Hawkins have been making pressure cookers in India since 1959, and in a cuisine built on dal and dried beans that is not a small thing.

It turns an overnight job into forty minutes. Rajma, chana, whole urad and tough cuts of meat all become weeknight food.

Learn the whistles for your usual dishes and you will stop timing anything. Available in a couple of sizes, so think about how many people you cook for rather than buying the largest one on the shelf.

In the kitchenware section at Curry Corner, North Melbourne.