In today's household there's often not much time for cooking meals from scratch. Nevertheless if you still like healthy aromatic meals, here's where the pressure cooker can help.

Believe it or not, but pressure cookers really can reduce cooking times by up to 70% compared to conventional methods and the amount of energy consumed is also reduced to as much as 50%.

Using a pressure cooker is one of the best ways to cook delicious meals while still retaining important vitamins and minerals that would normally escape during traditional cooking methods. Meals are healthier and can be cooked without added oil and salt and still retain their natural colour and flavours. Another added bonus is that you can reduce your food costs even further by using a cheaper cut of roast, as cooking it under pressure means the meat comes out tender every time

Pressure cookers have been around for what seems like ages, but in the last few years there have been considerable changes to make them far safer and more versatile. Pressure cookers are usually made of aluminium or stainless steel. Stainless steel is by far considered the preferred choice as it is of a higher quality and achieves better cooking results and there are fewer problems with food sticking to the bottom. The stainless steel models are regarded as the best choice among many cooks because of its ability to brown or sauté food before cooking it under pressure.

The benefits of owning and using a pressure cooker:

o Saves you time - cooks healthy and tender meals in 70% less time.

o Flavoursome meals - tender meats, delicate fish and chicken are cooked to perfection in minutes as the steam intensifies the flavours.

o Less mess - it sautés, browns and pressure cooks all in one pot.

o Ideal for two or for large family cooking - pressure cookers come in a range of sizes to suit your needs, just remember that a pressure cooker needs to be 2/3 full to operate properly.

o Safe to use - there are plenty of safety features and indicators on new pressure cookers, so you can prepare all the ingredients and do something else whilst it cooks.

Here's an idea of how much time a pressure cooker can save you on cooking times and still achieve tasty and tender meals:

Lamb Stew - 20 to 25 minutes

Vegetable Soup - 5 to 10 minutes

Leg of Pork - 20 to 25 minutes

Leg of Beef - 35 to 45 minutes

Whole Fish - 3 to 4 minutes

Potatoes - 6 to 8 minutes

Please note that cooking times may vary slightly depending on your make and model of pressure cooker.

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