If you have watched someone cook dal in a pressure cooker, you may have noticed a small steel katori sitting inside along with the dal. While it may look like an old-fashioned kitchen practice, it serves a practical purpose.According to Kanikka Malhotra, Consultant Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator, the katori can help manage the froth that forms when dal is cooked under pressure. It may also help retain some of the cooking liquid that could otherwise escape from the cooker.DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. How does a katori help while cooking dal?“This is a genuinely clever kitchen hack, not just a habit. Placing a small empty or oil-filled katori inside the cooker, usually wedged upside down or floating, acts as a physical barrier that breaks the surface tension of boiling dal, preventing the frothy overflow that clogs the pressure valve,” Malhotra explains.This can be particularly useful when cooking dals that produce more foam. However, the katori should never interfere with the pressure release mechanism. Have you also tried this hack? (Photo: Magnific)Does it help retain nutrients?“Nutritionally, this matters more than people realise. An overflowing cooker often forces you to add extra water mid-cook or lose some of the starchy, mineral-rich water that escapes through the vent, along with dissolved B vitamins and potassium,” she says.Keeping the cooking liquid in the dish means those nutrients remain in the dal rather than being lost with the liquid that escapes, Malhotra adds.Story continues below this adCan the katori be used for tempering?“Some also use the katori to hold a small quantity of ghee or hing tempering separately, so it infuses gently through steam rather than getting overcooked,” Malhotra says.She describes the practice as a traditional kitchen technique with a simple physical explanation: “It’s less superstition, more applied physics passed down as tradition.”Is it safe to put a katori inside a pressure cooker?“It’s safe when done correctly, but material choice matters,” Malhotra says. She recommends using “stainless steel or heavy anodised bowls that can withstand high pressure and steam without warping or leaching.”A small stainless-steel katori is therefore a practical option if the pressure cooker and its manufacturer’s instructions allow an insert bowl.Story continues below this ad“Avoid plastic entirely, even so-called microwave-safe plastic, since sustained high heat and steam pressure can degrade it and cause chemical leaching into your food,” she says.She also recommends avoiding glass and ceramic because they can be vulnerable to sudden changes in temperature and pressure.ALSO READ | Three simple hacks that will make you a kitchen proMake sure the bowl does not block the pressure valve“The bowl should also be small enough to sit stably without blocking the vent or pressure release valve, since that’s a genuine safety hazard, not a minor inconvenience,” Malhotra says.As a simple rule, she recommends choosing a heat-resistant metal bowl. “If you wouldn’t put it directly on a stovetop flame, don’t put it inside a pressure cooker either,” she says. “A steel katori remains the safest, most practical choice for this trick.”Story continues below this adDISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. For more lifestyle news, click here to join our WhatsApp Channel and also follow us on InstagramTags:nutrition