Going to the mountains, trekking and backpacking are all beautiful until you have to cook food. Cooking food at higher altitudes is something near to impossible as water evaporates very fast, and that’s why it is not possible. When you travel to higher mountains, the air becomes very dry and has low pressure, making the cooking take longer than usual. Here I am going to tell you about 5 Best Pressure Cooker for High Altitude
For cooking at high altitudes and low pressure, you need to maintain high pressure and cook your food faster than what it takes at heights.
I like to travel a lot myself, and when traveling, mountains are my best friend.
Trekking, backpacking, and hiking are something I love doing every month. But whenever I am up on the mountains, it is impossible to cook food, and it takes horribly long periods of time.
I saw people there using pressure cookers for cooking and other purposes.
When I searched about the chemistry behind it, I found that pressure cookers are the only way to cook food at higher altitudes as you cannot boil water at 100 degrees on mountains, which is essential for cooking, and a pressure cooker helps you with that.
As I have a passion for trekking, I also love cooking good food for myself, so I use my pressure cookers for cooking something delectable whenever I’m on holiday.
I tried various pressure cookers on mountains, and some failed to hold their name up high while the others came out with high heads and were the most useful to me when cooking at higher altitudes.
I have created this helpful list for my readers to find out what’s the best pressure cooker for them, no matter if they’re living on the mountains or just traveling.
- The amazing technologies of pressure cooking and air frying merged into one heck of an appliance as with pressure cooking, you can cook the chicken and after that use the air frying lid to just brown and crisp up the skin
- Less time consuming, so less energy consumption
Recommended 5 Best Pressure Cooker for High Altitude:
The instant pot ultra is designed specifically for high altitudes.
The best part about it is the altitude adjustment feature which takes all the guesswork out of adjusting the cooking timer according to the sea level.
The instant pot is a third-world pressure cooker, which has been designed while keeping in mind, the accessibility of the user, easy presets, and something which is not very difficult for the user to operate.
This claimed to be the best pot I’ve used during my vacations as I have never used one on my trips, and this was the easiest cooker to operate.
It had an amazing feature Called altitude adjustment along with numerous temperature, delay cooking, and keep warm features.
This is a 6-quart pot which is enough for my family of 4, and I can cook amazing dishes with the help of my instant pot.
With its ultimate custom settings, you can cook your food at precise temperature and pressure without letting the low pressurized atmosphere mess with your food.
I use instant pot almost every day when I’m not in the mountains, and we all know about its high quality and the 10-in-1 feature this pot has.
I have always been a fan of Instant pot, and now after trying it on higher altitudes, I think I have fallen more in love with its quality and amazing features which makes cooking faster and easy.
Stovetop pressure cookers are always preferred in my household over digital ones as they are ideal for cooking on low-pressure destinations and can maintain the high pressure of 15 psi.
A digital cooker can only reach up to 13psi. Digital pressure cookers might be unmatchable at sensing unsafe cooking conditions, but stovetop cookers are the way to go when it comes to faster cooking.
My favorite and one of the best pressure cookers, which is stovetop compatible, is the presto 23-quart pressure cooker which also repurposes as a canner.
As a pressure cooker has a huge capacity of 23 quarts, you can actually cook a very big batch in this beauty.
The best part about it is that the food will still cook very fast, almost reducing 60-70% of your cooking time.
This pot is specifically for higher altitudes as this comes with a pressure dial gauge.
This dial gauge helps adjust precise pressures as you need to constantly monitor the internal pressure when you’re at a high elevation.
The pot is made up of high-grade aluminum, which is warp-resistant, so I know the body is safe from being destroyed.
The best part is that the pot doesn’t even weigh that much, only 12 pounds, and that’s very light for a pot which has such a huge capacity of 23 quarts.
So I got this pot only for the sake of trying it, and I dare say it, but I’m in love with it.
It is a bit difficult to operate, but you will want to use it every day when you get the hang of it.
Breville is considered one of the top electrical pressure cookers, which are jam-packed with features, and let me tell you, this one is a little different from all the others we have tried before.
This pot has manual controlling access to temperature, pressure, and timing, all laid out on the front interface with a big and bright LED panel.
This pot comes with multi cooker purposes where you can access different cooking modes and presets.
The pressure and temperature are regulated by turning knobs to select the desired preset or just selecting between the given intervals and customizing your cooking time.
The pot has enough capacity of 6.5 capacity, which is a lot for small families.
This pot is designed for being used in highly elevated areas, and all of its features are in accordance with that.
While I was cooking soup for my family, I had to just turn the knob towards the soup preset, and the pot started automatically.
Whenever the pressure got a little bit too high, it kept escaping through the quick-release vent all by itself.
With the help of two sensors, I was able to sense the things going on inside the pot and adjust the settings according to it.
With being a very efficient and fast cooker, this does not even weigh that much, only 13 pounds, and you’re good to go.
For me, this pot worked wonders during my vacations.
Easy to carry, doesn’t take much space, plus efficient and fast, so a 10\10 from me.
Instant pot, our trusted and valued brand, came up with emerging technology.
They merged the progressive technology of an air fryer with a traditional digital pressure cooker, and no doubt, it is an absolutely wonderful invention for people like me who want to multitask.
My kids love fried chicken, and my husband loves steaming pot roast, and it’s very difficult to cook for them in one pot.
Instant pot definitely solved my problem with this one and presented a 2 in 1 solution where I can air fry my chicken and cook hearty pot roasts for my family.
Living on the mountains has also been a challenge when it comes to daily cooking, as the atmosphere has low pressure and a good pressure cooker is a must-have for that kind of lifestyle.
Coming across instant pot duo crispy, I found an amazing appliance where I am able to cook all kinds of deep-fried food with 95% less oil and pressure cook amazing meals and meats in half the time.
This makes my meal so much more nutritious and healthy.
With various 11 customizable presets which are accessible with just one touch, any beginner can easily operate this pot.
I am able to slow cook, pressure cook, simmer, steam, and sauté all in one pot which is electrical, so also no hassle of the fluctuating gas.
The inner pot is high-grade stainless steel which makes it very easy to clean and wash.
Kuhn Rikon is considered as the Rolls Royce of pressure cookers due to its extremely strong build and amazing compatibility with all kinds of stovetops.
I will always explain the Kuhn Rikon with one line, that is, minimalistic beauty and precise functionality.
The Duromatic is specifically designed to be used as a high-quality, exclusive pressure cooker, which gives you an immersive experience.
Whether you’re cooking at high altitude or low pressure, different kinds of stovetops, or braising your meat, this pot will always give you Excellency.
This pot was my best friend when I traveled. I gifted one of them to the family I was staying with.
With its amazing huge capacity, we made hearty meals for 6-7 people, and after the cooking, the pot is also very easy to clean as it is made up of food-grade stainless steel.
The pot is excellent in maintaining a high pressure inside the pot while automatically releasing any kind of excess pressure that builds up.
The pot is rust-resistant and very strong and durable.
The gasket is silicon which needed replacement after a bit of usage, but other than that, the gasket seems to work perfectly fine and seals the lid securely.
The pot offers two different pressure settings, which have always been helpful for me with different kinds of dishes. It’s safe to handle and very safe to operate.
The handles are short, which provides the ideal balance for my hands, and keeps the pot safe from falling.
The pressure release I usually use in this pot is the natural release, it might take 25-30 minutes, but it’s safe for me as I will not burn my hand while trying to open the lid.
Along with all the amazing features, the purchase comes with a small handbook filled with 100 recipes you can create in the Kuhn Rikon Duromatic pressure cooker.
Why Is Pressure Cooker Used In High Altitudes?
When you are at high altitudes, enjoying the time of your life, taking in the scenic routes, you might experience some problems in the cooking section.
Let me tell you in an easy way that it’s almost impossible to cook food quickly in a normal pot when you’re at a high elevation.
That’s because the boiling point of water is very low at heights which is definitely not enough to cook food.
We need a constant temperature of above 100 degrees for cooking, and only a pressure cooker can do that for you.
A pressure cooker maintains high pressure inside the pot, which in turn increases the boiling point of water, and food cooks fast.
I have a private cabin in the mountains, and whenever I go there for a brief stay, my favorite pressure cooker is there to help me cook my food quickly.
Because the pressure cooker seals the pot and separates the inner environment from the external conditions, it helps increase the pressure and temperature, thus lowering the cooking time.
Pressure cookers have always made sure that my food is moist and has a perfect texture, not dry and burnt, which usually happens when you try cooking food on high heat.
What You Need To Know When Pressure Cooking At High-Altitude?
Whenever you’re cooking with a pressure cooker at high altitudes, the process might seem very easy and uncomplicated, but there are a few things that you might need to keep in mind when cooking.
You will have to adjust your recipes according to the elevation and also customize the pressure and temperature according to the height that you’re at.
You will have to adjust the cooking time of your recipes, and for that, I always took help from the user’s guide provided with the pressure cooker.
What I do, according to the guide, is that when the required pressure is reached, I reduce the amount of heat I’m giving to the pot.
This helps in preventing any moisture from escaping out; thus, your food does not get dry.
Even with that, after the cooking time is up, make sure to check your food if it’s completely cooked or has some more undone parts to it.
Do Rice Cookers Work At High Altitude?
The question arises, does rice cook differently at high altitudes?
We all notice when making rice on the mountains that they are always undercooked even when made with proper precision.
I always wondered if my cooking skills are not the same anymore, but that’s definitely not the case.
At higher altitudes, the pressure is very low which is not able to help water reach the boiling point of 100 degrees and water turns into vapors long before it reaches 100 degrees.
So theoretically and practically it is impossible for rice cookers to work at high altitudes as they will take much longer to cook rice.
To cook rice in a rice cooker properly, you will need to make adjustments to your recipe and also increase the timer on your rice cooker to help it function properly.
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