Nowadays, there are tons of new kitchen appliances launching on the market. However, the three most popular ones still are slow cooker, rice cooker, and instant pot. But when it comes to Slow cooker vs Rice cooker vs Instant pot, not everyone knows for sure which one wins the battle.
If you would like to see the differences between these three well-known models, keep on reading.
What Is An Instant Pot?
The instant pot might seem to share a lot of similarities to a pressure cooker. Yet, the fact is the exact opposite: It’s not the kind of pressure cooker we have known for years.
An instant pot is the latest version of pressure cookers that is computerized and possesses top-notch features. Moreover, as it’s electric, the product is super easy to use. It even comes in handier than conventional pressure cookers.
Cooking with an instant pot is so quick, and thus, you can spend less time preparing meals and more time on other activities of the day. It’s also capable of cooking a variety of dishes.
How Does It Work?
Instant pots are functional, and it works just like an electric pressure cooker. If you’re looking for an appliance that can speed up your cooking, go for instant pots.
Instant pots have an easy precept of working. Under pressure, the water inside boils a bonus of 20°C (up to 120°C instead of 100°C), which is why instant pots prepare meals a lot faster.
The instant pot possesses three fundamental components: the internal pot, the external pot, and a lid. Collectively, these three components will operate in harmony to set up the ideal environment for extreme pressure and excessive heat.
The heat and pressure sensors, the motherboard, and the control panel are on the external pot, while the internal compartment contains your food. Meanwhile, the lid locks closely to prevent any air leak.
See how to use an instant pot here:
What Is A Rice Cooker?
As the name suggests, this kitchen cookware is a device designed to cook all kinds of rice. Some modern rice cookers are more versatile now. In other words, these modern rice cookers will act as a slow cooker helping you to prepare dishes from eggs, fish, vegetables, flavors, and even pieces of meat.
An excellent rice cooker offers additional advantages to rice fans: They are simple to use. All you need to do is adjust the water level according to the amount of rice and turn it on. The machine will take care of the rest of the process.
How Does It Work?
A rice cooker is their go-to item in most houses when they need to make evenly cooked rice. It is effortless to use and is excellent for beginners. Also, rice cookers are safe as they will never reach 100 Celsius degrees.
The appliance includes a temperature monitoring system, an interior cooking compartment, an electric heating panel, a power button or some switches, and the top lid.
The cooking compartment, which contains rice and water, will use the heating panel to heat everything rapidly. Then, the lid will seal everything together to make sure the rice gets evenly cooked.
A tiny thermometer will measure the heat of the pot and guarantee the temperature’s sustainability. As soon as the rice sucks up all the water, the heat will rise. After that, the thermometer will sense the temperature change, which indicates that the rice is done.
Watch the functioning principle of a rice cooker here:
What is A Slow Cooker?
A slow cooker depicts a ceramic or porcelain pot that is completely enclosed by a heating component electrical unit, which you can find on every side or the bottom of the unit. However, some other models of slow cookers can even sit on top of the heater directly.
Moreover, they often come with glass, metal, or ceramic lids. These covers are made to produce a low-pressure closure that prevents moisture in the pot from leaking.
Yet, you can prepare slow-cooking meals using a wide variety of kitchen machines. For instance, the latest programmed rice cookers typically include a slow cook feature. Also, a multi-purpose appliance could slow cook, too.
Although you must leave the product running on its own for several hours, it doesn’t consume as much electricity as a typical oven.
This is due to the way a slow cooker works. A slow cooker will automatically switch between on and off mode to retain heat or guarantee the machine is at a steady temperature in modern models.
How Does It Work?
A slow cooker, as the name suggests, utilizes moderate temperature to cook food gradually. As mentioned above, the cover will seal the cooking compartment tightly.
As a result, it prevents moisture escape to the minimum, implying that your food will be wetter. While it might be fantastic for dishes like soups, broth, and sauces, it might not be the best choice for desserts and steaks dishes.
It would be best to prepare these dishes at a low temperature for optimal outcomes, creating rich flavors and tenderizing the meat. You could also use higher heat settings if you want to speed up the cooking time or if the recipe requires that.
If you are adapting a recipe that employs another cooking technique, make sure to change the timings and the portions of water required. Because of the low evaporation, the food requires less liquid, and thus, you will need to adapt to these changes.
Watch how a slow cooker works now:
3 Main Differences Between Slow Cooker Vs Rice Cooker Vs Instant Pot
Now, when you’ve started to grasp the basics of these conventional cookwares, it’s time to distinguish one from another. There are three main differences between a slow cooker, a rice cooker, and an instant pot.
1. Cooking Speed
One of the most apparent benefits of instant pots is their phenomenal ability to cook food quickly and save time. Slow-cooker recipes that typically cost 6 hours to make will only get done in 1 hour using an instant pot.
On the other hand, a slow cooker isn’t ideal when it comes to lightning-speed cooking. Although its name strongly emphasizes that, it is necessary to bring it to your attention once again. It takes at least 3-4 hours to finish cooking. As a result, you wouldn’t want to use a slow cooker if you are in a rush and prefer to grab a fast meal to eat.
Finally, rice cookers deliver more reliable and efficient results. Yet, they are not as efficient as instant pots when it comes to speed. Therefore, go for a rice cooker if time is not your deal breaker.
2. Versatility
Our #1 option is the Instant Pot since it can accomplish plenty of tasks that would take so many different machines to do. Indeed, it could perform slow cooking, fast cooking, rice cooking, beans preparing, and even food warmth retaining. But there’s even more to that, refer to the video below for more information:
Although a slow cooker isn’t noticeably better than a rice cooker, it’s still the runner-up. As you can always theoretically cook rice in a slow cooker, along with a variety of other foods, it takes the lead.
The only purpose of purchasing a conventional low-cost rice cooker is to cook plain rice and grains. Aside from that, they aren’t remarkably adaptable.
3. Energy Consumption
Apart from traditional rice cookers and slow cookers, instant pots are more energy-efficient. As modern instant pots are insulated products, they prevent heat from being consumed or lost during the operation. As a result, instant pots only consume approximately 1000 watts per hour.
It may appear surprising initially, yet slow cookers are also incredibly energy-saving. Indeed, a slow cooker’s typical power consumption is roughly 1500 watts per hour.
Although in cook mode, a conventional rice cooker consumes a relatively modest amount of electricity of between 620 and 700 watts per hour, the gadget does consume extra power on standby mode. Once you’re done cooking the rice, rice cookers will take an extra 30-45 watts per hour to keep the rice warm.
Read More:
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Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, and Instant Pot: Which One To Choose?
Eventually, the decision is all yours. After reviewing this post and understanding the differences between Slow cooker vs Rice cooker vs Instant pot, go for whatever one strikes out to you the most. No matter what you choose, they can get their job done nicely.
