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Buying one of the best Instant Pot(opens in a new tab) is one of the best kitchen decisions you will ever make. It is one of the best-selling kitchen gadgets in the world and has almost as many imitators as it has die-hard fans.
If you’re not familiar with the Instant Pot, it’s a programmable electric pressure cooker that has gone viral on the internet, spawning endless articles and recipe guides and turning people like your authors into Instant Pot evangelists. But is this a case of propaganda over practicality?
At first glance, this seems to be the case: even the cheapest Instant Pot is significantly more expensive than a traditional pressure cooker. But the Instant Pot has several important advantages in terms of security, flexibility, and capacity. But before we know what it is, it’s important to understand what pressure cooking is and why it’s great.
Pressure cookers have a much older history than the Instant Pot: the first household pressure cooker went on sale in 1945, but the Instant Pot didn’t go on sale until 2010. Essentially, however, they both use the same science: if you cook food at very high pressure, you can get the same results in a fraction of the time. So, for example, a casserole or chili that you can slow cook for hours can be pressure cooked in less than an hour and melt in your mouth deliciously.
To increase pressure, a pressure cooker or instant pot has an airtight seal to keep steam from escaping (and a valve to let it out when you’re done or the pressure is too high; without a valve, there’s a real risk of an explosion). ) The pressure will raise the boiling point of the water, reducing evaporation and extracting more flavor from the food.
Whether you use a traditional stovetop pressure cooker or a slow cooker, the result is the same: cook delicious food in less than 1/4 of the usual cooking time. But the Instant Pot isn’t just for cooking.
One of the biggest differences here is that the Instant Pot is programmable: you can set it up and leave it. There is still a small risk of applying too much pressure and exploding the cookware on the stove, but the Instant Pot doesn’t have that danger. It also has different pressure settings so you can set it to low pressure like soup and high pressure when you are in a hurry.
But another key difference between an Instant Pot and a pressure cooker is that the Instant Pot is not just a pressure cooker. This is a multifunctional rice cooker. It has programs for frying, rice, yogurt… It’s a one-pot cooking system that saves time and means less dishwashing. So, for example, when your writer is making soup, it’s all done in the Instant Pot: Saute the vegetables, bring to a boil, bring to a boil to blend the flavors, and keep it warm after cooking. Or, if peppers are on the menu, the Instant Pot can sear the beef, tenderize the beans, and simmer to perfection.
Depending on the Instant Pot model you choose, you can also convert it into other types of cookware. The Instant Pot Pro can cook sous-vide by soaking vacuum-packed food in warm water for an incredibly soft finish, and the Crisp model has an extra lid that turns the Instant Pot into a deep fryer so you can also fry in oil. ” food.
Another great thing about a programmable pressure cooker is that you can set it to work when you’re not around (with the exception of some programs like stewing). This makes it great to set and forget so you can enjoy a delicious meal when you get back from college or work.
The main benefit of a traditional pressure cooker is that it can deliver higher pressures than the most expensive pressure cookers, so it cooks faster: most pressure cookers have a maximum pressure of 12 psi, and traditional pressure cookers can go as high as 15 psi. More pressure means higher boiling point and faster cooking.
The main advantages of the Instant Pot are ease of use, convenience and safety: it’s a great all-rounder, it’s very easy to use, very reliable, and it has a removable, dishwasher-safe pot (although it’s better to hold it in your hands). erase)). You can also save the user program if the presets do not meet your requirements.
The main downside is the price: the cheapest basic pressure cooker we can find on Amazon is around $50/£40/AU$115, and even the cheapest Instant Pot is the 3-qt/3-litre Instant Pot Duo (in new tab). Open in)) – $59 in the US, £69 in the UK (currently not on sale in Australia).
The good news is that as capacity increases, price increases become much smaller. The 8 quart / 8 liter Duo Instant Pot (opens in a new tab) currently retails for $79 / £109 / $188.
It’s also worth noting that the Instant Pot’s viral popularity means you’ll see big discounts during any major sales like Prime Day, Black Friday, and other seasonal sales.
Another downside is that, with the exception of the Mini model, Instant Pots are huge: the 6-quart/5.7-liter Pro is about 13 inches/33 cm tall and the same width, while the 8-quart / The 8-litre model is just over 14 inches / 36 cm tall.
Whether you buy a stovetop pressure cooker, a pressure cooker, or a similar multi-purpose pot, you’ll be amazed at what you can cook: Even something as simple as an egg can be delicious when pressure-cooked. But the choice largely depends on what you want to cook and how much space you have.
A stovetop pressure cooker is fairly simple, but that simplicity also limits what you can do with it: unless you pressure cook often, it’s a big, heavy pot that you’ll need to store somewhere. The instant pot is larger and heavier, but its flexibility means it is used more often than it is cleaned; ours has been in use for almost a week and has been sitting on the kitchen counter all the time.
Whether you’re a tired parent, student, or someone who wants to come back after a long day with a delicious meal waiting for them, the Instant Pot is here to buy: it’s a really great and useful multifunctional cookware that can do amazing things. But if you already have a slow cooker, like the best air fryer(opens in a new tab), an oven, or you just love doing old-fashioned things, a stovetop pressure cooker is easier, faster, and more affordable. But no matter which option you choose, you will love the result.
Author, TV presenter, musician, and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall (Twitter) has been writing about technology since 1998, giving sage advice and quirky opinions to various magazines and websites, and has written dozens of books. Her memoir Carrie Kills a Man will be published in November 2022. She is the lead singer of the Glasgow rock band HAVR.
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Post time: Aug-18-2022