boiler, and there are also more tiers in them.

There are almost no practical differences directly when working with them. In stores, there are many more steamers than mantles. Replacing them with each other is not difficult. But in the mannitsa any dish contains more water than in a regular steam bath.

Small household mantyshnitsa sometimes turns out to be just a pot with metal mesh inserts. But the most typical solution is still the assembly of a number of pan pans. They are tightly placed one on top of the other, and the last is covered with a tight lid at the top. Small options are designed for 3 liters of fluid. But in a large mantovarka can fit 10 - 12 liters of water.

The increased displacement increases the time for which the water boils. Therefore, the preparation of the product without adding fluid may take longer. But the volume of prepared dishes depends not so much on the displacement as on the width and height.

The simplest designs are equipped with only one tier. More complex fixtures, especially professional ones, are from 2 to 5. The outer diameter is 24 - 28 cm. The vast majority of mantissa are made of aluminum alloys or stainless steel. The top cover can be made both metal and transparent (based on heat-resistant glass).

Quite often, plastic is used to cover pens. This allows you to take heated utensils without potholders, towels. The same problem can be solved with the help of wooden handles. A separate discussion deserves bamboo products. The bottom and top are made of wicker straw.

Such a design (in Chinese “zhenlon”, that is, a “steam basket”) was invented several thousand years ago. It is not yet fully established when and where exactly the first samples of the Zhenlon appeared. The reason is the low preservation of wood compared to ceramics, natural stone and bronze. Bamboo steamers are used in almost all Chinese families, and until now they are made strictly by hand. The only change was the active use of metal wire.

Since bamboo wood absorbs all kinds of odors, special measures have to be applied. Chinese tradition involves the use of banana leaves. In our country, instead of them, vine leaves or parchment paper are laid to the bottom. In small cooking baskets, the bottom diameter is 0.15 m. The food cooked in such dishes is usually served there.

Bamboo dishes are good for their absolute environmental safety and the fact that it is possible to cook food without consuming electrical energy. You can use such a device on a gas stove, and even on a fire. But we must make sure that the products do not come into direct contact with the basket.

To do this, make a layer of paper or other material. It is not difficult to wash the bamboo basket - it is simply rinsed under the tap. The cost of such utensils in China is many times less than in Russia. And yet, in most cases, the best choice would be an electric pressure cooker. Programmable devices have internal burners, capable of working on a clear schedule.

Most electric cookers are equipped with temperature controllers. Such devices allow you not to be afraid of a fire if all the water boils away. Returning to the material, it is necessary to mention enameled mantovarka.In fully operational condition, they work no worse than conventional stainless steel counterparts. However, enamel can be destroyed when heated, and this greatly limits the relevance of enameled products.

For an induction cooker, it is better to choose, of course, a stainless steel pressure cooker. Bamboo products, no matter how good they may be on their own, in this case categorically do not fit. A choosing dishes for a glass-ceramic plate, it is necessary to abandon all products with protruding parts. The next important step in the selection is the distinction between classical and electrical models. The former are more aesthetically pleasing, but the latter are more comfortable during work.

Of great importance is the capacity of the structure and the number of tiers. Here you can focus only on your own needs.

As already mentioned, in mantnas you can cook quite different dishes. But the first time, at least, is to use them for the most basic task - cooking manti. Regardless of the origin of the semi-finished products (home or store), the cooking time will be a maximum of 35 - 40 minutes. It is best to use a steam technique, because in water it’s rarely possible to do everything qualitatively. Electrical models are usually accompanied by instructions explaining all the nuances of use.

And when working with the classic manty, they do this:

• remove all tiers and coat them with sunflower oil;
• lay manti in increments of 1 - 2 cm;
• check if there are any passages for steam;
• achieve strong boiling and plentiful steam release;
• put the tiers in place.

The preparation time for manti in this method is ½ hour. Important: universal pressure cookers can also be used to produce juice. For this purpose, instead of shelves put a cone-shaped lattice. Regardless of the work to be done, precautions must be taken to avoid burns.

An overview of the double boiler-mantle cooker "Dolana" see in the video below.