Instant Pot vs. Stovetop Pressure Cooker (which one is right for you?)

Instant Pot vs. Stovetop Pressure Cooker
Which one is right for you?

Instant Pot Model that I have has been discontinued, but here is a similar one:

Instant Pot Chicken Stock

How to Cook Beans in a Stovetop Pressure Cooker:

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My cooking classes in the Boston area:

[helenrennie]

Hi guys,
Several of you asked for the farmer's cheese recipe. Here it is. Combine 1/2 gallon of whole milk and 2 cups of buttermilk in the instant pot and seal. Turn on the yogurt setting (not the scalding, but the low temp one) for 10 hours. At this point the milk should thicken and smell tangy. Uncover and turn on the saute mode to bring it to a simmer. I start on high and turn it down to medium and low eventually so that I don't scorch it. Stir it occasionally until it comes to a full simmer and separates. Strain through a cheese cloth, though I've also used a fine mesh strainer before and it worked fine. From here on, it depends on what texture you want. For moister creamier texture let it sit less time, for firmer texture, it might take several hours. To remove moisture, it helps to tie up the cheese cloth and hang it on something. Enjoy :)

[johnbiswanger]

Here is a tip. always add a TBS of oil to your beans when cooking under pressure to stop foaming that can get into the valves.

[RockstarRaverBoy]

I loved your analogy of cooking beans in the instant pot being like driving a car without breaks! That is how I feel about many of these "do everything" devices. Also, I must say, this is the BEST and most honest review of the instantpot ive ever seen. Most reviews are intensely hyperbolic either in the positive or negative direction. I loved your balanced approach and also your intensive testing of multiple tries at different dishes/types of food, which I honestly have seen on any other review of this device. Great work!

[garrettmineo]

A very helpful video. Warning: contains science.

[alexandrabavcevic]

Omg!!! What an excellent review. I have been looking for exactly this kind of information to determine whether I was better off with a stove top or electric pressure cooker for my needs. I was also looking for a review that would compare and contrast what each was best at or if they cooked equally in all catagories. I also had questions about those delicately braised meats and how their sauces faired in pressure cookers. I have looked at countless reviews over many, many weeks and haven't come across even one video that attempted to discuss what one does better than the other, not to mention what we should NOT attempt to make in either electric or stove top. Thank you for this comprehensive review. By the way, do you know that Americas Test Kitchen rated the instant pot as the least effective of the electric pressure cookers they tested. In any case, I'm sure the results would have been quite similar. Thanks again.

[mcdonkeylips]

Very well done. Youve helped me decide on a stove top cooker :)

[daviddickey]

I think this is one of the most thoughtful reviews on youtube. I have an instant pot (original model -- a few years old), a fagor duo stovetop pressure cooker, and an Anova sous-vide circulator. They all have their place. Dead easy chicken stock goes to instant pot. Polenta/rice/most whole grains: instant pot again. Meats: sous-vide if you have at least an hour, but then needs browning in a cast-iron skillet (instant pot meat is quick, but other techniques deliver superior results, and you will still mostly need a skillet to finish; also forget chicken skin -- turns vile) -- but sous vide is very hard to overcook -- guests arrive 2 hrs late?: with sous-vide, rarely a problem. Vegetables: instant pot is mostly useless (greens like collards that take an hour+ may be an exception, but I prefer stove-top), as is sous-vide. Best beans? Sous-vide, 18 hours, if time (OMG! absolutely grainless, but not mushy - like a soft wax). 2nd best? oven. 3rd best? Stovetop PC. Another + of instant pot: in summer, in my non-AC apt in NYC: instant pot heats up space the least! Leftover instant pot meats cooled and reheated? Other methods deliver superior results.

[angrymushroom]

Wouldn't the Slow cooking option be good for the osso buco and such things that you want to reduce like that? leave the steam gate open and let the vapor escape.

[carissalane]

I have used my Instant Pot for many different types of food, and while it isn't perfect as you mention, it is definitely worth it for me. This is a small thing, but I love doing hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot. They peel so easy and perfectly when cooked with this device; better than any other method I have tried.

[matthiasmartin]

Thanks as usual for a no-nonsense review that helps us make informed decisions to help improve our daily kitchen experience. For me personally this is very interesting, because it might help me avoid buying one of these ridiculously expensive and imo useless cook processors that are currently en vogue here in Germany thanks to MLM style distribution and aggressive viral marketing. Despite having a very well equipped kitchen my better half has been interested in getting one of these machines for quite a while.

Here in Germany the dominant one is called "Vorwerk Thermomix" (similiar to KitchenAid Artisan Cook Processor I think) and it costs a whopping € 1299. Seeing that a lot of the applications she was looking for are covered by a much less expensive machine, this device this might sway her.

So thanks for the video!

[anthonyrosa]

A quality pressure cooker like the Fissler doesnt need minding. You get it to pressure on the guage and turn the stove to the lowest setting (electric). Done. Perfect. I could not join the insta pot craze as I think they brown food poorly in comparison. For rice i have a Japanese Rice Cooker (Zojorushi?) and get perfect rice while I'm, making stew in my poressure cooker as I am doing right this moment. I dont ever view pressure cookers as dangerous since I know how to use them properly.

[markanderson]

Lol. Your car analogy for Cannellini beans in Instant Pot won me over to like and subscribe. :)

[bl]

Btw fagor went bankrupt like 2 years ago, it was replaced with Zavor. The products are basically the same just some minor changes

[bobjolly]

I'm so glad I found this video about the instant pot.... you hit on every point I was wondering about.... thank you

[lilianrodriguez]

Excellent info. Thank you very much. Good to know.
I was just about to buy the electric cooker, then I decided to stick with my trusty stove one. I cooks beans at least twice a week and my stove cooker is the best for that.
Thanks again for sharing 💐

[eminusipi]

A negative of the stove top pressure cooker (used one for many years) is getting the flame just right over the cooking time. A plus is that you can put it in the sink and run cold water over it to reduce the pressure quickly without venting the pressure if the recipe calls for it. I used it mainly to tenderize tough beef for stew and for that it required natural depressurizing which the instantpot works well for. It's all a learning experience for me and choosing the right tool for the job.

[ebkw]

I used a stove-top pressure cooker for more than 40 years before I bought an Instant Pot Ultra. I really only ever did stews and soups in the stove top. I still make all my stews and soups in the IP as well as yogurt, rice, and Flan/Creme Caramel! Creme Caramel is so easy without having to deal with a bain marie! I do the caramel in my microwave first. It still brown meat first on the stove. I live on my own and make a lot extra for freezer meals. Not having to stand over the stove to make sure the pressure is right makes the Instant Pot work well for me.

[CurriesWithBumbi]

It is good for cooking any type of lentils. I cook all type of dals in it. They come out creamy and perfect.

[reneeubry]

Let’s give you a good recipe for beans but 1st I will tell you why. Garbanzos beans were still like rocks in the crock pot and I was fed up with that when I know they are soft in a can from the store. I found I can put 1/3 cup of pinto beans in a pint jar and soak them until they were about double then rinse them until all the froth was gone. Then I put slightly less salt than for old fashioned canning and then fill the jar with distilled water and can for 1:30 min. You add water in Instapot to the top of the grate (=‘s abt 2 cups in 6 qt)there is a bit of a variation by bean type but you can use up to 1/2 cup of small limas, pintos kindey beans (scant 1/2 cup), garbanzo. Don’t can lentils or dry peas they are a pain and better just on the stove in a pot as needed. I can 4 pints at a time and keep up my stock that way. ALWAYS turn of keep warm and let it cool naturally since you need the cooking time it gives like you do with an old time pressure canner set on 10 psi. It gives 11.6 psi so that is close enough to can without babysitting the whole time. It does not can quarts since the jars are too tall but it is wonderful on pressure can.
Before I leave I re-can tomato from #10 cans in pint jars so I have servings for 2 people meals and tomato paste goes in 1/2 pint jars and that gives me 2 servings for cooking. No waste but good prices. I also have learned to make fake meat in jars and can that too for 1:30 minutes since it is a protein. Fabulous time saver and no babysitting!

[sunglint]

#realcomment An excellent analysis as always. I bought an InstantPot Ultra for my girlfriend last year, and broke down and bought a Duo for myself. We pretty much do simple stews, made more interesting by adding Curry packets we pick up at Indian grocery stores.
My last couple of endeavors I chose to do some sauteing on the range, then dumped the contents into the IP. This came out great. I caramelized onions, sauteed the pork, even browned some spices, deglasing with chicken stock, all of which went into the IP. I added veggies and started it up. It came up to pressure quickly due to the already warm parts. I made something that tasted good but bland the first day, but after a week in the fridge was delicious.
So consider doing a bit of stove work to compensate for the weak saute mode, and you might be quite surprised!
Thanks for you always excellent videos. Interestingly I found your channel when I first decided to get a stovetop pressure cooker, you had such and excellent video that I subbed. :)