Saving Time & Energy

Electric pressure cookers are energy efficient kitchen appliances, second only to microwaves. There are two major factors that contribute to Instant Pot’s energy efficiency:

The cooking chamber (the inner pot) is fully insulated, so the cooker does not need to exert as much energy to heat up. Pressure cookers require significantly less liquid than traditional cooking methods, so it will boil faster.

Compared to other cooking methods, such as baking, boiling, or steaming, pressure cooking can reduce your cook time & energy usage by up to 70%.

Retain Vitamins & Nutrients

Boiling (as well as regular steaming) can cause water-soluble vitamins to leech out of food, diminishing their nutritional value. Pressure cookers cook food quickly, deeply and evenly, and may allow foods to retain up to 90% of those water-soluble vitamins.

Preserve Food’s Appearance and Taste

Cooking in open containers (yes, even ones with a lid) exposes food to oxygen and heat, which can lead to dulled colors and diminished flavor. Pressure cooking saturates food with steam, allowing the retention of bright colors and phytochemicals. Similarly, the airtight design enables flavors to develop faster, and more profoundly.

Eliminate Harmful Microorganisms

By creating an environment that permits water to boil at higher than 100°C (212°F), pressure cookers are exceptional in their multi-faceted ability to effectively destroy harmful bacteria.

Use it as a sterilization tool for jars or baby bottles, or for treating water.

Pressure cookers can also be used to neutralize various naturally occurring toxins, such as phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin found in red kidney beans. Phytohaemagglutinin poisoning can occur from ingesting as little as 5 undercooked kidney beans, but pressure cooking for 10 minutes has been proven to reduce haemagglutinating units (the toxic agent) to safe levels.

Another example are aflatoxins, a mold-based mycotoxin that can occur when rice, wheat, corn, and beans are improperly stored and exposed to humidity. Boiling alone does not fully destroy aflatoxins, but a 2006 study by Korean researchers found that pressure cooking temperatures were sufficient to reduce aflatoxin concentrations to safe levels.