Electric Pressure Cooker a.k.a EPC: The Cheapest Way to Boil/Stew/Fry any Food
An Electric Pressure Cooker, EPC, is among the most energy-efficient appliances. Very little heat is wasted. It is well insulated and this makes the generated heat to stay inside and cook food. The outer surfaces of an electric pressure cooker do not feel hot during cooking. It is only the top cover that feels hot. The combination of pressure cooking and great thermal insulation results in considerable energy saving.
You maybe familiar with a normal pressure cooker for using on charcoal/gas/electric stoves. Food cooks faster than that in a normal saucepan. It has to be watched or else when the pressure becomes too much it will ”explode”. This normal pressure cooker is also not as efficient as the electric one since it is not insulated and is very hot during cooking. You get burnt if you dare touch it.
The electric one has a cable that plugs into an electrical socket. It does not need to be watched during the cooking process.
Electric pressure cookers have a thermostat that keeps the inner temperature and therefore the pressure, constant. Before the cooking process starts, you have to set the cooking time and pressure. This is easily done on the control panel. Once the pressure inside has built up to the set level, the timer starts counting down. When it reaches zero, the cooker automatically goes into warm mode without any action from the user.
Lets suppose you are cooking rice. You measure out the rice and water inside the inner cooking pot. Make sure there is no water on its outer surface. Then place inside the cooker. You switch on the machine, then press the rice button if available. It shows the time it will take to cook rice. Lets say 12 minutes. There is also a default pressure that is programmed into the pressure cooker. The count down to 12 minutes will begin when the set pressure has built up inside. Its not like it will take 12 minutes from the time you press start button to when then rice is ready. It takes some time to build the pressure.
The time depends on the amount of food inside. If its little, it boils quickly and pressure builds up fast; if its alot, it takes more time for the pressure to build up. Then the count down begins. You do not need to watch it as it cooks. It’s hands free. It will automatically go to warm mode when the time is up. You need to wait for 5 minutes or more for the appliance to depressurize, after which you can open it. The cover does not open if the pressure is still high inside. Never force it open, unless you want a blistered face.
This appliance is extremely efficient. It uses about 0.4kWh (cost is UgShs400 or 11 US cents), to boil 1kg of dry beans. All sorts of meals and foods can be done in this machine. You can steam food in it (wrapped in banana leaves if you prefer); you can steam 3 foods at ago using banana leaves as separators. The list is endless. You can also fry beans, peas, and any other sauce as well. All foods that need boiling, stewing can be cooked here, hassle free.
Here is a short video from you tube about a lady making githeri (beans mixed with maize). Normally this takes a long time and would use a lot of units if a hot plate was used. Take note of the units (kWh) used at the end.
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