Electric Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

How To Cook With The Instant Pot

How you use your Instant Pot depends on what you’re cooking. But, many recipes — especially those involving meat — tend to follow this formula:

The above steps can vary quite a bit, depending on the recipe, but most of what I cook in my Instant Pot follows that sequence.

Here, the Instant Pot’s valve is in Sealing position.

Is A Pressure Cooker The Same As A Crock

You might be wondering what is the difference between a Crock-Pot and pressure cooker. There is a difference. Pressure cooker Cooks food very fast while a crock pot Cooks slowly.

Pressure cooker is not the same as a crock pot.

But you can compare a Crock-Pot to an instant pot. Both the instant pot and Crock pot, which is generally called slow cooker, can cook food slowly.

The traditional crock pot is an old invention when compared to an instant pot. They are made with a heat insulation material which helps to maintain a set temperature to Cook slowly as the person wants. This is made possible by using a low heat over a longer period of time.

In recent years, new crock pot has been produced which can perform multiple functions as an instant pot, an example is the Express Crock multi cooker

So you can rightly say that an instant pot is the same as the new crock pot but not a pressure cooker.

How We Tested Each Electric Pressure Cooker

We asked Test Kitchen Product Tester Melissa Gray to take the top-rated electric pressure cookers through a series of rigorous testing. The team rounded up top-rated food scales from popular brands such as Instant Pot, KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Breville, Ninja, Crock-Pot and more. In order to test the plethora of features on each electric pressure cooker, Melissa completed the following tests:

Test #1: Make beef stew using the pressure function.Test #2: Make beef stew using the slow cooker function, when applicable.Test #3: Make white rice using the rice cooker function, when applicable.Test #4: Make chicken wings using the air fryer function, when applicable.

Here are a few important characteristics Melissa took note of:

• Variety: How many settings does it offer? How well do those settings perform in terms of speed and ability to cook foods?
• Safety Features

Read on for our picks of the best electric pressure cookers for home cooks. If any catch your eye, simply click the link below each image to purchase.

Also Check: Swansonbroth Com Instant Pot

What Can I Make In An Electric Multicooker Or Instant Pot

Virtually all Instant Pots and off-brand multicookers can pressure cook, slow cook, saute, cook rice, and keep foods warm. Some models can also sous vide, air fry, make yogurt, and much more.

For more ideas of what is possible with an electric pressure cooker, check out these articles:

• How to make foolproof rice in an Instant Pot

Best Budget Buy: Farberware: 7

For less than half the price of the Instant Pot, this Farberware model offers nine pre-set buttons and a large LED display for customizable cooking. All of the presets have adjustable times, and many have adjustable temperatures as well.

Melissa says, “This isn’t the most tech savvy of the models that I tested but it is definitely a great starter model especially if you aren’t 100 percent sure if you’d like a multi-cooker.”

Buy it: Farberware 6-Quart 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker, $50 Walmart

Recommended Reading: How To Clean Instant Pot Sealing Ring

Instant Pot Vs Pressure Cooker: How Both Differ From Each Other

Although both pressure cookers and instant pots look similar on the working ground and cooking process, there are some remarkable key differences between the both that you need to understand to decide which one is the better cooking appliance for your kitchen. Here we have listed few considerable factors comparing both the appliances to help you out to make the right decision:

How We Test Instant Pots

To see how Instant Pots and multi-cookers stack up, weâve spent hundreds of hours whipping up curries and chilies, preparing batches of rice, and even steaming portions of vegetables, comparing the end results. Weâre looking for meat that falls off the bone but is still tender and succulent, rice thatâs fluffy but still with some bite, and crisp vegetables. Weâve also compared how easy they are to use and just how much they speed up cooking.

We evaluate each model on how many different cooking methods it offers, how durable and easy to clean the body and parts are, how loud it is in use and when releasing pressure, and how hot the exterior casing gets. Weâre also assessing how simple each multi-cooker is to use and whether you need to read the instruction manual before cooking, whether recipe inspiration is provided and the useful accessories such as racks and trays it comes with.

Read Also: How To Cook Hard Boiled Eggs In The Instant Pot

What Can This Instant Pot Do

The Instant Pot is a 7-in-1 multi-functional cooker that can perform the following functions:

High-pressure cooking can reduce your cooking time up to 70%. The Instant Pot has a large, easy-to-use control panel with 14 built-in programs: soup, meat/stew, bean/ chili, poultry, sauté, steam, rice, porridge, multigrain, slow cook, keep warm, yogurt, pasteurize, and fermented rice.

• The steam function allows you to prepare fresh or frozen vegetables in less than three minutes.
• Potatoes can be completely steamed in about 15 minutes.
• Chili or stew dishes take an hour.

Is An Electric Pressure Cooker The Same As Instant Pot

To add to that, instant pots came into use to bring upto function what is lacking in pressure cookers. The question that comes to peoples minds now is an electric pressure cooker the same as an instant pot? Is instant pot safe? Can you use an instant pot recipe on a pressure cooker?

The questions above are very important, especially for those who want to buy these products for their kitchen. This article will address them and also answer more questions about instant pots and electric pressure cookers.

Don’t Miss: How To Clean Sealing Ring Instant Pot

What Can I Cook In An Instant Pot

The best Instant Pots offer a range of different cooking methods, which means there are a plethora of different dishes that can be created in Instant Pots and multi-cookers. Slow cooking means you can use cheaper but tougher cuts of meat and cook them low and slow to make casseroles and stews, while pressure cooking speeds up cooking times, making it great for ribs and chicken wings. However, you can even bake cakes – in particular, we found making cheesecake in an Instant Pot was very good, air fry foods like fries, and even hard-boiled eggs. You can find an extensive variety of recipes at instantpot.com.

How To Use Your Instant Pot: Everything You’ve Wanted To Know

It’s not just a supercharged pressure cooker — it’s a way of life.

Sharon Profis

Vice President of Content / CNET

Sharon Profis is Vice President of Content CNET.

Like a microwave or an electric kettle, the Instant Pot has become a kitchen staple. This versatile pressure cooker replaces so many countertop appliances, from rice makers to slow cookers. It’s introduced a new generation to pressure cooking, and shown us just how quickly it can cook a healthy meal.

Whether you’re a new Instant Pot owner or it’s long been stored away in a cabinet, this guide is for you. A longtime Instant Pot owner myself, I’ll guide you through the basics, including explaining those strange buttons and some basic recipes.

To kick things off, let’s walk through Instapot basics. Even if you’ve owned yours for a while, there’s something here for you, too. Let’s get started.

More tips:15 healthy Instant Pot recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner | Does the Instant Pot destroy nutrients in your food while cooking? | The best paleo Instant Pot recipes | Best Instant Pot accessories you need right now | Best air fryers of 2020

Don’t Miss: How To Release Pressure On Instant Pot

Best Overall: Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus

We love this Instant Pot for its overall value, reliability, and versatility, and the Test Kitchen agrees. Melissa says, “This is the original Instant Pot we know and love but with safety upgrades and feature additions that made this my overall pick.”

The Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus includes a steam valve cup that distributes steam more evenly than the original model and a stainless-steel inner cooking pot that locks in place for safer stirring. You can also remove the inner pot and use it on the stovetop, thanks to its handles which make it easy to lift and remove. The base of the inner pot has been redesigned to improve your food’s contact with the cooking surface, making it easier to sear, brown, and sauté.

The display is the largest yet from Instant Pot , making it easy to read and use. It’s loaded with 48 presets, including multiple grain types for the rice program, seven slow cooker presets, and 14 pressure cooker presets. The presets cook foods quickly and evenly, making it great for those who want an easy, fuss-free dinner. Melissa says, “This is a great model for beginners or any cooks who really want to get the most out of their purchase, and at $120 this is a great buy!”

Buy it: Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus, $120 Williams Sonoma

Compare With Similar Items

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Smart Cooker, 5.7L РPressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Saut̩ Pan, Yoghurt Maker, Steamer and Food Warmer, Brushed Stainless Steel

Found a lower price? Let us know. Although we can’t match every price reported, we’ll use your feedback to ensure that our prices remain competitive.

Read Also: Why Get An Instant Pot

What Can Be Cooked With The Instant Pot

With the Instant Pot, you can cook a hearty meal for a whole family in less than 30 minutes. Dishes like rice and chicken, beef stew, chili and even a whole-roasted chicken cook in 30 to 60 minutes, start to finish. And, yes, you can even bake bread with the Instant Pot.

Paleo and ketogenic diet followers love the Instant Pot for its ability to “braise” meats in such a short amount of time, but it’s also loved by vegetarians and vegans who can quickly cook dishes like butternut squash soup, sweet potatoes, chili, steel cut oats and mac-and-cheese.

Even dry beans that usually require overnight soaking can be cooked in about 30 minutes for dishes like chili and hummus.

Want more ideas? Check out these 5 unexpected things you can cook in the Instant Pot and the best Instant Pot paleo recipes.

Instant Pot Vs Pressure Cooker: Which Is Better

The Instant pot has been the hot new cooking appliance for the past few years now. Its a fresh take on the old-fashioned pressure cooker. But you might be wondering if thats all it is more expensive version of a pressure cooker. In the end, which is better?

Before I bought my Instant Pot, I spent a lot of time wondering why I should buy this expensive machine when I could buy a traditional pressure cooker for much less. What made the Instant Pot so fantastic that everyone was buying one?

» You might also like these 15 Time Saving Kitchen Tools and this review of ButcherBox.

Ease of use was the difference I finally understood once I bought my Instant Pot and started using it. If you already have a traditional pressure cooker in your kitchen cabinet, you likely dont get it out all that often, right? That is the difference! I use my Instant Pot multiple times per week.

While our mothers and grandmothers were comfortable using a stovetop pressure cooker, many home cooks today are intimidated by the hissing of steam and the potential for the cooker to blow up if you dont use it correctly.

Because of this, pressure cooking has fallen out of favor in the last few decades. But that all changed with the arrival of the Instant Pot a self-contained, electrical pressure cooker with plenty of built in safety features.

Don’t Miss: How To Boil Milk In Instant Pot

What Instant Pot Accessories Do I Need

Since each Instant Pot model is a little different, its important to read the manual and learn about the various features and settings of your Instant Pot. Generally, every model will include an outer body with a display panel and buttons, a lid, a pressure valve, a steam release valve, a plastic collector cup to catch any condensation released during slow-cooking, a stainless-steel or nonstick inner pot, a sealing ring that surrounds the lid and helps absorb odors, and a steam rack or basket to elevate food inside the inner pot.

Any Instant Pot accessories or gadgets you may choose to buy to bulk up your cookers functionality are just a bonus. Depending on what you plan to make with your Instant Pot, extras range from practical and essential to plain old fun. Some people buy extra sealing rings so they can use one for meat and one for baked goods. Some invest in egg trivets if they cook a lot of hard-boiled eggs. Some look into springform pans to make cheesecake and quiche.

Pros Of A Traditional Pressure Cooker

• Foods cook 3 to 10 times faster than ordinary cooking methods, saving time, energy, and money.
• Pressure cooking preserves flavors and nutrients, and tenderizes lean cuts of meat.
• Strong, heavy-gauge aluminum for quick, even heating.
• Works on electric, smooth-top, and gas ranges.
• Pressure regulator maintains the proper cooking pressure automatically.
• Fully immersible and dishwasher safe with the sealing ring and over-pressure plug removed.

Don’t Miss: Instant Pot Star Wars

Best Multitasking Pressure Cooker

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, air fryer, and sous vide machine all in one, making it one of the most useful and economical small appliances we tested.

• Capacity: 8 quarts
• Inner pot material: Stainless steel
• Settings: pressure cook, saute, slow cooker, steam, sous vide, air fry, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, keep warm
• Number of included recipes: 100s in the free Instant Brands Connect app
• Extras: Air fryer lid, air fryer basket, heat-resistant pad for the lid, broil/dehydrate tray, steam rack

Pros: Features air frying and sous vide cooking options, comes with an app with 100s of recipes, easy to set up and use, cooks rice in under 20 minutes

Cons: Tended to build pressure and heat up slowly, didn’t sear well

We tested three units that could air fry or sous vide, but only the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Pressure Cooker could do both. The Duo Crisp comes with two lids: one for the usual multi-cooker activities and another with a built-in fan for air frying. And, an air fryer basket fits in the inner pot to allow for better airflow and flavorful browning. We air-fried frozen French fries and were impressed with how quickly they were ready and how crispy they tasted.

Here Are The Main Attributes We Looked For And How We Tested Them:

Setup: I timed how quickly I could get the cooker set up and building pressure from the moment I opened the box. I also noted whether I could do this without looking at the instructions or if the controls were confusing. Most units took five minutes or less to set up.

Pressurizing: Many pressure cooker recipes look like they won’t take long, but few recipes factor in the time it takes for the unit to build pressure. A cooker that builds pressure quickly is a real time-saver. I tested how long it took each model to get up to pressure with just four cups of water inside. I also tracked how long the pressure build took during the cooking tests. I gave more favorable scores to cookers that built pressure quickly.

Performance: I put each multicooker through five cooking tests:

Additional cooking functions: Three of the units I tested featured sous vide cooking, and two had air frying capabilities. I cooked a NY Strip at 129 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours to test the sous vide and assessed how tender and flavorful it was. All sous vide cookers performed well. For air frying, I cooked a pound of Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Fast Food French Fries at 400 degrees for eight minutes shaking the basket halfway through and judged the doneness.

I donated most of the pulled pork my family didn’t eat to a local restaurant to keep waste to a minimum. And, extra rice and beans went to feed the pigs at a local farm.

Don’t Miss: How To Cook White Beans In Instant Pot