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Soviet-made pressure cooker instructions for use. The mystery of the pressure cooker or an incomprehensible phenomenon. Getting Started and Cooking Methods

Winter holidays are reflected by an increased load on kitchen utensils. For this reason, I carried out a planned audit of the state of the 5 l Soviet pressure cooker "Svarma". In 2011, her working valve crumbled, and I immediately replaced it with a Chinese one.
Who cares what happened to the Chinese valve over 6 years of operation, I will try to show and explain it.

The pressure cooker "Svarma" ("Welding Materials") had both valves (working and emergency) with the same principle of operation - the pressure of the vapor-gas mixture was balanced by a spring. This principle allows this pressure cooker to be used when shaking - for example, when cooking food in the gimbal of a yacht - which is very convenient. But nothing is eternal. Against expectations, in 4.5 liters of "Svarma" produced in 1992, in 2011, not the most important part failed - rubber gasket, and the spool of the WORKING valve broke off from the stem.
The photo shows an emergency valve, similar in principle, but different in design - it does not have a lever to check its operation.


And then I immediately felt that without Swarma, life became boring. Therefore, I acted on the problem in two directions at once - I bought both a new 3 l Chinese pressure cooker and a Chinese EMERGENCY valve, which I hoped to adapt to replace the failed Swarma WORKING valve.
Since I had to conduct a bold experiment, I bought as many as 2 valves. I bought in tomtop, but now he no longer sells such valves. Therefore, I found several similar ones on Ali (the query “pressure cooker valve”), and now I have inserted a link to the most worthy one - it already has a pip on top, not a ball - so the modern valve should be better than my 2011 sample.


Their principle of operation is the same as that of the native Swarma valve, but the design is different. At Svarma, a huge resource was provided by aluminum-aluminum sealing pairs, and the Chinese valve was with silicone gaskets in both pairs: both movable and stationary.


In addition, the reliability of the fastening of the Soviet valve was superior to the Chinese: the Soviet designer used more threads on a longer shank.




And he made the nut thicker:




Wrench dimensions for both nuts are the same:




The most important thing, as citizen Fox E.P., I convey in words: EMERGENCY pressure of the Chinese valve = 1 atmosphere = WORKING pressure of the Soviet valve.
Thanks to this feature, the relay race "USSR-PRC" became possible to carry out without big problems for "Swarma" - "Swarma" itself did not receive irreversible design changes. Find now a serviceable Soviet valve, it can again be inserted into the Swarma.
Which, generally speaking, is a happy exception to the rule. As "science has a lot of githiks", so the Chinese industry has no less of them!
The photos below show that the native emergency valve sticking out of a 3 liter Chinese pressure cooker (it is covered with some kind of unstable black kind of “enamel type”) differs in execution from the Internet compatriot posing next to it.
The native valve does not have knurling for assembly and disassembly, it is captured through steam pipelines.




The original valve had a seal made of ordinary rubber, which quickly welded and had to be replaced with paronite. The Internet valve has, as I already wrote, a surprisingly resistant silicone gasket.
In the photo lies the non-working Internet twin of the hero of the review:


In addition, the native valve has both an increased diameter and 2 flats to prevent unscrewing. The photo still contains the same non-working Internet twin of the hero of the review and it is perfectly clear that the size of the native turnkey valve is not 14 mm, but more - already 17 mm.


In the initial state, the Chinese emergency valve has a red slippery ball at the end of the stem. Apparently, according to the local designer, the Chinese women have some kind of heat-resistant fingers that cannot be scalded by a stream of steam when checking the valve.


The Soviet designer did not provide for a hot check of the emergency valve at all (see the very first photo) - the stem of the emergency valve cannot be grasped even with pliers.
I have already written a lot of something, but not every modern user imagines "Swarma". Here she is!




In order not to burn my hands, I removed the ball from the stem, cut the M3 thread at the end of the stem, and lengthened the stem with some kind of resistant steel pin with an original radio engineering fate. The radio engineering origin of the stud led to the fact that the galvanic coating of the stud did not suffer at all during more than 6 years of operation.


I also replaced the ball - this time with an electrical product - a bakelite (= heat-resistant) cover of a relic Soviet plug. The photo shows another instance of such a fork, so that the origin of the lid is more clear.


The photo shows that the most seemingly capricious element of the Chinese valve - silicone gaskets - has not changed at all over 6 years of operation.




This is how life is arranged - according to the proverb “where you don’t sow, you will disfigure there” - silicone rubber turned out to be stronger than metal. By the way, mindful of the fate of the native Svarma valve, I try to carry out all valve assembly operations with keys that unload the parts as much as possible from loads.


In defense of the Soviet industry, I will write that the main gasket of Svarma has been operating for 25 years - pah-pah-pah !!! But the welded small gasket under the valve of the Chinese pressure cooker had to be replaced with paronite, and not on the first try - it does not tolerate stretching at all, and is torn.


At all, there are no minor details when working with pressure cookers.
If someone wants to repeat my success, or surpass me - remember that you will take all actions at your own peril and risk.
And there will be a little more fear from the Chinese valve. Silicone to a small extent, but still sticks to the surface of the saddle (it's not aluminum), so the Chinese valve does not poison constantly, as most of us are used to, but works with hysteresis - it emits aperiodic whistles.
In the manuals for Indian pressure cookers, for example, one can to some extent appreciate the Ukrainian idiomatic expression “to the gypsy land”: it is proposed to replace the control of cooking time by counting the number of these valve whistles.
I am not as gullible as the Indians, so to combat fear, I introduced pressure gauges to all my pressure cookers - what if ?!
The fact is that Svarma, like all classic pressure cookers, has an elliptical lid pressed by steam pressure, so it has an excellent seal, and only an emergency valve can prevent a failure of the working valve. Modern pressure cookers, under the influence of insurance companies, not only received a reduced pressure of 0.5 atm, but it is also impossible to force it - the lid of modern pressure cookers is lifted, and the forced pressure is vented through the fistulas that arise.
So decide for yourself - "to have or not to have" - ​​as they say in the Soviet New Year's song. Swarma and China are like Yin and Yang: you can't decide which is better and which is worse - black or white.
I have not found an equivalent alternative to the Soviet valve for 6 years of operation of Svarma after repair, so another “thank you” from me to the great Chinese people!
Outcome: chinese valve discovered amazing resource, and reliably took over from the Soviet.
Bon appetit!

Pressure cookers: a legacy of the Soviet past or an ultra-modern kitchen appliance?

Most modern housewives dream or already have a multicooker in their kitchen, which is designed to greatly simplify the cooking process for modern woman. However, there is a logical contradiction hidden here: how does an appliance in which cooking takes significantly longer than in a standard saucepan help combat time pressure? Maybe a rather busy amateur cook should turn their attention to a pressure cooker - a device that uses steam and pressure to significantly reduce time in the kitchen?

Modern housewives will wince in response and notice that pressure cookers are a meaningless legacy of the distant Soviet past, in addition, everyone has heard the story that this terrible hissing pan exploded at a friend of acquaintances. If all this is true, then why then the leading manufacturers of kitchen utensils, such as WMF, Fissler, Silit, produce entire lines of pressure cookers and regularly improve and update the lineup? Tefal went even further and involved in the development of the next model of the famous teleculinary Jamie Oliver.

Do you still think that a pressure cooker is something incomprehensible and very dangerous?

The principle of operation of the pressure cooker is based on the well-known to many since school physical law: the boiling point of water depends on atmospheric pressure. Textbooks often give the example that on the top of Mount Everest, water boils at 69 ° C, which is not enough to cook meat for hungry tourists. In a pressure cooker, the opposite is true: thanks to the hermetically sealed lid, a pressure of 103 kPa is reached inside and a superheated liquid with a temperature of 121 ° C is obtained. High speed heating of food inside this device is associated with the formation of saturated (wet) steam, similar to what escapes from the spout of a boiling kettle.

The first models of pressure cookers did not differ in technical perfection, but nevertheless they regularly performed their function without numerous human casualties.

The pressure cooker was invented by the French physicist Denis Papin in 1679; the scientist called his invention a steam autoclave and presented it at a meeting of the Royal Society of London. The serial production of these devices was established only two centuries later in Stuttgart by Georg Gutbrod. The first pressure cooker for home use was developed in the USA by Alfred Wischler in 1838 and was called the "Flexible Sealed Speed ​​Pan".

Home pressure cookers usually consist of three parts: the metal pan itself, the lid, and a rubber or silicone gasket that ensures the tightness of the structure. There are two handles on the pan, and one of them is usually long, this is due to the fact that with a standard volume of 4.5-7 liters, the weight of the entire device with a lid, water and food turns out to be quite large.

Aluminum is used as materials for pots and lids, familiar to us from our grandmother's "kitchen helper", and stainless steel. An aluminum pressure cooker will be cheaper and lighter than a steel one, but it is not recommended to cook sour and salty food in it, and besides, you cannot wash such a pan in dishwasher. Steel models are made with a heavy three-layer or copper-clad bottom to improve heating uniformity, since steel itself has a relatively low thermal conductivity. Much less common are models with enamel saucepan, which differ from steel counterparts in a larger mass, but can be matched to the color of the rest of the kitchen utensils.

Silit pressure cookers in assortment

On the lid there is a handle with a locking mechanism in the form of a button or a slider, a steam outlet (working valve) with a pressure regulator that opens when a certain pressure value is exceeded, an emergency valve that operates when the working valve cannot cope with the load, and a pressure indicator - a pin, the height of which indicates the level of pressure inside. In a number of modern models, there is a mechanical pressure level switch on the lid: 1 (low) - for vegetables, fruits, fish, mushrooms, rice; 2 (high) - for meat, jacket potatoes, beans, peas.

A rubber or silicone gasket is designed to completely seal the internal volume of the pressure cooker: in a working model, steam should only come out of the working valve. The service life of a gasket exposed to high temperature and pressure is limited, so it is advisable to purchase a spare gasket at the same time as buying a pressure cooker.

On consumables it’s better not to save on a pressure cooker

The lid of the pressure cooker must be securely fastened to the pan, for this special clips are provided around the perimeter - for closing, the lid rotates relative to the pan by approximately 30 °. In some modern models, there is an additional locking mechanism activated by pressure, which does not allow an inattentive hostess to open a working pressure cooker.

Most manufacturers offer a number of accessories that expand the functionality of the pressure cooker: a metal basket with holes for steaming, a special stand for this basket, as well as metal dividers that allow you to steam several dishes at the same time. For an additional price, you can also purchase a timer and cleaning products to keep your pressure cooker in top condition. Anticipating your irony, let's hasten to point out that a timer is necessary when cooking under high pressure, although, of course, it is not at all necessary to purchase one from a pressure cooker manufacturer. Indeed, unlike a regular pot in a pressure cooker, you will not be able to check the degree of readiness of food in the process of cooking it, and an extra one or two minutes will turn your al dente vegetables into a boiled porridge. So, carrots, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower will be ready in 3 minutes, potatoes, kohlrabi, apple jam - for 4, pork fillet - for 8, beef and lamb fillet, as well as cabbage rolls - for 10, deer leg - for 20.

The timer integrated into the pressure cooker will help you control the cooking time, which is relevant for dependent and gas hobs

It is conditionally possible to distinguish three generations of pressure cookers:

• the first generation, well known to us since childhood. When cooking, steam escapes with noise from the valve, which works like a piston in steam engine, and the loud whistle with which the pressure cooker gets rid of excess pressure can actually scare unprepared cooks;
• the second generation, which, in fact, is offered by manufacturers such as Tefal, WMF, Fissler. In these pressure cookers, the spring valve is in most cases hidden; in some models, steam is not released at all during cooking; instead, a signal indicator rises above the lid, showing the level of pressure inside. Excess steam in such devices will be discharged outside only if the heating power supplied to the pressure cooker is too high;
• the third generation includes electric pressure cookers, in which the working pressure is regulated by the input electric power. In these devices, as well as in pressure cookers of the second generation, there is a spring valve and two modes of operation are provided.

The process of cooking food in a pressure cooker has a number of features. The most important thing is the amount of water poured into the pan. It should not exceed the volume indicated in the instructions and often marked on the inner wall - usually no more than 2/3 of the total volume of the pan. In most cases, especially when cooking vegetables, there should be very little liquid - it's okay if it does not completely cover the root crops.

The water poured into the pressure cooker can be either hot or cold, if required by the recipe. The cooking time, which is indicated by the manufacturer in the instructions and set by you on the timer, is counted from the moment when the indicator on the lid has risen completely in accordance with the set mode. After that, the fire under the pressure cooker should be reduced so that the emergency valve does not work.

Modern pressure cooker from WMF

After cooking, get rid of high pressure for which there are three ways.

• The fastest method is to place the pressure cooker under the cold water, which, however, must not fall on the valve. This approach is optimal for short cooking times, for example, for vegetables - being in a cooling pressure cooker, they can be overcooked. 30 seconds are enough for complete cooling and subsequent safe opening of the lid.
• Manual or normal pressure reduction occurs when the valve is moved or lifted. This method is often used if it is necessary to add components with a shorter cooking time during the cooking process, for example, vegetables in a meat stew. Unlike the first method, with such cooling, the temperature of the pressure cooker itself and the products in it does not decrease. In this case, it takes about two minutes to reduce the pressure and open the lid, but you must open the valve carefully so as not to burn yourself with hot steam.
• The natural decrease in pressure, in which the pressure cooker is simply removed from the stove, takes about 15 minutes. It must be remembered that with this method, the food continues to cook, since the temperature of the water inside is quite high, which is good for meat, but not suitable for vegetables. Natural refrigeration is recommended when cooking food that forms a lot of foam when cooked: rice and other cereals, pasta, puddings.

Of course, when considering pressure cookers, one cannot ignore the story about the explosions of these kitchen helpers. However, these unpleasant incidents only happened with older models, in which food could block the working steam valve. IN modern devices in such a situation, as well as when the water has completely boiled away, additional safety mechanisms (two or three additional valves) are triggered to relieve excess pressure.

Despite the solved problem with explosiveness, pressure cookers still have a number of disadvantages. First is the price, a standard appliance will cost you more than a similarly sized pot; secondly, the cover is not recommended to be washed in the dishwasher; thirdly, the rubber gasket requires a fairly careful attitude, which does not exclude the need for its periodic replacement.

The All American American pressure cooker is designed for cooking "blanks" - stew, vegetables, fruits - directly in glass jars

However, all these shortcomings are more than compensated by the advantages, the main of which is a threefold reduction in cooking time, which will not only free up cooks for other more pleasant things, but also save gas (or electricity), which is important with regularly rising tariffs. In addition, in food that was cooked at a temperature of 121 ° C, all microorganisms were almost completely destroyed. The pressure cooker can be used as a sterilizer for all kinds of jars and baby bottles.

Thus, a pressure cooker is undoubtedly a useful device in your kitchen, especially if you are an ever-busy business woman with a large family. Prices for this kitchen helper start at $100. You can, of course, buy a cheaper Chinese model, but it’s worth remembering that a pressure cooker is still a source of increased danger, so it’s better to buy goods from a well-known manufacturer.

A pressure cooker has appeared in the kitchen of housewives all over the world for a long time, but despite the obvious conveniences, many do not have it, and some simply do not know how to use a pressure cooker. It will significantly reduce the time for cooking many products, can turn even the toughest meat into a tender juicy dish, cook aspic in just an hour and cook frozen vegetables directly from the freezer. In a pressure cooker, you can cook soups, mains and even desserts. It is excellent for meat, fish, poultry and vegetables. And to understand how to use a pressure cooker, read this article.

Principle of operation

There are two types of modern pressure cookers - a special pan that cooks a dish on a conventional stove, and an electric stand-alone appliance. Both of them work on the principle of increasing pressure under the lid of the pot, which allows you to cook food faster. Therefore, the most important part of the pressure cooker is the sealed lid with a special valve that first pressurizes and then releases steam from the pot.

Also in early XVII century, a French scientist D. Papin noticed that the cooking time depends on atmospheric pressure. The higher it is, the higher the boiling point, which means the faster the food is cooked. Therefore, he came up with a hermetically sealed pan that builds up pressure inside. Similar simple pressure cookers were successfully used by our mothers and grandmothers. These were in almost every Soviet kitchen, so all housewives knew how to use a pressure cooker.

An important advantage of this cooking method, in addition to speeding up, is that the pressure cooker retains all important nutrients in products. The secret here is all in the same tightness - without contact with oxygen, food does not oxidize and does not lose its benefits. It also preserves the flavor of the food.

To prepare a dish in a pressure cooker, first place the ingredients required by the recipe into it, then close the lid. It is important here to place the lid correctly so that it fits snugly against the pan, and the valve is in place. Turn the locking handle 2-2.5 turns, set the adjustable valve to the desired temperature regime and put the pressure cooker on fire. Keep an eye on it, as it is important for you to wait for the liquid to boil. When its temperature reaches 100 ° C, you will hear a hiss and see steam exit through a special hole. Modern models pressure cookers are also equipped with sensors that will show you by light or sound that the water has boiled.

From now on, you will start counting down the cooking time. But first, reduce the temperature, it should be small.

When the cooking time is over, you will need to cool down the pressure cooker and release the steam. To do this, put the pan under the tap with cold water so that its bottom is also in the water. Make sure that no water enters the valve. Move it to the decompression position. Usually there are 2 such positions - slow and fast release of steam. Start slow. Until you release steam, the food will be under pressure and continue to cook. In addition, until the steam is released, pressure remains inside the pot, meaning you won't be able to open the lid.

When it falls, and you will understand this by the cooled down walls of the pressure cooker and by the lower position of the pressure indicator, you can open the pressure cooker. Now you know how to use the pressure cooker, the instructions for it will tell you additional modern and convenient functions of notification, timer, decompression.

We lay products

To properly prepare a dish, you need to know not only how to use a pressure cooker, but also how different products are cooked in it. If you need to pre-fry something, then do it right in the pressure cooker with the lid open. Then place all the other components of the dish. If a recipe requires you to add ingredients gradually, at regular intervals, you will need to cool the pressure cooker under water each time and turn off the steam to open the lid.

Approximate cooking time for some products in a pressure cooker:

Due to the pressure and lack of oxygen, the taste of food cooked in a pressure cooker is much more intense than in a saucepan. Therefore, aromatic additives and spices should be put in a pressure cooker half as much as with the usual way cooking.

What can't be done?

Be aware of the presence of liquid - without it, the pressure cooker will not work. Also, you can not put it on an empty stove. The minimum amount of liquid is 2 cups. At the same time, do not fill it more than 2/3 of the volume of the pan. It is not recommended to cook in a pressure cooker those products that give abundant foam - oatmeal and other grains, milk. If you are cooking meat and need to remove the foam, then first boil it with the lid open. Otherwise the foam will clog the valve.

Do not use the pressure cooker for other purposes - store and heat food in it, put it in the oven or microwave.

Care rules

To wash the pressure cooker, disassemble it into parts - wash the pan with dishwashing liquid or put it in the dishwasher. The seal, valves and other parts are best washed separately by hand. Special attention take the lid off - rinse it gently under the faucet, but don't submerge it completely in water, as this can ruin the operation of the valves.

Also, before washing the lid in the dishwasher, check with the instructions if this can be done. If so, remove all parts from the cover, they must be washed by hand.

How to use a pressure cooker?

Multicookers today do not surprise anyone, perhaps this device is in every kitchen. But a multicooker with a pressure cooker function is familiar to few. This is a great opportunity to combine two such handy features into one.

The device repeats the design of a conventional pressure cooker - the multicooker has the same valve that creates pressure inside for accelerated cooking. So you don't have to learn if you already know how to use a pressure cooker. "Redmond", "Scarlet", "Mulinex" - these are the brands that produce the best, reliable and inexpensive multi-cooker pressure cookers. If you decide to get such an assistant, feel free to buy devices under these brands.