Pressure Cooking Raises the Boiling Point
Water normally boils at 212°F (100°C) at sea level and can't get hotter than that no matter how high you turn the burner — the extra energy just makes it boil harder, not hotter. A sealed pressure cooker traps steam, raising the internal pressure, and that pressure raises water's boiling point well above 212°F, which is what actually cooks food faster: the higher-temperature steam and liquid transfer heat into food much more quickly than atmospheric-pressure boiling ever could.
Sources & methodology: These tips draw on established food-science references —
Harold McGee's food-science writing, America's Test Kitchen /
Cook's Illustrated testing, Serious Eats'
technique reporting, USDA food safety guidance,
and peer-reviewed food-safety research (including UC Davis
cutting-board studies) — not reworded recipe-blog consensus.