• SEB GROUP In 1682, the court of Louis XIV marveled at being able to taste a delicious stew that had simmered for only half the time normally required for this type of dish. This miracle had taken place in the kitchens of the palace thanks to an artefact produced in the Parisian foundry of "Sieur Houdry, master founder, rue de la Ferronnerie" from plans drawn up in England by the French physicist and inventor Denis Papin, who announced in a brochure that anyone could acquire it. It was a hermetically sealed container that made it possible to reduce cooking time by bringing the boiling temperature to 130°C, while obtaining the same results as cooking over low heat. Under the effect of the steam, a safety valve actuated a valve which released the pressure, thus regulating the level of pressure inside the pot. Author of several experiments on the power of steam, Denis Papin baptized this creation "digesteur". A physicist in the kitchen Born in Chitenay, near Blois in 1647 into a Protestant family, Denis Papin nevertheless received a Jesuit education there before obtaining a medical license in Paris. Driven by his interest in physics, he worked alongside Gottfried Leibniz as an assistant to the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huyghens, then president of the Academy of Sciences. The growing persecution of Protestants however forced him in 1675 to take refuge in England, where he collaborated with Robert Boyle and entered the Royal Physical Society in 1680. Whether he lived in England, Italy or Germany, Denis Papin devoted himself to tireless scientific research which led to various visionary inventions, including a submarine, a catapult, a machine to raise water and a piston steam engine which enabled him in 1690 to produce a "perfect vacuum" thanks to condensation of water vapor. Nevertheless, he is remembered for his "digesteur" or steam pot, an experiment he developed in 1679 and presented two years later to the Royal Society of London to demonstrate the possibility of using the force of water vapour. He explained this discovery in a booklet entitled The Manner of Softening the Bones and Cooking All Kinds of Meat in a Very Short Time and at Little Cost, with a description of the machine which must be used for this effect. As the title suggests, Denis Papin listed the advantages of his invention on the culinary level. He also considered using it to prepare food in large quantities and at little cost to feed the poor, especially in times of famine. Isaac Papin, his cousin, proposed in 1694 to establish a system obliging the richest to keep the food they had not consumed and to give them each week to employees who would cook them in this pot. If this system does not seem to have borne fruit, the digester was still called upon in the middle of the 18 th century to try to fight hunger. Rediscovered in the 19 th century Denis Papin's invention fell into oblivion until the 19 th century, where it rose to the rank of practically indispensable utensil in Western kitchens. In the United States, imposing models intended for the preparation of cans were patented around 1902. In Spain, the native of Zaragoza José Álix Martínez in turn imagined a small "express pot" intended for domestic use. of which he produced the definitive version in 1919 and ensured the promotion himself, accompanied by a book of 360 recipes of his creation. In 1925, he ceded the patent to Valencian Camilo Bellvis Calatayud, who marketed the “Bellvis pot”. The home stretch culminated in 1939 with Alfred Vischer's "Presto" model, an improved version of the "Flex-Seal Speed Cooker" from 1938. Timeline 1681 Denis Papin presents his “digester” to the Royal Society of London.1919 José Álix Martínez patents his “express pot”, marketed from 1925 under the name “Bellvis pot”.1939 In New York, Alfred Vischer presents the Presto pressure cooker, an improved version of the previous models.1948 In France, Roland Devedjian patents the "Cocotte-Minute", whose characteristics are essential throughout the world.1953 In France, the Lescure brothers marketed the Seb "Super-Cocotte", which was to dominate the market for decades.
