Have you ever wondered How to Choose Between Instant Pot, Crock-Pot & Pressure Cooker?
400;”>Instant Pot, Crock-Pot, and pressure cookers, all of these three seem to be creating a crazy buzz everywhere from YouTube to Pinterest with all the recipes you can create with them.
But the question is, do you need all three of them in your kitchen? Let’s find out.
What is an Instant Pot?
Instant Pots are being talked about right now because they’re known and considered to be the modern-day pressure cooker.
An Instant Pot is just like your mom’s good old pressure cooker but with some additional nifty features. With an Instant Pot, you can steam, saute, slow cook, make yogurt, and a whole lot more.
It also has safety features on the inside that allow it to cook under pressure without, well… exploding.
Here are some of our favorite Instant Pot Recipes:
- Lemon Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Breast
- Instant Pot Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree
- Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
- Dulche de Leche Instant Pot Recipe
- Instant Pot Curry Chicken and Vegetables
- Instant Pot Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake
What is a Crock-Pot?
Crock-Pots have been around since the 1950s so you may actually consider the Crock-Pot as the older version of an Instant Pot.
What it does is slowly cooks your food by keeping it at a constant temperature. Most people actually enjoy the fact that they can toss some food in it in the morning and it’ll be ready by the time they get home from work.
This slow cooking process is the best for making roasts and soups. However, you only have two options with it: cooking things slowly with low heat or cooking things slowly with high heat.
Here are some of our favorite Instant Pot Recipes:
- Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
- Crock Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Crock Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Crock Pot Spiral Sliced Glazed Ham
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup
- Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup
What is a pressure cooker?
The pressure cooker is the oldest among these three as pressure cooking was invented way back in the 1600s.
With a pressure cooker, you can cook rice in just a few minutes. It can also cook those tough veggies like beans and chickpeas in under an hour.
There are stovetop pressure cookers and electric pressure cookers. The good thing with stovetop pressure cookers is that they are better at browning meats and they become pressurized faster than the electric models.
What are the differences?
An old-fashioned stovetop pressure cooker can last much longer than the Instant Pot or the Crock-Pot. But it will require more of your undivided attention when using it.
With an Instant Pot, you can pretty much automate everything. Compared to the Crock-Pot, an Instant Pot has a lot more features, as well.
But to someone unfamiliar with an Instant Pot, it can be intimidating and all the options can make it confusing.
A Crock-Pot is cheaper compared to an Instant Pot, and an electric pressure cooker. Instant Pots will help you cook food faster but a Crock-Pot is simpler to use.
Which one is the best
Deciding which to go with or all three is really up to your needs and habits. You may be after the convenience that the Instant Pot brings, or the ease of use and familiarity that the Crock-Pot offers, or you may prefer the tried and true stovetop pressure cooker.
Between the 3, the Instant Pot does more and also covers most of what the other 2 do. It would seem for convenience, space in the kitchen (compared to having all 3), and price the Instant Pot would be the winner.
Do you have one or all three? Share in the comments below.
