Having a pressure cooker in your kitchen can help you cook food real quick. You just need to add ingredients into the cooker and cover it with the lid and put it on the stove. With the rise in temperature, the pressure that builds inside the cooker begins to raise the boiling point of the water with the steam trapped inside the cooker. This whole process ensures lesser cooking time compared to other cooking methods. Pressure cookers have been a common kitchen commodity for the past many decades now.
Moreover, pressure cooker manufacturing companies have also made numerous changes in the design and operational style of cookers over the years. Now, this is the era of electric pressure cookers, which aren’t just used to pressure cook the food, but also slow cook, steam and sauté, etc. Moreover, electric pressure cookers are packed with useful features that ensures fast and efficient cooking along with foolproof safety of the users.
If you were planning to buy an electric pressure cooker for your kitchen, then it’ll be better if you read Best electric pressure cooker reviews consumer reports because doing that will educate you about the product in the best way and you will have just five products to choose from.
Reviews Of 5 Best Electric Pressure Cookers
1. Instant Pot LUX60V3 V3 6 Qt 6-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot sells more electric pressure cookers than any other brand simply because it has found the right formula to make a perfect electric pressure cooker. Now, take a look at this cooker, it’s a 6-in-1 unit, which means, it can carry out the work of six appliances, so if you want to use it as a pressure cooker, then that’s the most common mode, but besides that, you can use it as a steamer, rice cooker, slow cooker, warmer and for sautéing. You can also cook eggs and bake cakes in this cooker, which is why it gets full marks in terms of versatility.
With the inclusion of 10 built-in programs, you can prepare a number of your favorite dishes in no time, as you just need to press a button and the cooker will start preparing the dish without you having to intervene or babysit during the cooking process. Made with stainless steel, you don’t have to worry about the durability of the cooker, as it is stronger than most electric pressure cookers that are available on the market, plus the stainless steel accessories also ensure even heat distribution during the cooking process.
The inclusion of a delay timer allows you to cook the food when you want it. You can delay the cooking process for up to 24 hours, which is incredible. Moreover, the company has incorporated 10 safety mechanisms to prevent any mishaps.
2. Mealthy MultiPot 6 Quarts, 9-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker
This electric pressure cooker is also used for cooking food in different styles. Besides pressure-cooking, steaming, slow cooking, rice cooking and warming pre-cooked meals, you can use this cooker for sautéing, pasteurizing and making yogurt. This is a 6-quart cooker, so if yours is a nuclear family, then this cooker is ideal for you. Sporting a stainless steel steamer basket, this cooker allows you to separate dishes that are being cooked inside the cooker simultaneously. Using this cooker is super easy, thanks to the 14 easy-touch programs that lets you cook a host of meals in a short period of time.
The company has developed a mobile application that you can download in order to get a list of easy-to-cook recipes crafted for this electric pressure cooker. So, sign up for the app and get all the interesting stuff right in your phone. As you sign up for the app, you get a 1-year warranty on the cooker as well. Coming to the accessories that come along with the cooker, then those include a rice paddle, a ladle, steam rack, steamer basket, silicone gasket, and a measuring cup.
3. Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker
Ideal for a family of 4-6 people, this electric pressure cooker is also a multi-purpose cooker allowing you to use it as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, warmer and yogurt maker, etc. Sporting a simplified control panel with 14 built-in smart programs, you can create a variety of dishes with ease. A microprocessor has been installed in the cooker that monitors pressure, temperature, time and adjusts heat intensity.
You can change the pressure for cooking depending upon the type of food that is being cooked inside the cooker. Similarly, the temperature can be adjusted according to the type of dish. As far as the safety features are concerned, then the company has taken all possible measures to ensure the safety of users. The inclusion of a pressure regulator makes sure that the meals are cooked at safe pressures. Along with that, the cooker sports a lid detection sensor, leaky lid detection, anti-blockage vent, and a safety lid.
4. Cuisinart CPC-600 6 Quart 1000 Watt Electric Pressure Cooker
The name of Cuisinart is taken with great respect when talking about electric pressure cookers because this company is known for making quality cookers. The one in the discussion is a 6 quarts cooker, which is ideal for a family of 4-6 people. I really like the fact that this cooker has been made using quality and safe materials, thus preventing any health risk while ensuring the nutritious value of the food. To control different functions of the cooker, a side panel has been installed with easy-to-read digital display.
Once the desired temperature and pressure are reached, the cooker turns off the power supply, courtesy of a precision thermostat that installed in the cooker, thus making the cooker energy efficient and money saver. You can hold and move the cooker even when it is piping hot, thanks to the cool touch handles. When it comes to cleaning, you can clean the inner pot and accessories in a dishwasher.
5. Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt 10-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker
Another feature packed electric pressure cooker by Instant Pot. This cooker comprises of many cutting-edge features, which will make your cooking experience memorable. You can make use of the innovative dial to select programs and cooking modes. If you want to set a program as per your personal preference, then this cooker has an option to do so. This cooker is equipped with 3rd generation technology and a highly efficient processor that ensures consistent results. With an option to choose from 10 functions, you can make many of your favorite dishes in a short period of time. The cooker is smart enough to monitor the temperature, pressure and time, so you don’t have to babysit your food. Overall, an excellent cooker for a nuclear family.
Advantages Of Using An Electric Pressure Cooker
Electric pressure cookers are famous for a reason. If you want to know the real advantages of using an electric pressure cooker, then read on:
- Cooking on high temperatures: The cooking is done at higher temperatures in an electric pressure cooker as compared to traditional cooking methods. In traditional cooking methods, the boiling point of water gets up to a maximum of 100 degrees Celsius regardless of how much more heat you supply to the vessel. That has changed in electric pressure cookers due to the locked lid, which helps build the pressure inside the cooker causing the temperature of water to raise up to 121 degrees Celsius. What this does is, this help cook the food quicker, thus saving up to 70 percent of fuel while cooking. Electric pressure cookers are nothing like conventional stovetop cookers because these cookers are sleek, full of features and energy efficient.
- No Babysitting: Electric pressure cookers give you the freedom to carry out other tasks while the food is cooked inside the cooker, which is not possible in traditional stovetop cookers. This has happened due to the use of the ½ cup of water, which discharge less steam and require a single heat adjustment. The superheated steam that is produced inside the cooker under high pressure also ensures the authentic flavors in the food.
- The Health Factor: Another reason why you should be using an electric pressure cooker is its ability to keep the food healthy. As the food is prepared using steam, all the fat in the food is cooked and drained away. Some food experts even believe that the superheated steam produced inside the pressure cooker increases the natural flavors of the food, thus making the food taste a lot better.
How To Choose The Best Electric Pressure Cooker?
There are a few factors that you need to consider when buying an electric pressure cooker, which are:
- Safety Features: Electric pressure cookers can get piping hot due to superheated steam that is produced inside the cooker, so it is must for electric pressure cooker manufacturing companies to incorporate significant safety measures to avoid any catastrophic event from taking place. You should invest in an electric pressure cooker that comes with release valves, release vents, secure lid locks, pressure indicators, and tight-fitting lids.
- Materials Used In Construction: Electric pressure cookers are either made of up aluminum or stainless steel. Where aluminum electric pressure cookers are more affordable than the stainless steel ones, they are less durable too because of aluminum stains and warps during the cooling process. Whereas, stainless steel is expensive, but is more efficient when it comes to cooking, as it distributes heat more evenly than aluminum pressure cookers.
- Capacity: Electric pressure cookers come in different sizes, so you need to identify the right size seeing the size of your family and their food consumption habits. For a family of four, a 6 quarts cooker will do the job and you can increase or decrease the size according to that equation. A point worth mentioning here is that a large cooker will take more time to cook because the time taken by it to generate sufficient steam and pressure will be more than a small cooker.
- Ignore Non-Stick Inner Pots: While non-stick surfaces are good for pans, but when it comes to pressure cookers, they aren’t. Reason being, the high temperatures at which the electric pressure cookers operate, which will peel off the non-stick layer and render the cooker useless. Moreover, non-stick accessories are not that easy to clean.
- Dishwasher Safe: With dishwashers becoming a common kitchen utility in the US, it’ll be good if you choose an electric pressure cooker that can be washed in a dishwasher, and I mean only the lid and accessories of the cooker and not the electric part.
- Heat Resistant Handles: As electric pressure cookers producing superheated steam, you don’t want to get in contact with the cooker and burn your hand. Therefore, look for a cooker that comes with heat resistant handles using which you can easily hold and move the cooker.
- Additional Features: If an electric pressure cooker has features like multiple built-in cooking programs, recipe booklets, cooking instructions and tips, cooling racks and steamer baskets, then your cooking experience becomes a lot more exciting.
Wrapping Up
There is no doubt that an electric pressure cooker makes the entire cooking process effortless. The only thing that you should be worried about is the electric pressure cooker that you need to buy. You don’t have to go through hundreds of products that are available on the market when I’ve shortlisted the five best electric pressure cooker reviews by consumer reports. You can pick any from the aforementioned list, as they all are top-selling products on numerous e-commerce portals.
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