Quick, compact and easy to use–there’s a lot to love about the pressure cooker. Pressure cookers make cooking quicker, more straight-forward and more nutritious. With our busy lifestyles, fast and convenient cooking is essential. If you find yourself too tired to cook after a busy day at work, or too hungry to wait around for dinner, the pressure cooker is your new best friend.
Pressure cookers cook food under pressure (hence the name!) and take far less time to cook your food than conventional cooking. From stews to rice to roasts, pressure cookers can cook almost anything, and fast. Whether you want a pressure cooker for best stew or to perfect your pulled pork recipe, or are looking for a speedy and low-hassle way to cook after a long day, pressure cookers are a great solution. Read our pressure cooker buying guide to find out more about this popular cooking tool.
How Does a Pressure Cooker Work?
So, what is a pressure cooker? It’s a sealed pot with a valve to control pressure. The pressure cooker works by building up steam under pressure, helping your food cook faster. The pot is shut so tights, so heating a small amount of liquid in means steam cannot escape, heating your food faster. Pressure cookers use steam pressure to cook food fast and thoroughly, delivering soft, tender vegetables and meat. Fill your pressure cooker with chopped vegetables, legumes, meat–whatever you like–and add a small amount of water.
With all cooking appliances and cookware come pros and cons. Pressure cookers cook food significantly faster than ordinary saucepans. Since only a small amount of water is needed, your food will stay nutritious, as nutrients usually get dissolved in the water while cooking. This makes pressure cooking healthier and more nutritious compared to regular cooking.
Types of Pressure Cookers
Pressure cookers come in the form of an electric appliance or cookware for the stove. Whether you buy a pressure cooker pot or an electric pressure cooker depends on what you’re after.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker
Stovetop pressure cookers are efficient, reliable and affordable. They may not be as tech-savvy as their electric counterpart, but if you’re after cookware that will deliver tender food cooked fast without the high price tag, a stovetop pressure cooker is a great choice.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Pros & Cons
Pros
- Can be used as regular pots without the lid
- Made of stainless steel, making them durable
- Precise temperature control–you decide the temperature and pressure
- Budget-friendly
- Compact
Cons
- Takes longer to get the hang of
- Requires some trial and error to get the pressure and temperature right
- Can’t leave unattended and must stay by to ensure it doesn’t lose pressure
Electric Pressure Cooker
Electric pressure cookers are a popular choice, as they come with advanced features to make cooking easier and more straightforward.
Electric Pressure Cooker Pros & Cons
Pros
- Simple, straightforward and easy to use
- Safe
- Programmed cooking temperatures and presets
- High and low pressure settings
- Built-in timer
- Portable
- Often come with additional cooking presets like saute, slow cook and steam
Cons
- Less durable than stovetop pressure cookers
- More expensive, with pricey replacement parts
- Large and often hard to store
- Cooks at a lower pressure than stovetop pressure cookers overall
What to Look For
There a few things to consider when buying a pressure cooker-namely, the safety features, size and capacity, presets and pressure settings.
Size
If you want to buy an electric pressure cooker, consider how much bench space you have free. Electric pressure cookers are usually large, bulky appliances and you will need adequate bench and storage space.
Capacity
Think about the meals you want to cook–will you be meal-prepping for the whole week or cooking for your family, or just cooking one or two servings at a time? Are you cooking large cuts of meats or vegetable stews? Both stovetop and electric pressure cookers are available in different capacities.
Additional features
Some electric pressure cookers are multi-use and come with additional features and preset functions to stew, cook rice, steam and slow cook. If you want an appliance that does it all, look for an electric pressure cooker with multi-use functions.
Quick steam release valve
With a quick steam release valve, you can quickly release steam from the pressure cooker. A steam release valve means you don’t need to allow additional cool-down time when you have finished cooking.
Locking mechanism
Look for a pressure cooker with over one locking lids for additional safety.
Pressure indicator
A pressure indicator is a safety feature, signalling when it’s safe to open your pressure cooker.
Pressure settings
The higher the pressure, the quicker it takes to cook a meal. With adjustable pressure settings, you can choose how long your food cooks.
