What's the difference between stove-top and electric pressure cookers?

Stove-top pressure cookers work at a higher pressure than newer, electric pots. Almost every stove-top cooker reaches 15 psi (pounds per square inch) at high pressure; most electric pressure cookers reach between 9 and 12 psi.

There are two problems when translating recipes between them. One, the stove-top pot puts out a small hiss of steam at high pressure and thus has greater evaporation, especially during cooking times of 30 minutes or more. Electric pots are so finely calibrated that they never put out steam once the pressure lock engages. So stove-top cookers require just a little more liquid than electric cookers, sometimes no more than 1/4 cup.

Two, stove-top pressure cookers cook more quickly, so the cooking time is always about three-quarters that of an electric model. If you're cooking a stove-top pressure cooker recipe at high pressure in an electric pot, you'll most likely need to add 25 percent more time under pressure.

- Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough