Employees work at Xizang Shangchu Cooking Utensils Technology to produce a series of multifunctional utensils. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn]

Lhamo Tsering, a resident in Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region, said her neighbors like to use pressure cookers made in the region, as they make food preparation easier and safer.

"Last year, people could buy these pressure cookers for only 100 or 200 yuan ($14 to $28) because they receive a subsidy from the government. The regular price at a store is more than 800 yuan," she said.

With an average altitude of 4,000 meters, Xizang is known as the "roof of the world". But the high altitude means there's less atmospheric pressure than at lower elevations, so water boils at a cooler temperature. Water at sea level boils at 100 C, but in Xizang the boiling point is only around 85-90 C, which is not efficient for cooking. Also, it may not be hot enough to kill food-borne bacteria. Foods such as meat, for example, should be heated to around 116 C, experts say.

Pressure cookers — special pots with airtight lids — are used to contain heated air and steam, and the added pressure raises water's boiling temperature. Basically, the interior of such a pot simulates higher air pressures at lower altitudes, so they are often relied upon for faster and more convenient cooking.

Employees work at Xizang Shangchu Cooking Utensils Technology to produce a series of multifunctional utensils. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn]

The traditional pressure cookers used by residents in the high plateau region can be dangerous. It's difficult to get water sufficiently hot for cooking, and people sometimes exceed safe limits in trying. An overpressurized pot may even explode.

To improve the cooking experience for plateau residents, the Xizang government launched an initiative in 2022 focused on the research, production and operation of a series of multifunctional cooking utensils designed specifically for the high plateau region. After evaluating a number of leading domestic cooking utensil enterprises, the pressure cooker made by Xizang Shangchu Cooking Utensils Technology was chosen. According to the company, nearly 690,000 of its pots have been sold in Xizang by the end of 2023.

Gao Fushuai, a manager at the company, said that more than 80 percent of families in the region now have the specially designed pressure cookers for use by their families.

"This pressure cooker is safer, more convenient and more practical than the ones they've been using for decades," Gao said.

Randy Wright contributed to this story.

Employees work at Xizang Shangchu Cooking Utensils Technology to produce a series of multifunctional utensils. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn]

Employees work at Xizang Shangchu Cooking Utensils Technology to produce a series of multifunctional utensils. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn]

Employees work at Xizang Shangchu Cooking Utensils Technology to produce a series of multifunctional utensils. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn]