Besides faster cooking times, there are multiple other reasons to have a pressure cooker in your kitchen.
It’s a versatile cooking appliance that can help you save time, money, and effort.
For people who have grown past their fear of exploding lids, pressure cookers are perfect if you want to have meat on a weeknight or if you regularly prepare meals for a big family.
I’m here to remove all doubt by listing the benefits and best uses for a pressure cooker and helping you understand why it’s the perfect appliance for your kitchen.
In this article I will discuss:
Save time
One of the primary reasons people opt for pressure cookers is their ability to cook food in less than half the time required to prepare a full meal.
You can cook your food up to four times faster. Although the cooking time varies depending on the type of food, the fact remains that you can get meat done in 40 minutes and beans cooked in half an hour! You won’t believe the magic until you see it for yourself.
Enjoy healthier food
One of the biggest myths surrounding pressure cookers is that the higher pressure and temperature of the water destroys the nutrients. Well, that’s not true at all. It has been scientifically proven that pressure cooked foods have a higher retention of antioxidants and vitamins compared to other cooking methods.
How is that possible? Because it’s not the temperature of the water that matters. The reduced cooking time makes all the difference in the world. By reducing the cooking time, you preserve the nutrients and the end result is a healthier and tastier meal.
Reduce energy usage
Among the many benefits of pressure cookers, eco-friendliness is very appealing.
Since your cooking time is reduced significantly, the resources you use, whether it be gas or electricity, will be cut down significantly as well.
It also eliminates the need to use multiple pots and pans to create things like sauces, making sure you can do all things with one cooking appliance.
Easy on the pocket
Another reason to have a pressure cooker in your kitchen is because they are cost-effective. As prices are going to be the first thing you’ll notice, pressure cookers can range in price anywhere from $80 to $250.
You might need to make an investment when buying a pressure cooker, but it’s so worth the money. Pressure cookers help you save in the long run by lowering your gas or electricity usage.
Easy and efficient
For people who lead a busy life or those who don’t want to spend their whole day in the kitchen, pressure cookers offer great relief. Being easy and convenient are some of the top benefits of pressure cookers.
Cooking in a pressure cooker is as simple as throwing everything in the same pot, setting the timer, and letting the instant pot do its job. You don’t need to stand around the kitchen and keep opening the lid to see if it’s done or not.
Moreover, you can prepare weekly meals by making big batches, as they will take little time cooking in a pressure cooker.
No smell or noise
I know what you are going to say, there’s a whistle that goes choo-choo whenever pressure gets let out. But with an electric pressure cooker, you don’t even have to worry about that.
Moreover, pressure cookers don’t make your kitchen hot or smelly, thus creating the perfect environment for you to enjoy reading or watching TV while cooking.
Cook anything anytime
Before pressure cookers, craving a meal involving meat on a weekday was just wishful thinking. But now you can easily create five-star restaurant-quality meals in the comfort of your own home in under an hour. This is one of the reasons to have a pressure cooker in your kitchen.
Besides meat, you can easily create pasta, boiled rice, and even treat yourself to a stew or casserole, all thanks to a pressure cooker. It adds variety to your weekday meals, and you don’t have to waste money on takeouts frequently.
Multiple uses
Another benefit of pressure cookers is their versatility.
In addition to being used to pressure cook food, you can also use it as a normal cooking pot. It reduces the storage space required, and eliminates the need to buy multiple cooking pots.
And if we talk about the advanced electrical pressure cookers, you get even more uses out of them. The newer models have multiple cooking settings such as boiling, slow-cooking and sautéing.
Many pressure cookers also come with a steamer basket, thus dividing your pressure cooker into two parts, providing the ability to cook more items in a single pot.
Bake a cake
If you’re still on the fence and looking for another reason to have a pressure cooker, this one should definitely help. A pressure cooker can satisfy all your savory and salty needs, along with a dessert at the end.
That’s right! You can easily bake a cake using a pressure cooker. Just find any baking container that can fit into your pressure cooker, and voila, your cake can be baked.
There are many great recipes on the web, like this one from Well Plated.
Final thoughts
Now that you’re aware of all the reasons to have a pressure cooker in your kitchen, you can make a well-informed decision without worrying about the stories you’ve heard. Pressure cookers are extremely convenient and easy to use.
They reduce the cooking time, save money and resources, and ensure you’re eating healthier food.
They’re a great alternative to normal cooking pots as they are more versatile and can be used for many cooking tasks around the kitchen.
If you want to know which pressure cookers to consider, have a look at my list of the top 10 here!