h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In India pressure cookers are used on a massive scale (as soon as one can be afforded), there are a number of famous brands - we have a Hawkins, which has an unusual cantilevered lid design. Since most cooking there is done from scratch and because pulses are frequently used (which take a long time to cook) the pressure cooker is an obvious asset. Another advantage is that it can be used to sterilize things eg surgical instruments, jam jars.
What I did find surprising was the practice of counting whistles. Once the lid has been closed, you leave the heat on high and allow the cooker to reach maximum pressure, at which point the valve opens and whistles. The family we knew would count whistles to determine when the meal was ready - eg for rice, wait for the pot to whistle twice then remove from heat.
I can't see how this is applicable in general, I think it must depend on the volume of contents, how high the heat is etc plus it seems wasteful of gas/electricity.

So sorry I missed your story. It's very fascinating, thanks for telling me.
A fellow countryman of yours was involved in the creation of this entry, he was inspired to write an entry about Cooking with Steam A14608749 - and I've just seen it's got a beautiful photo