Lady GGA, I've been wanting to get a pressure cooker; not just for braising, but also for cooking up dried chic peas and other beans to a tender state that's not tough. I make the chic pea curry called channa, which is the big number 1 dish for most Indians. Normal soaking and then boiling is not enough to soften these tough mongrels, so the trick is to add a bit of bicarb soda to the simmering water. Works by almost dissolving the tough skins, but can also leave a slippery soapy taste, hence I want the p/cooker.
P/cookers are used by extreme altitude mountain climbers, as the low atmospheric pressure causes water to boil @ around 70 degrees C instead of the sea level's 100 degrees C. So, having water that's not real hot yet still boiling its head off, potatoes remain hard even after boiling almost all day. That's where the pressure cooker comes in to get the temp up as high as needed to get the job done with minimal energy use.
I suspect p/cooker sales would now be rocketing with people wanting to cut down on their power costs.
