Instant Pot Vs Pressure Cookers

Must Try

Flaws But Not Dealbreakers

Instant Pot vs. Stovetop Pressure Cooker (which one is right for you?)

A few of the Instant Pots parts require extra effort to cleanbut this goes for every Instant Pot model, not just the Duo. The depression around the rim of the outer pot traps salt, crumbs, and gunk, but we clear it out with canned air and a damp rag. Though the lids silicone sealing ring can also retain smells, you can deodorize it or buy extras .

None of the pressure cookers we tested, including the Duo, cook rice as well as the Cuckoo CRP-G1015F electric pressure rice cooker . But the Duo is more all-purpose than a dedicated rice cooker, and it still makes fine rice that wed be happy to eat.

Weve never experienced an accident with hot steam on the Duo, and we think the new pressure-release switch is even safer to use. But you should still keep your face and hands away from the valve.

The electric heating element in the Instant Pot cant sear meat as well as stove-top techniques . For intense browning, sear meat in a separate pan on the stove, deglaze, and add the meat and drippings to the electric cooker. This process may kill your one-pot-dinner fantasies, but sometimes life is a compromise. If youre looking for more versatility, our upgrade picks inner pot is designed to work on most cooktops.

Why Buy A Pressure Cooker

The pressure cooker was invented in the mid-17th century. Since then, chefs and home cooks worldwide have used pressure cookers to transform tough cuts of meat into tender, juicy morsels in half the time. Beef stew, for example, which in an oven or stovetop takes three hours to be edible, takes less than an hour in a pressure cooker.

There are several reasons why you might want to purchase a pressure cooker:

  • Pressure cookers cut cooking time for everything by about two-thirds. So you could easily come home from work, toss a chicken into the pressure cooker, and have dinner ready 30 minutes later.
  • Nobody wants to cook roasts in summer. A pressure cooker doesnt heat up the kitchen, and if you use an electric pressure cooker, you can set it and forget it.
  • Imagine you get home and youve got a family to feed, but you forgot to defrost the pork chops. You can put those rock-solid chops into a pressure cooker, and by increasing the cook time by 10 minutes, youll have it on the table in no time.
  • Beans are a fiber-rich and nutritious addition to our diets, but the traditional method calls for soaking them overnight. You can combine dried beans and a few cups of water in a pressure cooker, and 50 minutes later, theyre done perfectly.

Instant Pot And Pressure Cooker Pros & Cons

Pros

The DUO60 6 qt 7-in-1$89 on Walmart

Through our research, the Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 is the best Instant Pot model in 2021.

It includes 14 smart preset programs, 6.5 Quart size/capacity, a stainless steel steaming rack, and 7 functions.

The 7-in-1 instant pot can speed up your cooking process by 2-6 times, and keeps the food warm for up to 24 hours, thanks to the automatic keep warm mode.

Also, it has 12 preset temperatures, which means you can expect some consistent cooking.

Its not the most versatile model, but its the best return for your money and costs 50% less than the newest Ultra 10-in-1.

However, there are only 2 colors to choose from, black and silver.

Best Stovetop Pressure Cooker Calphalon 6-quart Pressure Cooker

Calphalon 6 qt stovetop pressure cookerview on Walmart

Calphalon 1859693 is a high-end electric pressure cooker that is extremely easy to use. You can lock it with the touch of a button, and it reduces the cooking time by over 50%.

You can use this power pressure cooker on all kinds of stovetops, including induction, and it is stovetop and dishwasher-safe.

Also, using the pressure indicator, you can determine the cooking time easily.

Don’t Miss: Amazon Instant Pot Duo

Reheating Food In The Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker

Youll use the same pot-in-pot method listed above to reheat food in the Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker.

  • insert a trivet
  • add food youre reheating into a dish
  • use a sling to lower the dish onto the trivet If you use this sling, it works as your trivet and your sling.
  • use a 5 to 10 minute cook time, depending on what youre reheating

OK, thats it! Do you have any questions about cooking pot-in-pot? Leave me your questions in the comments!

Instant Pot Duo 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker

Instant Pot vs. Pressure Cooker Review

The second pressure cooker I own is the Instant Pot Duo 6 Quart 7-in-1. This was gifted to me by my husband after I hinted towards getting an additional pressure cooker to handle the additional cooking load now that I have a few more people in my household.

While I dont usually advocate for husbands getting their wives kitchen appliances as gifts, this was the exception. I was quite happy with his selection.

I like that it has 10+ built-in safety features, so I dont have to worry about my kids running into the kitchen and opening it up when they know Im baking a cheesecake.

It even has an overheat protection feature that automatically adjusts the heating intensity and duration of whatever Im cooking. That way, I never run the risk of finding the food in it burnt to a crisp.

Just like the Mueller, I like that it also combines several kitchen appliances in one. It is a pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, and sauté pan as well. After using it a couple of times, I noticed that it cooks food somewhat faster than the Mueller, but just by a few minutes.

All in all, I was pretty happy with it. The Instant Pot mobile app I downloaded was also a nice touch.

Don’t Miss: What Do You Use Instant Pot For

Instant Pot Vs Pressure Cooker An Introduction

It is a question I get asked a lotInstant pot vs pressure cookershould I be looking to get one. My answer is alwaysit dependsok. this may not be helpful to every body but it really depends on what you cook.

I spent the last two months has testing this contraption relentlessly so I have a lot of information to share with you, hopefully by the end of this post will be able to make an intelligent decision on whether you should buy an Instant pot, a stovetop pressure cooker. or neither.

Disadvantages Of Pressure Cookers

Pressure cookers do have some downsides which we need to talk about to give you a fair discussion, the most important being:

  • Longer cooking times: Pressure cookers lock the lid and only let out steam at specific intervals, which means it takes longer to cook food.Not as many features:
  • Bulkier: Unlike Instant Pots, pressure cookers are bulkier since theyre made with heavier materials, so theyre not as easy to move around.
  • Limited cooking options: The only thing a pressure cooker can do is cook food under pressure. The only way you can partially offset this is by getting a model that also has a slow cooker function.

Read Also: How Long To Cook Chicken Wings In Instant Pot

Pressure Cookers Have Been Around A Long Time But The Instant Pot Has Been Garnering A Lot Of Buzz Should You Give It A Shot Or Stick With What You Know

The Instant Pot has become the kitchens it product, with a devoted fan base obsessed with what the gadget can do. Its advertised as a fast-cooking, electric, programmable pressure cooker with lots of fun ways to use its many features. Love yours? Check out these Instant Pot-ready recipes.

Though you may have seen a traditional stovetop pressure cooker at your grandmothers house, this one is different. It can cook up a Sunday meal as tender as you rememberbut the cook time is where it really shines. If youre just getting around to looking seriously at the Instant Pot, here are some quick tips that you need to know about how its different from your Nanas stovetop pressure pot.

Comparison Of Slow Cooker Vs Instant Pot

instant pot vs pressure cooker

The slow cooker and the instant pot are two of the most popular brands of slow cookers in the United States. They both cook food for long periods of time and slow heat. This allows you to add flavor, but not so much that the food takes on a tough texture. If youre looking for a high-quality product, the slow cooker and instant pot are probably both great choices. They do have different qualities, however. The slow cooker is more practical for cooking one dish at a time, while the instant pot is more user-friendly for cooking multiple dishes at once. If youre more concerned with your food being tasty and nutritious, the instant pot may be the way to go. Its also more affordable than a slow cooker. This may be helpful if youre on a tight budget and dont want to spend a lot on a slow cooker. If youre looking for a product thats more economical, the slow cooker is likely a better choice than the instant pot.

Don’t Miss: Instant Pot Pot Replacement

Other Pressure Cooker Models

This article looked at the two basic models. Still, there are so many other Instant Pots out there with fabulous features and additional functionality such as:

Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 Air Fryer and Electric Pressure Cooker Combo – Looking for an air fryer? We can’t wait to try our Easy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges Recipe in this one! These fancier models feature those twisty air-fryer lids!

This is among the strong candidates for extra versatility since it roasts, bakes, dehydrates, pressure cooks, slow cooks, and steams. It also acts as a rice cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sauté pan, yogurt maker, sterilizer, and food warmer.

You only pay a little more for a few very cool additional functions. Comes in both 6-quart and 8-quart sizes.

Go smaller with the mini 3-quart size! If you’re looking for something smaller, the 3-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 sells for around $100. This usable size 3-quart Instant Pots are perfect for smaller apartments, couples, and making breakfast oatmeal, rice, and desserts.

Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 – this Instant Pot offers 10-in-1 functionality, including sous vide and cake baker. It’s the only multi-cooker with an inner pot with silicone handles that you can take from your Insta Pot to your stovetop. The 6-quart is similarly priced to the Instant Pot Duo 6-Quart. If you’re looking for different color options, this one is matte black.

Star Wars Fans can choose from these models:

Where Ninja Foodi Loses

There are fewer ways to “customize” your cooker needs here, both function-wise and size-wise. Despite what seems like 20 different Foodi models, only one pressure cookers. There’s less clear scaling up in terms of what each model can do, and cookers that are dedicated toaster ovens or air fryers are still just called the Foodi just with “XL” or “Deluxe” tacked onto the end. The true pressure cooking model only comes in 6.5 quarts or 8 quarts, skipping the mini 3-quart size that some Instant Pots come in.

While you can sometimes score an Instant Pot for as low as $50-ish if you’re fine with only six appliance functions, buying a Foodi locks you into spending $279.99 at full price or maybe $30 or $40 cheaper if you catch it on sale. And it’s a bummer that the Foodi costs so much and doesn’t even have a stainless steel insert. The ceramic isn’t as fragile as Teflon, but there are reports of chipping from the metal rack being pulled in and out. Some people also aren’t comfortable with their food chilling in a plastic-y coating for hours.

You May Like: Strainer For Instant Pot

Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer

This standout 11-in-1 pressure cooker was the first Instant Pot model to offer an air-frying function by way of a second air fryer lid. When youre done frying, you can simply switch back to the standard lid for pressure cooking, steaming, sautéing, and more. Like all Instant Pot models, this one comes with advanced safety features and access to a digital library of more than 1,000 Instant Pot recipes. The Instant Pot Duo Crisp even lets you broil, and until the Instant Pot Pro Crisp + Air Fryer came along, this model was the Ninja Foodis fiercest competitor.

Year released: 2019Built-in smart programs: 11Cooking functions: Pressure-cooking, slow-cooking, air-frying, steaming, sautéing, food-warming, sous videcooking, roasting, baking, broiling, and dehydratingSizes available: 6- and 8-quart Instant Pots

Where Instant Pot Loses

Best Pressure Cooker: Instant Pot Vs Ninja Foodi Vs Crock Pot

Giving credit where it’s due, Instant Pot has closed the air frying gap that once put it at a serious disadvantage. It not only offers a variety of crisping models that come with the air frying lid as well as the lid for separate purchase for anyone who already has an Instant Pot, but now offers a model with a single lid that can do it all without swapping lids. That’s nothing special compared to the latest Foodi, which has a similar lid. The way to beat the Foodi would have been to make the lid completely removable rather than making the same mistake of using hinges, which has always been irksome about the Foodi. Small point deduction for that.

The Duo Crisp with the Ultimate Lid is the most similar to the classic Foodi, so it makes the most sense to compare them. While Instant Home did upgrade to 6.5 quarts instead of its usual 6-quart, it doesn’t take as much advantage of the extra cooking space as Ninja does. It only includes one rack that makes it possible to cook two layers at once, while Ninja’s double-tiered rack can do three layers at a time.

Read Also: Instant Pot Duo 8qt 7 In 1 Pressure Cooker

Instant Pot Vs Pressure Cooker

After the invention of the pressure cooker, kitchens around the world were never quite the same. The pressure cooker is a time-saving appliance that not only saves you time but also money because it can cook foods up to 70% faster than traditional cooking methods. This means you have more time to spend with your family and friends while having dinner on the table in minutes! But with so many different models on the market, how do you know which one is right for your needs?

Read our blog post and find out what differences exist between an electric pressure cooker and an Instant Pot, as well as their similarities. Then make an informed decision about which model fits best into your life style!

Dont Be Afraid To Add Time

Since the trivet lifts foods up and away from the heating element on the bottom of the cooking pan, foods occasionally need an additional minute or two at high pressure. When first adjusting a recipe, I recommend starting with the original time listed in the different recipes and testing for doneness. For example, if I use a tall trivet when just cooking rice pot-in-pot, I will use a 4-minute cook time to make sure the rice cooks through.

Read Also: Instant Pot Air Fryer Recipies

What Is A Rice Cooker

On the other hand, a rice cooker is a kitchen appliance used to cook rice much quicker than stovetop cooking. Rice cookers are gadgets that perfectly cook rice automatically.

They come with a pot connected to a heating source and thermometer that monitors and changes the pots temperature, similar to slow cookers and pressure cookers. In addition, they have solid handles and a set of controls on the front of the appliance.

You wont need to supervise the rice cooker while cooking just like an Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Pros & Cons

Instant Pot vs Old Manual Stovetop Pressure Cooker + Pressure Cooking Black Beans

Instant Pot Pros and Cons â What You Need to Know Before Buying Instant Pot? It basically depends on how much room you have inside your kitchen. The kind of cooking you prefer. If you love to make stews then youâll love the large capacity of this appliance. Some Instant Pot Pros can even cook soup!

If you prefer to make stews and soups, then an electric Pressure Cooker is a must have. These instant pot pros can do everything from broiling to sauteing and saucing. They come in many different sizes and styles from the smaller 3-quart ones to the huge 12-quart models. The size of your Instant Pot will depend on what you are going to be cooking. If you simply want to make stews and soups, then the smaller the capacity, the better.

One of the great things about the Instant Pot is the fact that most of them come with a removable crock. This allows you to clean out all the mess that can build up in an Instant Pot. Most of the instant pot pros can even clean out the inner pot. If youâre cooking a large amount of stews and soups, then youâll want to purchase a more powerful model.

Cons

You May Like: How Does An Instant Pot Work

Is Buying Instant Pot A Smart Choice

I am all for it! Instant Pot is one of my kitchens most frequently used and convenient items. It is worth every penny. Plus, it is not as noisy! I know some do not mind the whistling sound of the pressure cooker. But the intelligent technology-driven method by which the instant pot works got me hooked.

If you choose between a conventional stovetop pressure cooker or an instant pot, I would recommend going for a smart choice of buying an instant pot.

Ninja Pressure Cooker Vs Instant Pot

Should you choose Ninja Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot? This is a question that most of us have and its all a matter of what you need and what features you expect. Each one of these is different and good in its own right. But at the end of the day what really matters is the value that you receive and the overall costs too. With that in mind, here are some things to consider.

Size

The Ninja Pressure Cooker is larger than the Instant Pot. However, in order to handle the extra space, the Ninja also requires more energy, and thats something that you need to keep in mind. Thankfully despite the size, there are no issues, so you never have to worry about problems that might arise from this type of stuff, which is a great thing and experience, to say the least.

Custom controls

When it comes to the Ninja Pressure Cooker vs Instant Pot debate, everyone has their favorites. The Ninja is a reversible version, so you can pressure cook or steam vegetables. And meat if you want to. The unit also has dual pressure levels, 5 temperature settings, and custom programming, it will stay warm up to 12 hours automatically as well. On the other hand, Instant Pot has a touchscreen and it can control the warmth, pressure level, temperature and time, you can also delay the start.

Cleaning

Pricing

Which is the best?

Don’t Miss: Instant Pot Or Ninja Foodi

Latest Recipes

More Recipes Like This