What Is The Best Pressure Cooker for You: Electric or Stovetop?

ChrisPatt

New Member
Today’s generation of pressure cookers has been incredibly improved in safety features and changed greatly in construction, which means many more options for your consideration. The easiest way to start choosing the right one is to distinguish the advantages and disadvantages of each type of pressure cooker: Electric and Stovetop. In order to bring you enough information to pick out the best fit for your kitchen, this article will carry out a pressure cooker comparison in both similarities and differences between stovetop and electric pressure cookers.

Should You Spend on a Pressure Cooker?


At first, you may wonder whether a pressure cooker is worth buying among many other cooking appliances. The fact is that you don’t really need to have a pressure cooker. However, the benefits that come with owning one will notably improve your daily meals and greatly save your cooking time. Here’re some noticeable benefits you can expect from having a good pressure cooker.

Saving time - In comparison with other cooking methods, pressure cooking helps cut down the cooking time to one-third of regular stovetop cookware. For example, it normally takes you from 30 minutes to 1 hour for soaked beans, but pressure cookers only need 13 minutes to get the job done.

Healthy food - Since pressure cookers cook food within a shorter amount of time and almost keep all the liquid inside from evaporating, many more vitamins and nutrients will be retained. Research has shown that pressure cooking can help retain 50% more nutrients than normal cooking methods.

Environmental friendly - A pressure cooker performs the most efficiency in energy-saving than any other cookware appliances as it cooks faster and uses less water.

Flavorful meals - By minimizing the amount of evaporated liquid, a pressure cooker will keep most of the flavor inside the food and serve you a more tasty and savory meal.

Less cleanup - Cooking in a sealed vessel leads to no more splatters or spills that need to be cleaned afterward.

Safe cooking - Today’s pressure cookers come with multiple safety features like valve stems with audible hiss or heat-resistant handles, which prevents serious risks while operating.


Pressure Cooker Comparison

If you are convinced by the advantages of having a pressure cooker in your cookware collection, the next step will be choosing between an electric pressure cooker and a stovetop pressure cooker.

While applying the same cooking mechanism, these two main types of pressure cookers have many likenesses and dissimilarities in terms of functionality, features, and pricing. The following comparison brings in a detailed examination to help you in picking out the right one.

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Cooking Pressure

The cooking pressure is measured by the pounds per square inch index (PSI). Stovetop pressure cookers are able to generate higher PSI and cook faster while the electric counterparts offer more versatile and convenient cooking options.

A stovetop pressure cooker normally operates at two heat settings which are labeled as low (usually 6-8 PSI) and high (usually 13-15 PSI). At 15 PSI which is the highest pressure a pressure cooker can reach, a stovetop model can cook food extremely fast.

An electric pressure cooker on the other hand provides many more pressure settings so the manufacturers also mention it as a multi-cooker. This model can operate at as low as 6 PSI to as high as 12 PSI which allows it to serve as a slow cooker, rice cooker, air fryer, or yogurt maker rather than just a pressure cooker.

Heat Regulation

In terms of heat regulation, the electric pressure cookers surely outweigh their stovetop competitors. When you use a stovetop model for pressure cooking, it will take your full attention to watch over the pot and adjust the right heat level for different types of food. Of course, you will be more familiar with this over time, but still need to keep an eye on regulating the heat and pressure in the case of stovetop models. With an electric model, all you need to do is choose the desired pressure for the food and leave the rest to the cooker. You still can enjoy the set-it-and-forget-it experience without the need of spending on the best rated electric pressure cooker.

Cooking Times and Release Times

In ideal conditions, a stovetop pressure cooker normally needs approximately 11 minutes to reach its maximum pressure level, whereas, it will take the electric counterpart about 14 minutes to do so. When compared to conventional cookers, the stovetop models can cook three times faster while the cooking times of their electric pals fall around two times faster. Also worth noting is that the release time of a stovetop pressure cooker is correspondingly shorter than that of an electric one. This means when you cook food in a stovetop model you can take the food out faster when it’s done.

Timers

Most electric pressure cookers come with a built-in timer so you can easily time your cooking without the help of a separate timer like a mobile phone or a watch. Many pressure cooker brands also equip their electric models with a delayed start time program allowing users to activate the cooking process at any time. It’s hard to find these features in a stovetop model since it is simply designed for the cooking purpose only.

Heat Source

As mentioned in the names, an electric pressure cooker uses electricity as its main source of heat while a stovetop pressure cooker derives the heat from the stoves. This can explain why the stovetop models are more flexible regarding heat source, they can be used on gas, electric, induction, or glass stoves. One thing to keep in mind is that not every stovetop pressure cooker is suitable for all types of ovens, remember to check with the manufacturers before purchasing.

Durability

When searching for the best pressure cooker reviews, it’s easy to find out that the durability of stovetop pressure cookers is far more prolonged than that of electric variants. The lifespan of most electric models generally last for a few years at most, however, you could count on the stovetop models to work for a couple of decades.


Storage

Electric pressure cookers always come with an integrated timer and heater so they predominantly have bulkier build when compared with most stovetop pressure cookers. To deal with storing an electric pressure cooker, therefore, you may need a larger counter space or a separate compartment in your kitchen. If saving space in the kitchen is one of the factors you value the most, then a stovetop model could be your best fit.

Pricing

While you can spend a mint for the highest rated pressure cooker on the market if money is not a big deal, there is really no need to do that. With the budget around $100-$200, you can own one of the top pressure cookers with ease. The electric models tend to cost you more than stovetop models due to their versatility and convenience in use.

Final Verdict

In short, electric pressure cookers offer a more convenient and diverse cooking style, while stovetop pressure cookers propose a faster and more durable appliance. We certainly wouldn't recommend you purchase both, but it’s worth considering all of the above factors before deciding which one is the best for you.
 
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