Pressure cookers cook food up to 70 percent faster than other methods because steam trapped in the pot builds up pressure, which creates a hotter cooking temperature. The tight seal on the cooker also helps seal in vitamins and minerals and prevents the cooker from boiling dry during the cooking process.

Stovetop pressure cooker models do require you to pay a bit more attention than do programmable countertop models because you need to verify that your burner setting is sufficient (and not too high) to maintain the needed pressure. Using either type of cooker is a convenient and quick way to cook. Pressure cookers are especially good for foods that need to be tenderized by the cooking process, like less expensive cuts of meat.

Today's pressure cookers have built-in safety features that prevent some of the problems (like an exploding cooker!) associated with earlier models. Locking the lid in place prevents anyone from removing it before the pressure in the cooker is released.