Cooking in high-altitude Xizang brings unique pressures

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.