A slow cooker is considered one of the most important kitchen’s must-haves that ease the cooking process. A pressure cooker is often overlooked albeit it boasts some awesome benefits that instant pots and slow cookers don’t have. [no_toc]
Whether you’re trying to decide if you need a slow cooker or a pressure cooker or simply thinking about investing in one more cooker to cut your kitchen time, here are all the reasons you need to purchase a pressure cooker today.
1. It cooks vegetables ideally
Ask any vegetarian or dieter how they cook their veggies and chances are they’d tell you that they’re using a pressure cooker. While instant pots and slow cookers make veggies mushy, pressure cookers cook vegetables incredibly fast without turning them into a soup.
If you love beans but have trouble cooking them because they always split, a pressure cooker will help you solve this problem. Not to mention that it will cook your beans faster than, for instance, a slow or multi cooker.
2. It doesn’t require any meal planning
Unlike other cookers, a pressure cooker makes meals right away. If you come home from work feeling intensely hungry but have no idea what to cook for dinner, some simple pressure cooker recipes will leave your stomach satisfied in a matter of a few minutes. With a pressure cooker, you don’t need to plan your meals 5 to 6 hours before a meal.
3. It’s also a great pressure canner
Although not all pressure cookers feature a pressure canner, if yours does, you may want to can different kinds of lower-acid food. You can cook and can vegetables, soups, meats, and even jams. The regular water bath canning process is still useful but time-consuming. Slow cookers don’t have the canning option at all. This is where your pressure cooker becomes the major star of the kitchen.
4. It serves as a really big pot
Whenever you need a really big pot, a pressure cooker can serve as it. Unlike slow and multi cooker inserts that must be used only in the cookers, a pressure cooker has many different uses. Most often, people use it as a big pot to make soups and stews. It allows you to sauté and brown right in the cooker itself so you don’t need tons of cookware during the entire cooking process.
5. It helps retain most of the food’s nutrients
Pressure cooked meals usually contain more nutrients than foods cooked in a slow cooker or a traditional cookware. The longer your meal is cooked, the less essential nutrients it contains. Not only does a pressure cooker help retain the nutrients, but it also helps enhance natural flavors of your favorite foods. Isn’t it a perk?
A pressure cooker will cut your cooking time by as much as 70% and help you make much healthier meals. It saves energy by cooking meals fast and doesn’t take much space in your kitchen. If you still hesitate over your choice, the last thing I want to tell you that a pressure cooker is super easy to clean, not to mention that it’s totally budget-friendly.