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1679: Denis Papin invents the steam digester, a prototype of the small home autoclave we know as the pressure cooker. 1939: First home pressure cooker introduced at the New York World’s
Fair. 1941: World War II halts the manufacturing of most metal cooking utensils, including pressure cookers. Factories convert to war work. 1945: Civilian production resumes. Demand for
pressure cookers greater than ever. 1951: Supermarkets are overflow with prepared products. Pressure cooker sales begin to drop. 1953: The first frozen dinner is introduced, dramatically
changing America’s eating habits. The decline continues. 1970s: Nouvelle cuisine and fondue pots replace home-style cooking and pressure cookers. 1978: Roy A. DeGroot writes the cooker swan
song, “Pressure Cookery Perfected” (Summit Books). 1987: Food & Wine magazine declares the pressure cooker is back. Few listen. 1988: “Cooking Under Pressure” by Lorna Sass is published,
the first cookbook on pressure cooking in 10 years. Slow rise begins. 1995: Pressure cookers still not stocked in most cookware stores, but cult following grows. MORE TO READ