5 Reasons Why I Love My Instant Pot - 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking (2024)

FAQs

Why do people love Instant Pots? ›

It's a Workhorse for Meal Prepping & Big Batch Cooking

Because you can cook everything in one pot, it saves you time, money and effort. I love making cozy one-pot meals like Japanese curry, pulled pork and stews in the Instant Pot and freeze the leftovers for the week.

An instant pot might be a nice upgrade. Do you cook a lot of things that normally braise in the oven or cook on the stovetop for a long time? They cook much, much faster in a pressure cooker. That's really it's biggest advantage over a crock pot, it's much much faster.

Slow cookers and pressure cookers come in a variety of sizes up to eight quarts, but pressure cookers need extra room inside the pot for the steam to accumulate, which limits the batch size. If you have a large family or plan on making soups and stews you can store for later, you may be better served by a slow cooker.

It's not just a pressure cooker

First off, an Instant Pot isn't just an electric pressure cooker. As a true multicooker, it sears, browns and sautes food like a stove-top skillet. It also steams delicate items such as fish, eggs and vegetables. Instant Pots double as standalone electric rice cookers as well.

Cooking in an “instant pot” or pressure cooker is a great method for preparing your food on many levels — including the nutritional level, according to registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD. “Instant pot recipes are absolutely healthy as long as what you put in the recipe is healthy,” she says.

Yes, cooking in a pressure cooker is healthy as it uses steam to cook food, the insulated and sealed body does not allow the water to evaporate thus preserving the nutrients in the food. Pressure cookers do not require oil to cook making them even healthier.

So, in conclusion, slow cookers are great. They're a convenient, cost-effective, and versatile kitchen appliance that can be used to make a wide range of delicious meals with minimal effort. Whether you're cooking for your partner or entertaining guests, a slow cooker is nice to have in any kitchen.

A slow cooker, also known as a crock-pot (after a trademark owned by Sunbeam Products but sometimes used generically in the English-speaking world), is a countertop electrical cooking appliance used to simmer at a lower temperature than other cooking methods, such as baking, boiling, and frying.

Texture Results: Slow cookers excel in delivering soft, tender results, whereas air fryers are champions of crispiness. Health Factor: Air fryers use less oil than traditional frying methods, offering a healthier alternative.

As steam builds, pressure increases, driving the boiling point of water past 212°F (100°C). In general, this higher temperature shortens cooking times and, due to a lack of evaporation, extracts flavor more efficiently from foods.

Why is slow cooking so good? ›

The low heat used in slow cooking destroys fewer nutrients than high-heat cooking. Meat and other ingredients are also cooked more safely since any remaining bacteria are killed off by the steam and tightly sealed pot. Slow cooking is also an excellent way to cook legumes, which are a staple in many healthy diets!

Slow cooker benefits.

They use less electricity than an oven and can be used year-round. Because of the long, low-temperature cooking, slow cookers help tenderize less-expensive cuts of meat. They usually allow for one-step preparation; putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker saves time and reduces cleanup.

Con– It is an electronic appliance and depending on which model you have there can be “tech” problems and error messages not to mention venting issues, sealing issues, delayed timer issues and liquids spewing up out of the steam vent forcefully enough to hit the ceiling.

These humble yet mighty appliances can pressure and slow cook, roast, bake, steam, air fry, dehydrate and so much more at just a press of a button. It's also faster than conventional cooking and requires very little oil, so it is considered the more 'healthier' option for cooking tasty meals.

Reduced Cooking Time

Pressure cookers use steam and heat inside a sealed pot to quickly produce rich flavors. In fact, food can be cooked up to 70% faster than conventional cooking methods. It can cook chicken from frozen in a little over 5 minutes or make tender and juicy pot roast in under an hour.

As NPR reported, sales of “electronic multicooker devices” (a large chunk of which are Instant Pots) hit $758 million in 2020. But those numbers weren't tenable. Sales in the category dropped by half by 2022, and in the first quarter of 2023, Instant Brands' sales dropped 22 percent compared to last year.

They are most commonly used in industrial settings to quickly prepare meat or stocks. However, in most scenarios, Elite Chefs avoid using pressure cookers because they provide less control over the final dish. Chefs often prefer slow cooking techniques that accentuate and pull out the flavors of the food.

The average lifespan of an Instant Pot ranges from 2-5 years, but it can last longer depending on how often it's used and how well-maintained it is. So it's safe to say Instant Pots aren't commonly being replaced, and may even be a one-time purchase.

Instant Pots will draw different amounts of energy based on the setting. For pressure cooking, a standard 6-quart model will draw about 1,000 watts or one-third the energy draw of a big oven. Knowing this, we can determine that in New York State, it will cost you about 17 cents per hour to pressure cook.