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The Best Pressure Cooker Buying Guide

Pressure cookers back in the old days were dangerous and not safe for use as they would easily blow up your kitchen. However, a good pressure cooker nowadays cooks faster, provides more flavorful food, involves less cleanup, offers advanced settings, and assures better safety. Purchasing one of these convenient cooking appliances is possibly the right choice to make for people who want to loosen up the chore load.

Today’s guide will provide you a better understanding of pressure cookers and major factors to consider while browsing your options.

Types of Pressure Cookers

A pressure cooker uses a rubber gasket and a specialized lid to build up a form of air-tight vessel, which means it can easily and safely increase the inner pressure and dramatically reduce the cooking time. The mechanism is quite simple as the cookers heat the liquid inside up and turn it into steam which is unable to escape. This process will gradually increase the temperature and pressure within the pot, and as a result the food is cooked. While applying the same cooking mechanism, the two main types of pressure cookers - Electric and Stovetop - have many dissimilar aspects for your consideration.

Read More: The Best Pressure Cookers on the Market for Your Needs

• Electric Pressure Cookers

With a built-in heat source, electric pressure cookers allow you to adjust temperature or pressure as you desire by simply pressing a button. Digital controls also let you set your cooker on at a certain time, which makes meal preparation much easier for homeowners. In comparison with stovetop variants, electric pressure cookers have lower PSI hence they need a longer time (but still much faster than other cooking methods) to cook the food till it’s done. While being less durable than most of the stovetop models, the electric ones provide more convenient and effortless cooking experience. As a bonus point, many electric cookers serve as multi-cookers which come with additional cooking options such as slow cooking, rice making, air frying, fruits dehydrating, yogurt making, and so on.

Electric pressure cookers will be an excellent choice for those who are busy or people who find it’s hard to fiddle with heat settings or just someone easily forget to turn off the gas.

• Stovetop Pressure Cookers

Stovetop pressure cookers are more powerful and more durable than electric pressure cookers. These models are capable of generating higher pressure and temperature, which allows shorter cook time and faster release time. Durability is also an impressive advantage of this kind of pressure cooker. A combination of straightforward construction with high-quality material makes it possible to serve you forever and a day.   On the other side, stovetop pressure cookers require a lot more watchful eye while they are currently in use since they don’t get a built-in timer and need to be heated on the stove. During the cooking time, this cookware could be as noisy as a train whistle, however, many newer models are designed to have quieter operation. If you value speed, power, and durability over convenience, automated cooking, and lots of cooking options, stovetop pressure cookers will be the best choice.

Pressure Cooker Selection Criteria

What is the best pressure cooker for your kitchen? This can literally turn into what requirements you have to define a good pressure cooker. The market is full of options lying in front of you, which can cause annoyance or frustration easily. The key criteria listed down here are things to keep in mind when you purchase a pressure cooker and they will guide you through the sea of information to pick your best fit.

• PSI

PSI stands for pounds per square inch which indicates the amount of pressure a pressure cooker can reach while being in use. The standard pressure for cooking unofficially is 15 PSI. While most stovetop models are able to provide that number, the electric ones can only reach up to 12 PSI, even in case of the best rated electric pressure cooker. With pressure from 10 PSI and above, your cookware can still offer all the benefits of a pressure cooker when compared with other cooking styles.

• Material

In terms of material, the available options are stainless steel and aluminum. Stainless steel comes in with more expensive, longer lifespan, and heavier pressure cooker models in comparison with those made of aluminum. In case you are finding a lightweight and budget cookware with pressure, aluminum can be a good investment as long as your choice is from reliable pressure cooker brands. A quality aluminum pressure cooker can perform the cooking ability as well as its stainless steel counterparts. Keep in mind to stay away from non-stick coating interior features since they can easily get scratches and won’t last long under high-pressure cooking conditions.

• Size and Capacity

Your decision on how big the pressure cooker will depend solely on the number of portions you usually prepare and the available counter space you have in your kitchen. Regarding the latter consideration, electric pressure cookers in most cases are bulkier so they will take up larger space than stovetop models. Instead of being able to store with other pots and pans like the stovetop, you need to find a sizable cabinet for the electric one.

When taking the capacity into account, the range may vary from a petite container at 2 quarts to unusually large size at over 20 quarts options. It’s recommended to have a 6-quart pressure cooker as a minimum while an 8-quart or 10-quart one will suffice for large families with more than 6 members. Remember that every pressure cooker can only be filled half full or two-thirds full maximum of its capacity.

• Safety Feature

Involving high levels of heat and PSI, pressure cooking methods can be seriously dangerous if you don’t take caution when it comes to using a pressure cooker. Keep a lookout for top pressure cookers offering safety characteristics such as secure locking features for the lids, precision valve pressure regulators, and strong heat-resistant handles. Even when you spend on the top-rated pressure cookers, make sure to always follow the safety instruction from the manufacturers to avoid any possible risks.

• Pressure Settings

Most pressure cookers have a fixed pressure setting while some allow you to adjust it to different levels. The options could be labeled as low (~6-8 PSI), medium (~8-13 PSI), and high (~13-15 PSI). These settings will turn your pot into a multi-cooker which can act as a slow cooker, rice cooker, or even yogurt maker.

• Price Tag

Almost pressure cookers are available at the price range within $50-$200, which means there’s always something out there at your budget. If you don’t mind the money and want to search for the highest rated pressure cooker on the market, you may come across some over $300 high-end models that can connect with your smartphone. In many situations, the cheapest model may not be a smart investment in terms of energy costs, time-saving, and long-lasting use.

Conclusions

Consider taking a look at the best pressure cooker reviews for more references in picking the right one for your kitchen. As long as a pressure cooker can assure faster cook time and deliver more nutrients packed in food, what other factors you value most will help you decide the right one.