Cooking apparatus and methods of employing such apparatus

A cooking apparatus includes a cooking vessel and a lid for covering the cooking vessel. The cooking apparatus also may include an exhaust tube for bleeding off pressure within the cooking vessel, in which a portion of the exhaust tube is positioned above the lid when said lid covers said cooking vessel. In another embodiment, the cooking apparatus includes a first O-ring gaskets for forming a first seal between the cooking vessel and the lid, and a second O-ring gasket for forming a second seal between the cooking vessel and the lid. A method for reducing pressure includes the steps of providing a vessel and covering the vessel with a lid. The method also includes the steps of positioning a portion of an exhaust tube above the lid when the lid covers the vessel and bleeding off at least a portion of the pressure inside the vessel through the exhaust tube.