Instant Pot v Crock Pot. Which is better and Why?

Click To Buy Here

In the kitchen, efficiency is everything. That’s exactly why we spend so much time scouring the Internet for the most up-to-date and advanced kitchen appliances, right?

Two relatively new kitchen appliances to appear on the scene are the “Instant Pot”, and the “Crock Pot”. Today, we’re going to go through some benefits of each appliance, and decide on which one can make life more convenient for you in the kitchen.

If you have heard of an Instant Pot, or a Crock Pot, read below to find out more about how they can make your cooking less “hands-on”, and leave you with more time to focus on what matters most.

And if you’ve never heard of them, you can find our definitions, along with the advantages and disadvantages below.

All set? Let’s get right into it.

What is an Instant Pot?



https://amzn.to/2ObZKOa

What is an instant pot? That’s a very good question. However, the answer is not quite as simple as you might think. That’s because it would probably be much quicker for me to tell you what exactly an instant pot is not. Because. It. Can. Do. Everything.

This instant pot electric pressure cooker is highly versatile, it can do the job of a pressure cooker, sauté pan, slow cooker, steamer and much more. It can save countless amounts of both kitchen space and money over the long term with its convenience and utility.

If you have only just been introduced to an instant pot for the first time, then it is no surprise that you may find yourself growing a little skeptical over the magic of this machine. You might wonder about how one appliance can be designed to *easily* cook both your rice, and your cake.

It may sound too good to be true. But fear not. The magic in this Instant Pot 6 Quart machine lies in its versatile range of programs and presets. Meaning you can cook a wide range of delicious meals all from the one spot. Whether it be rice, vegetables, eggs or cake. Your Instant Pot can do it all.

What is a Crock Pot?



Click Here To Buy

A Crock Pot is very similar to a slow, cooker, but with some small differences. The Crock itself is a container with all types of heating elements along the side and along the bottom.

It is a device which features a ceramic pot, fitting into the Crock with a glass lid to trap inside the heat and moisture. It keeps food at a low temperature, but surrounds the food with heat and brings it to a safe temperature rapidly.

A Crock Pot is an extremely safe method of cooking. As a result of the direct heat from the Crock, a rather lengthy cooking period and the steam generated from the tightly covered container. Also, various types of meat which are slightly tougher, and require lower cooking, work extremely well on a Crock Pot.

On top of that, a Crock Pot Can help you make delicious soups, stews and pot roasts. Unlike a slow cooker, it uses the heat from around the pot to surround the food with even cooking temperatures.

Crock Pot: Advantages

Just above, I have given a brief Introduction to a Crock Pot, as well as quickly glossing over some of the advantages of them. Now, let’s get into a bit more detail.

One obvious advantage is that due to the long, low-temperature style of cooking, Crock Pots can help tenderize tougher areas of meat. Something which many other appliance pits can’t do as well.

As well as using less electricity, a Crock Pot can be extremely useful at any time of the year. The aroma of a hot, steamy soup on a bitter winter evening is truly delightful.

Yet also, the Crock Pot makes for an excellent method of cooking in the summer, as they do not heat up the entire kitchen in the same fashion that an oven does.

Now in my eyes, the most profound benefit of a crockpot is this: It eliminates the urge to swing through those all too convenient drive-thru’s. If you’re on your way home, and you know that you have a meal waiting for you in the slow cooker, the chance of you stopping to order a less nutritious and more expensive fast food alternative are likely to be somewhat close to zero.

Also, once you taste the flavor that your Crock Pot can bring out in your vegetables, you won’t be nearly as tempted when you drive past the next fast food restaurant.

Crock Pot: Disadvantages

Now, unfortunately for us cooking fanatics, not all is rosy with Crock pots. It isn’t the answer to all of our questions, as they do have their own set of disadvantages. Let’s get straight into them.

The first one, is the overpowering flavor that can arise from particular spices. After slices like cinnamon and thyme have been left simmering for hours, they may create an unprecedentedly overwhelming amount of flavor. In this case, you may wish to use slightly less than the recipe commands for.

Another problem is condensation. The condensation which gathers on the lids of slow cookers may eventually drip onto your food. This may take away some of the flavor from your delicious recipes, and dilute your vegetables.

So next time you find yourself cooking tomatoes, for example, I would hope that you enjoy cooking tomato soup, because if you don’t pay enough attention, that’s what you may end up with.

Finally, while the convenience and ease of a slow cooker may seem highly appealing to you, it unfortunately isn’t perfect with every type of recipe. Certain recipes may require large amounts of meat, or other ingredients which need browning.

Also, any recipe with a wide variety of ingredients and vegetables may simply be too much hassle. And you may find that it’s simply not worth it.

Instant Pot: Some Disadvantages

Possibly the most inconvenient (and ironic) disadvantage of an instant pot is that it’s not really “instant”. Despite the proud name, an instant pot does take some time to both pressurize and cook your food.

Even the simple process of bringing water to pressure can take anywhere between 5 minutes to half an hour, depending on the temperature of the ingredients.

Also, unfortunately, like the crock pot… it can’t cook everything. If you like stew or soup, and like to make them regularly, it is possible that the crock pot may be the best choice for you, rather than the instant pot.

At the same time, just because an instant pot is often used to cook healthy foods, that does not mean they will always cook healthy foods. So if you do use an instant pot, don’t bluff yourself, and don’t get distracted by the idea of cooking with the instant pot.

Lastly, some recipes involving an instant pot may not be so easy. For example, in order to optimize the pressure of the pot, it’s important you make sure that the liquid is not too sugary, or too thick, at the same time.

Other little irritating details may cause some slight amounts of inconvenience when using an instant pot. However, it is true that such problems are alleviated by the delicious end product that an instant pot can produce.

Instant Pot Advantages

While I may have painted a rather negative picture of an instant pot thus far, the reality could really not be much further from that. Now I’m going to put the instant pot electric pressure cooker into the light that it deserves, by explaining some of the extraordinary benefits you can receive from using the appliance.

Firstly, and possibly most significantly nowadays, is that it uses less energy. Thanks to the fact that the cooking container is heated up, less energy has to be used in order to heat the pot to the point where food can be cooked.

Another huge benefit, is that it can safely cook a variety of dishes. If you’re anything like me, you wouldn’t be able to count on your own two hands the amount of times you have forgotten to leave food out of the freezer to defrost.

An Instant Pot 6 Quart is also much safer to use. Because the food will rise to a higher temperature more rapidly, your food would be cooked safely, inside the instant pot, rather than waiting in a slow cooker all day. As well as this, more flavor can be brought out in your food in a shorter period of time.

What is often overlooked with regard to instant pots is exactly how versatile they are. People don’t often appreciate the vast amount of roles they can carry out in the kitchen, compared to Crock Pots.

The sauté function, for example, allows you to brown all your vegetables and meat in the one pot, rather than switching back and forth between various pots and pans, like a slow cooker forces you to do. On top of that, the stainless steel material can make for an extremely safe, chemical-free container.

Conclusion: What’s best?

In conclusion then, it seems that there are many advantages and disadvantages to using both a crock pot and instant cooker. There are so many reasons why we could easily pick both. However, we must say that the Instant Pot has the upper hand.

Simply because of its convenience for cooking such a diverse range of vegetables. On top of that, its usefulness as a kitchen appliance and ability to perform a variety of functions makes it the best option for me.

On another note, don’t forget about the environmental benefits. As instant pots do use less energy than their slow cooking counterparts, and other kitchen appliances.

Thank you for reading, and please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have!