Denis Papin The First Pressure Cooker " Denis Papin (22 August 1647 - c. 1712) was a French -born physicist , mathematician and inventor , best known for his pioneering invention of the steam digester , the forerunner of the steam engine and of the pressure cooker . Papin invented the pressure cooker in 1679, but it took another 200 years to become a kitchen appliance. Read more: How High Pressure Cookers Work | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8194275_high-pressure-cookers-work.html#ixzz1dHdR5CTf A pressure cooker is an airtight cooking vessel that uses basic physical principles to cook food in a fraction of the ordinary time. Pressure cookers use the fact that water can be heated well above its normal boiling point if it's in a sealed container that keeps steam inside and allows steam pressure to build beyond normal atmospheric pressure. Pressure cookers consist of a base, interior steaming rack, locking lid, vent tube and pressure regulator. Re