In the Winter time when you are on the East coast, or anywhere that gets to be very cold, getting a pressure cooker is a great idea! You can get one on Craigslist… that’s where I ordered mine from! It’s great to use 3-4 times a week to cook your rice, beans, or harder veggies like winter squash. Rice and other foods turn out delicious cooked this way. I don’t have a pressure cooker in LA, because it doesn’t get cold enough. So since I’m in New York right now, I’m super excited to get to use one!
The main reason for using a pressure cooker in the Winter is that when you cook rice, or anything else in it, you get a very deep, nourishing and warm energy. This energy is so healing because the pressure cooker locks the nutrients into the food. Since pressure cookers cook food at a higher temperature than boiling, the food cooks more thoroughly, making for easier digestion of the nutrients.
According to Macrobiotic principles, it is said that when using a pressure cooker, the nutrients go deeper into your body, and you store the energy differently. What is really happening is that you are assimilating nutrients more efficiently, which allows you to store energy for later use. Since you lose very few nutrients to steam, pressure cooking is a great way to go! While you do lose some enzymes and delicate nutrients in a pressure cooker, as in all cooking, simply adding a garnish of something fresh and green to any pressure cooked dish will bring the life right back.
And if living green is your thing, consider this: pressure cookers can save time and resources when cooking beans, rice, and certain vegetables, so you can use less gas and electric resources in your cooking.