In Pressure Cooker Perfection, the first volume in our new test kitchen handbook series, the editors at America's Test Kitchen demystify an appliance that to many home cooks remains intimidating -- but shouldn't. Modern pressure cookers are safer, quieter, more reliable, and more user-friendly than old-fashioned jiggle-top models. And they can prepare a wide range of foods -- everything from barbecue to risotto -- in record time.

Cooking under pressure results in better-tasting dishes because every drop of flavor is trapped in the sealed pot. This fact, combined with the shorter cooking time, means that your dishes will be supercharged with flavor. And cooking under pressure is versatile. While they're ideal for roasts and stews, pressure cookers can also turn out perfectly tender beans, grains, and legumes in short order.

If ever there was a cooking method that could benefit from the obsessive trial and error that our test kitchen is known for, this is it. When cooking time is compressed, every minute matters, and when flavors are amplified, even a small change becomes significant. We ran hundreds of tests in fifteen pressure cookers to find out what works and what doesn't, and we deliver the foolproof, guaranteed-successful recipes in Pressure Cooker Perfection. With this foolproof guide to cooking under pressure, every home cook will be guaranteed success.