Science Behind It: How Pressure Cooker Works?

In every kitchen, the pressure cooker is both a time-saving hero and a source of uneasiness. This humble pot is known for tenderizing the hardest meat and cutting cooking time, using the power of steam under pressure to effectively cook food. But behind the hiss is an ancient scientific principle.

Did you know that the roots of this common kitchen utensil are traced back to the 17th century? In 1679, French physicist Denis Papin, a pioneer in steam power, invented the steam digester, an early prototype of a modern pressure cooker. Papin is designed to use a tightly sealed pot to capture steam while increasing temperature and pressure, allowing food to cook faster. His invention not only laid the foundation for the pressure cooker, but also laid the foundation for the development of steam engines.

In this article, we will explore how pressure cookers work, what scientific laws or principles are taking action, and finally why pressure cookers explode.

How does a pressure cooker work?

To understand why the pressure cooker explodes, we first need to delve into how the pressure cooker works and the science that makes it so effective in the kitchen.

The pressure cooker is essentially an airtight cooking container designed to capture the steam generated by boiling liquid inside. As the temperature rises, the liquid (usually water or broth) begins to boil and turn into steam. However, unlike in an open pot, this steam has nowhere to escape. It begins to accumulate, creating high internal pressure inside the cookware.

So why exactly the pressure in the airtight container that rises with temperature will make your dal cook faster and evenly? The answer lies in the gas law, especially the gay Lusack law and the ideal gas law, both of which form the scientific basis of every pressure cooker. Another principle that works to ensure that your food is cooked evenly is convection.

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Let’s break it down.

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Gay Law

Gay-Lussac’s law tells us that when the gas and gas quantity remain constant, the pressure of the gas increases with the increase of temperature. In a pressure cooker, the volume is fixed (you don’t have an expansion pot), and there is nowhere to escape the steam produced by boiling water.

As you heat the cookware, the internal temperature rises and the pressure rises. This pressurized environment leads to an important transfer: the water is now much higher than the normal 100°C (212°F). In fact, inside a typical pressure cooker, it can boil around 120°C (250°F) – cooking food faster and more efficiently.

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Ideal natural gas law

Now, let’s introduce the ideal gas method: pv = nrt, where:

In such a sealed cooking environment, as the temperature (T) increases, the volume (V) remains constant and the pressure (P) must increase to maintain equilibrium. This is the exact equation for daily kitchen pressure cooker work.

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result? Steam pressure increases the boiling point of water, allowing food to be cooked at higher temperatures. This is why even tough meat or hard lentils can soften in minutes, otherwise these things will take hours using the regular boiling method.

Convection principle

Convection is heat transfer through the movement of the fluid – in this case steam. As the steam circulates, it carries heat evenly throughout the cookware. This continuous movement allows heat to surround the food in every way, ensuring that even dense or thick items are cooked consistently without burning or needing stirring.

This is a lot of scientific development, and like in any scientific laboratory, things can go wrong when stress and heat work. Just as these principles make cooking faster and more efficient, they also lay the foundation for potential misfortunes. So how does the pressure cooker explode?

Let’s break it down.

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Why does a pressure cooker explode?

Despite significant advances in safety mechanisms such as locking covers, pressure indicators, and steam release valves, pressure cooker explosions occur, although they are rarely. These explosions usually occur due to failures in handling, maintenance or basic design. The following are:

• Overheating: When the pressure cooker is exposed to continuous high temperatures, especially when there is not enough liquid, it can cause extreme pressure buildup, damage internal components and increase the risk of explosion.
• Low Water Level: Water is essential for the production of steam. If the water level is too low, steam generation will be damaged, resulting in dry heating, overheating and unsafe pressure spikes.
• Overfilling cookware: Fill the cookware beyond the recommended limit, reducing the space for steam expansion. This limits pressure control and can lead to clogged or dangerous internal pressure.
• Opening the cookware prematurely: Opening the lid before the pressure is fully released is one of the most common causes of accidents. It leads to a rapid and violent escape of steam and hot substances.
• Pressure Release Valve Failure: If the release valve is blocked by food residues or faults due to poor maintenance, the steam cannot escape correctly, resulting in uncontrolled pressure accumulation.
• Defective or worn gaskets: Rubber sealing rings (washers) are essential for maintaining pressure. If damaged, cracked, or too old, it may leak steam or fail to safely regulate internal pressure.
• Old-style or poor-quality cookware: Older models or cheap cookware may lack basic safety mechanisms such as pressure indicators, locking covers and spare valves, making them more prone to failure.

The last whistle!

We hope you find this article useful and eye-opening. From the 17th-century invention of steam consumer to the gas law that powers your modern pressure cooker, it is fascinating how it takes root in real science. While using pressure cookers correctly is efficient and safe, understanding how they work and why they sometimes explode can help you use them with more confidence. Is there a topic you are curious about? Tell us in the comments what you want us to explain next The science behind itWoolen cloth

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Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Optical Illusion