Pressure cooker, old device with new potential


In the meantime, gastronomy has once again considered the advantages of the 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 rely on the pressure cooker. Camarena has opted for an electric model, which gives it greater control over the process. After 15 years of research, he has concluded that the pot allows him to concentrate flavors without adding water.

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Mussel soup from the pressure cooker

For a mussel broth, for example, he uses dried purple garlic, bay leaves, white wine, black pepper, parsley and lemon in addition to the mollusks. He puts everything in the pressure cooker and heats it up until steam comes out. He lets the mixture sit for an hour, strains it, and then passes it through a cloth sieve again so the broth is completely clarified. Camarena has revolutionized one of the fundamentals of cooking, reducing cooking times and abandoning processes such as egg clarification, giving rise to different broths, bucking the trend towards low-temperature cooking that is prevalent in contemporary haute cuisine.

Nathan Myhrvold is also a fan of pressure cookers. In his book Modernist Cuisine, he argues that in this pressurized environment, rice cooks faster, broths gain flavor, and food sugars caramelize more easily. Given 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 chefs. And in restoring the good reputation. Conjuring up dishes in the pressure cooker requires less energy than other preparation methods, the flavors are more intense and the cooking time is significantly shorter. So what speaks against bringing out the device that was all the rage in your grandparents’ kitchens?



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