What Can & Can’t Be Used in a Pressure Cooker? (Answered)
If you’ve recently got yourself a pressure cooker or already have one, you might wonder what can and cannot be put inside it. This knowledge is necessary to ensure high levels of safety while cooking. So, let’s find out the elements you can and can’t use in it.
What Can & Can’t Be Used in a Pressure Cooker?
In a pressure cooker, you can use tempered glass bowls, stainless steel, ceramics and metal bowls, and Pyrex glass bowl, and aluminum foils. However, plastics and any kind of bags made of plastics like liner bags, zip locks, etc. can’t be used in the cooker especially when it’s in cooking mode.
It is critical to use heat-safe utensils while using a pressure cooker. It’s difficult to tell what exactly counts as a pressure cooker-safe utensil between plates, bowls, and dishes, cutlery, and utensils in the kitchen.
Here is some everyday kitchenware that we should keep knowledge about which to use and not use in a pressure cooker.
Foil:
Aluminum foils can be used in a pressure cooker without any risks of smoke and burning.
Foil papers are useful in the kitchen. Aluminum foils can be used in a pressure cooker as well. It can occasionally be used in cookers without having any major problems. It is useful to cook the food in a perfect way keeping it tender and flavorful.
However, there are certain drawbacks of using aluminum foil on a frequent basis in a cooker. Although aluminum is not as harmful as other metals, it might give your meal a metallic flavor.
Many people dislike the metallic taste, and it may also be harmful to your health. Thus, the aluminum foil should not be used in a pressure cooker on a regular basis.
Parchment paper:
Parchment papers can be used in a pressure cooker. It is both moisture and grease absorbent. The parchment paper is silicone-lined, which allows it to be used in the pressure cooker.
They have multiple silicone layers which make the parchment paper heat-proof, so no wax or plastic particles will melt inside the cooker. If you don’t want your baked foods to stick to the cooker edges, lining it with parchment paper will keep you from making a mess.
Pyrex:
Yes, Pyrex bowls are definitely a good choice and are widely used in pressure cookers. But not all Pyrex are heat-proof. Any oven-safe Pyrex can be used in a pressure cooker.
Pyrex does not suggest using its products for pressure cooking.If it is not made of tempered glass, it might break.
Crockpot bags:
Crockpot bag is widely used for making different dishes in a pressure cooker. It is also known as slow cooker bags. Cooking using these bags is very convenient because of saves a lot of time.
In a pressure cooker, you may use crockpot bags. But it should be used when you’re using the slow cooker feature. This is not suggested if you’re attempting to prepare boil water, rice, etc. as it can melt down the plastic or may damage the cooking machine.
Ceramic bowl:
You can use a ceramic inner pot in your pressure cooker. The ceramic cooking pot isn’t entirely made of ceramic because that would break under hot pressure. Instead, the bowl is formed of aluminum that has been coated with a ceramic non-stick layer.
Silicone molds:
When using silicone in a pressure cooker, keep in mind that the temperature in a cooker should not reach above 270 degrees Fahrenheit. At high temperatures, silicone pans are safe for use.
Plastic:
No, plastic and anything made of plastics cannot be used in a pressure cooker. Plastic containers can endure the heat of boiling water. However, the temperature in a pressure cooker is significantly higher for plastics.
Oven bags:
Food can also be pressure-cooked at high temperatures in oven bags. It is safer to put them in a pressure cooker.
Glass bowl:
Glass bowls, but only tempered glass bowls, can be used in a pressure cooker. It is not recommended to use glass bowls that do not mention oven-safe in their packages.
Liner bags:
Never use plastic liner bags in the cooker. Liner bags will not resist the high cooking temperatures of pressure cookers.
Ziplock bag:
No, Ziplock bags cannot be used in pressure cookers. These bags are composed of polyethylene plastic, which softens at around 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
How can I be careful with a pressure cooker?
Pressure cookers have made our life easier. Some people might fear using a pressure cooker or they are just confused about using it in the right way.
Today’s pressure cookers include a number of safety measures that assure that cooks will not have the same blow up problems as in the past.
Here are some ways of cooking with a pressure cooker that makes cooking easy to understand and makes the cooking process safe and successful:
Check the machine before cooking:
Always inspect the rubber gasket in the pressure cooker to ensure it isn’t broken or dried out. The gasket is the rubber ring that lines the pressure cooker’s lid. Also, make sure there’s no dried food on the pot’s rim, as this might cause the seal to break.
When transferring a hot pressure cooker, a loose handle screw might cause severe accidents. New pressure cookers might have issues as well, so it is always wise to check the machine and its handles before starting to cook.
Follow the instruction manual:
There is a manual instruction book given inside every pressure cooker. Before starting to use the cooker, follow the instruction manual for an easy and quick understanding.
Use enough liquid:
Enough liquid is needed to make the steam that cooks the food in a pressure cooker. You can follow recipes for the right amount of liquid to be used for each meal.
If the steam does not appear to be forming with this quantity, open the cooker and add a little more liquid to it until you get proper steam to reach pressure. The amount of liquid should be appropriate.
Not to overfill the pressure cooker:
To keep food from jamming the vents, fill the pressure cooker no more than two-thirds full for most of the food items. Foods that expand while they cook, such as beans and grains, should only fill half of the pressure cooker.
Be cautious with Frothy foods:
Be careful while cooking frothy foods or the foods that create foams. Because the foaming might cause the steam valves and pressure release vents to get blocked.
If you do decide to make these frothy foods, stick to one good recipe and keep the amount in the cooker far below the maximum filling line.
Release the pressure in a safe manner:
Pressure is often released by switching off the electric line or removing the pressure cooker from the heat and allowing it to cool until the pressure goes down to a safe level.
In addition, the cold water releasing method involves pouring cold water over the cooker’s lid to relieve the pressure of the cooker. Check your instruction manual to learn the right way of using your pressure cooker.
Watch out for steam:
Pressure cookers release steams while cooking. When you put the food inside to cook and after closing the lid of the cooker, it should start releasing steam out of the pressure cooker. When your meal is ready and you open the cooker lid, it should release a lot of steam.
Clean the pressure cooker after using:
After the cooking has been done, remove the gasket and clean it, as well as the cooker pot and lid. The pressure cooker should not be stored in a moist place. Rather store it in such a place where air and light can pass.
Can I use plastic in a pressure cooker?
No. Plastic containers are made of heat-resistant plastic that can only endure the heat of boiling hot water.
The temperature in a pressure cooker is significantly higher than that boiling temperature where plastics will melt in minutes if put inside a cooker.
Thus, it can be considered a bad option.
Will plastic melt in a pressure cooker?
Yes, plastic melts in a pressure cooker. It is because plastics don’t withstand the temperature of the pressure cooker. Plastics are a poor conductor of heat. Hence, it is never wise to use plastics in your pressure cooker.
What pans can you use in a pressure cooker?
Aluminum pans are widely used in pressure cookers. Other than that Stainless steel, Ceramic made pans, Tempered-glass pans, Metal, and Non-stick pans can be used as well as silicon pans which are heat-resistant.
Will silicone melt in a pressure cooker?
Silicone will not melt in a pressure cooker. Test it by placing a lighter flame on it and watch it stay solid. When using silicone in a pressure cooker, the temperature in a pressure cooker should not be above 270 degrees.
It can endure very high temperatures; some producers claim heat resistance of silicone utensils of up to 6000 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, if you use silicone wares in your pressure cooker, you won’t have to worry about them melting if you leave them in the pot for too long.
Final Thought:
Most of the utensils and kitchenware can be used in a pressure cooker. It is especially true when they are made of tempered glass, stainless steel, metal, etc. However, they need to be heat-resistant. Plastic items such as Ziplock bags cannot withstand heat, so they cannot be used in it.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can Pressure Cooker Be Used in Induction Stove or Cooktop?
How Hot Do Pressure Cookers Get?
Are Pressure Cookers Dangerous or Safe? Can They Blow Up?
Does a Pressure Cooker Burn Food?
Why Is My Pressure Cooker Not Whistling?
