Pressure cookers have been around for a long time (first introduced in the 19th century) but it seems like the hype cooled down for a long period of time only to return stronger than before. With the return of the pressure cooker came a bunch of different variations and, to be honest, it has caused quite a bit of confusion.
In this article, we’ll focus on the difference between pressure cookers and Instant Pots.
What’s the difference between a pressure cooker and an Instant Pot?
An Instant Pot and a Pressure Cooker are basically the same. Instant Pot is a famous brand of electric pressure cookers. Compared to regular stovetop pressure cookers, the Instant Pot comes with more presets, such as slow cooking, rice cooking, browning, and yogurt making – features that other electric pressure cookers also may have.
Considering the fact that you’re reading this article, I bet you’re familiar with electric pressure cookers, the third generation of pressure cookers. If you’re not, well, let me introduce you.
The electric pressure cooker is the more advanced version of the regular stovetop pressure cooker. Instead of placing it over the stove to generate heat, the electric pressure cooker uses its own internal heating source to come to a boil. The only thing you need to get going is an outlet to plug the appliance into.
Is an Instant Pot the Same Thing as an Electric Pressure Cooker?
Yes, the Instant Pot is basically an electric pressure cooker with the ability to cycle additional cooking modes, regulate temperature and pressure automatically with the help of sensors, and cook the juiciest meat you’ll ever eat.
With a state of the art digital control display, the Instant Pot can be controlled and programmed to perform a plethora of different tasks – with very little effort from the user.
In fact, the Instant Pot can monitor pressure and temperature with sensors and then make automatic adjustments when needed.
The heating element in the Instant Pot can activate periodically thanks to its ability to monitor levels. When levels are dropping, the Instant Pot signals the heating element to start producing heat to up the levels – when the desired levels are reached, the heating element goes into a standby mode.
While other electric pressure cookers can do this, the regular stovetop pressure cooker does not automate this process at all. It comes equipped with a gauge that indicates pressure and temperature levels – the user then has to keep track of the levels and make manual adjustments from there.
How do Instant Pots and Pressure Cookers Work?
Steam-powered machines are quite fascinating – ever since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve used steam to produce energy. It’s an awesome thing to be able to harness energy from water heated to its boiling point. In our modern, technologically developed society, steam is still used for certain procedures – pressure cooking is one of those.
Electric pressure cookers and regular stovetop pressure cookers would not be able to do what they do without steam pressure, however, they have different characteristics and ways of getting there.
Electric Pressure Cookers & Instant Pots
Electric pressure cookers (and Instant Pots) can be seen as two components, the container where all the ingredients are added and the lid that seals to the container when the internal pressure of the container rises.
When powered, the electric pressure cooker activates its internal heating element which heats the vessels contents. As they are heated, the liquids inside the container start producing steam. Because the container and the lid are sealed shut, the pressure cannot escape – this causes the pressure inside the pressure cooker to increase.
The increased pressure causes the boiling point of water inside the vessel to increase. At sea-level, water boils at 212F/100C but in a pressure cooker with higher levels of pressure, water can boil at temperatures as high as 250F/121C.
The increased pressure also forces heat and moist into the foods, as it has nowhere else to go. These two things in combination are the reason why pressure cookers can cut cooking times by up to 75% in comparison to other traditional methods of cooking.
When finished cooking, the pressure cooker must depressurize before opening the lid. There are two ways of doing this.
- Natural release: Naturally releasing pressure from the cooker is done by just letting it sit for a while when finished cooking.
- Quick release: Switch the venting option from Sealed to Venting or Quick release and the valve will let out a jet of steam – this will depressurize the cooker quickly.
*While the pressure cooker is sealed shut – it can still let out steam throughout the process to ensure that the pressure inside the cooker doesn’t get too high. This is a safety mechanism.
How are Instant Pots and Regular Pressure Cookers Different?
Regular stovetop pressure cookers and Instant Pots are quite different in many ways.
Regular Stovetop Pressure Cookers
- Heated with an external source
- Operated manually
- Can only pressure cook
- Does not have a digital control panel
- Can reach higher levels of pressure (15psi vs 11.6 psi) which makes it slightly faster
Instant Pots
- Internal heating source
- Once a program is started the Instant Pot will take care of itself.
- Can act as many other appliances
- Comes with a digital control panel that allows the user to make adjustments, set a delay timer, and pick presets suitable for certain foods.
- Automatically shuts off when finished
- If unsafe conditions are detected, the Instant Pot will stop powering the heating element
Is an Instant Pot Better Than a Regular Pressure Cooker?
My experience with these appliances tells me that the Instant Pot is a much more versatile and convenient tool than the regular pressure cooker is. To have an appliance that can be left unattended (which I don’t recommend) and still produce great results has simplified my everyday life even further.
There’s nothing wrong with stovetop pressure cookers though, they can still deliver and they do it rather quickly. However, when compared to the amount of value you get from an Instant Pot, the stovetop pressure cooker gets less attractive.
If you already own a stovetop pressure cooker and can’t justify the purchase of another kitchen appliance then you’ll be fine with the stovetop pressure cooker, but if you’re in the middle of making a purchase I would seriously recommend the Instant Pot or any other advanced electric pressure cooker.
Is an Instant Pot Safer Than a Stovetop Pressure Cooker?
It is understandable that there is some concern regarding these appliances, primarily because of the fact that we’re combining high temperatures and high pressure. In the case of an explosion – the consequences could be devastating.
But selling a potentially harmful product is no easy task. Which I bet is one of the reasons why manufacturers have spent a lot of time and money developing these appliances to ensure that they are as safe as possible.
The Instant Pot is much safer than most regular pressure cookers, but it can still cause harm if handled without care. The Instant Pot, like all other pressure cookers, must release steam during and after cooking.
The steam that blasts out of the appliance is extremely hot and will burn anything it comes in contact with – users must, therefore, be very cautious around the Instant Pot too.
Some people may worry about a pressure cooker exploding. Well, this should not happen because our modern pressure cookers can release pressure, adjust the temperature, and shut off if unsafe conditions are detected. It may still be smart to make sure that the release hole isn’t clogged up when cooking – as the pressure inside the cooker will build up to very high levels if it is.
Generally speaking, modern pressure cookers and Instant Pots are safe to use but should still be handled with care.
Does an Instant Pot Cook Faster Than a Pressure Cooker?
Instant Pots, stovetop pressure cookers and, electric pressure cookers are all praised for their ability to cook food in less time than almost every other method of cooking. Thanks to the increased pressure, anything inside the vessel will cook faster than it would on a stovetop or in an oven where pressure doesn’t build up.
Most electric pressure cookers (including the Instant Pot) only reach 10-12psi (pounds per square inch) while regular stovetop pressure cookers can reach 15psi. This means that the traditional pressure cooker is quicker than the electric variations such as the Instant Pot.
If speed is your only concern, then the stovetop pressure cooker is the way to go.
Can You Use Instant Pot Recipes in a Pressure Cooker?
You can cook instant pot recipes in a pressure cooker as long as they’re suited for the pressure cooking function in the instant pot. Regular pressure cookers don’t come with the same set of features.
Instead, they’re often restricted to pressure cooking and if the recipe calls for a feature that’s common in an electric pressure cooker, the regular cooker might not be suitable for it.
But in most cases, an Instant Pot recipe can be used in an electric pressure cooker with great success. The same recipes can also be cooked using a regular stovetop pressure cooker but you’re somewhat restricted as those models only come with one function – pressure cooking.
Are ALL Instant Pots Pressure Cookers?
Both yes and no. Yes, all Instant Pots are pressure cookers, but they’re also so much more than that. They are pressure cookers in the sense that they come with a pressure cooking-function, but that’s just a part of the features that they have installed.
Instant Pots are also rice cookers, slow cookers, and yoghurt makers. This combination of features makes the Instant Pot a very useful device with a wide variety of options.
This isn’t unique for the Instant Pot but the brand has definitely made its mark. This can be quite obvious by the fact that a lot of recipes call for an Instant Pot specifically, when there’s a bunch of other brands producing units that have the same type of functions.
They’re the go-to brand for pressure cookers and the like. Let me rephrase that; they’re the brand that comes to mind when I think of such devices. Depending on where you live, other brands may dominate the market.
Is the Instant Pot a Good Pressure Cooker?
The multi-cooker and all of its features can be blinding. The hype regarding the Instant Pot and all of its capabilities can make it feel like you need it. I doubt that Instant Pot themselves have to spend money on marketing these days as most cooking bloggers keep namedropping them.
Some people do, however, have doubts regarding the Instant Pot. I think their doubts stem from the thought that something that’s capable of doing a lot of things will do these things decently, while an item that’s made for one thing will excel at that thing.
The truth is that I’ve been able to achieve everything I had hoped for with the Instant Pot and I can recommend it for all of its features.