Can the duration of the whistle determine if food inside a pressure cooker is cooked

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Building upon this question, I was wondering if the duration of the whistle can be used to determine if the food inside a pressure cooker is cooked.

As suggested by a couple of answers in the question referenced above, certain things do not work:

  • The manufacture recommended two whistles in India, but in Germany it takes 6-7.
  • The aroma can not always help, for example in case of making plain rice.

I have been trying to observe this event for the past few days. As the time increases, the duration of the whistle decreases (I have not measured it per se…just an observation). Has anyone else observed this. If this observation is actually correct , can this be scientifically explained?

Best Answer

The short answer to that question is no. The whistling sound is just a signal to reduce the heat.

Here's an excerpt from the Hawkins Pressure Cooker Operating Guide:

After the pressure regulator is placed on the steam vent, there is at first a very low hissing sound of steam from the pressure regulator. Then steam emission increases to full force and the pressure regulator lifts with a whistling sound. The cooker is now at full operating pressure. This is the point at which to reduce heat and start timing the recipe. enter image description here

So, the timing or frequency of whistles is a function of how hot the pressure cooker is at any given time, and most importantly, a warning to turn down your stove, so that a catastrophe does not ensue.

As the Hawkins manual explains, start timing your recipe once the cooker has reached operating pressure. The actual timing of course, will vary, depending on the particular food you're cooking.

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