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...