Kitchen appliances range in size and how they are being used. Some devices can come in handy when preparing a healthy meal.
Of the many, slow cooker and instant pot are among these. Both of these appliances give you the convenience of cooking and prepare you the best meal that can even improve your health.
Surprisingly, these devices are in a hot debate today. Because slow cooker lovers often protest those slow cookers are much healthier than using an instant pot.
But, instant pot lovers say otherwise. Today, we will uncover the truth behind this, and let’s find out what is healthier, slow cooker or instant pot?
Discover the differences between these two compelling kitchen equipment and decide which is healthier.
How is a slow cooker different from an instant pot?
These devices are designed primarily for people who wish to have a convenient way of cooking.
In comparing both, slow cookers excel in bringing out the flavor in each ingredient used in making the recipe. This is because it uses slow cooking in preparing foods that will help prepare a meal in advance. Slow cooking requires the slow cooker to transmit heat from its heating elements to the pot, allowing it to cook the food consistently.
On the other hand, an instant pot is similar to a pressure cooker that had dominated the kitchen industry later in 2010.
This device is considered a multi-cooker that can do several functions, including slow cooking. It is a well-known brand that most people purchase because of the versatility that it can bring.
An advantage of having an instant pot over a slow cooker is it can prepare food much faster with a bare minimum workload.
What is healthier, slow cooker or instant pot – Factors to Consider
These devices are indeed handy and a must-have in the kitchen. It can reduce the cooking time you need to prepare and give a healthy home-cooked meal. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when deciding which is healthier to use:
Versatility
The instant pot can give more than a slow cooker in terms of versatility. Since it is considered a multi-cooker, it can prepare different kinds of dishes in multiple and varied settings.
Unlike a slow cooker, it only slow cooks the food with either high or low settings. This means that the more varied feature a device can use, the more choices you can prepare a healthy way of cooking.
Safety
One consideration in making a healthy home-cooked meal is how it cooks the food safely. It must pass food safety when cooking several recipes.
Slow cookers are one of the safest ways to cook a meal, and the convenience they can bring is top-notch. While having an instant pot can be troublesome because of the preference for using a pressure cooker.
This might complicate the cooking process if you don’t know how to use an instant pot.
Cooking using a slow cooker does not require more understanding because the way it cooks is very simple, and its simplicity is a preference that one might love using this device.
On the other hand, an instant pot can have a learning curve when managing the device, and sometimes it can lead to problems if not done properly.
Energy Usage
More or less, both devices cook very well and use less energy than other kitchen appliances.
When it comes to energy usage, both depend on the power rating. However, there is a subtle difference that a slow cooker can manage a more healthy way of cooking.
Slow cookers are proven to cook consistently, and they can bring out the nutrients that each ingredient can have. Instant pots, on the other hand, can speed the cooking process, thus reducing the nutrients that they can bring to a particular meal.
Although, this will depend on the recipe that you are cooking, and the difference is very minimal.
Utilization
The main difference in using these devices is how they can prepare a recipe. Slow cookers are without a doubt helpful in preparing dinner in advance, and it won’t take long to prepare a recipe because you can just throw the ingredients and wait for the slow cooker to cook it thoroughly.
Even if you use extra-large slow cookers or lightweight slow cookers, the process is still the same.
An instant pot can do the one thing a slow cooker can’t. Instant pots can thaw frozen goods under a high-pressure way of cooking.
Slow cookers can’t do that, and if you plan to thaw a frozen good in a slow cooker, that will bring health problems because it is not considered safe by food safety experts.
Instant Pot: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Gives versatility in cooking with its different functions and features
- Uses high pressure thus cooks faster with different settings, including
- Can give a healthy meal in a short amount of time
Cons
- Has a learning curve and is hard to set up at first usage
Slow Cooker: Pros and Cons
Pros
- A simple and convenient way of cooking
- Affordable, easy to set up and energy-efficient
- Cooks consistently and can prepare a healthy meal in advance
Cons
- Cooks for a longer time, and once set up, it can’t be restarted
Does cooking in a slow cooker or instant pot reduces nutrients?
In terms of nutrients, cooking faster will retain much of the nutrients in the end, while cooking slowly for a longer duration will be less healthy. In general, the longer way of cooking will reduce nutrients more than a quicker one. This means that both kitchen appliances reduce nutrients at a specific amount of time, but if we compare both, an instant pot will hold more nutrients than a slow cooker.
When cooking beans, which is healthier to cook, slow cooker or instant pot?
If you desire to cook beans, use an instant pot rather than a slow cooker because an instant pot cooks beans faster than the latter. Not only that it cooks fast, but it can also retain the nutrients. However, if you need to prepare the beans in advance, a slow cooker can help since the way it cooks will give you a hot meal when going home from work.
Final Verdict
In terms of preserving nutrients, instant pots are way much healthier since they can retain more nutrients than a slow cooker. It also has functionalities that you can use in your everyday cooking. You can even make more recipes because it functions as a multi-cooker. Having an instant pot will allow you to use at least six pieces of equipment in a single device.
Of course, we don’t want to skip using a slow cooker because it also has advantages. If you are a busy person, a slow cooker will suit you. Even if it cooks foods slowly, it is still a safe way of cooking. Meaning to say, it can bring out the flavors more than an instant pot can do. Indeed, it can help prepare a home-cooked healthy meal for your family.
Overall, it comes to your preference and lifestyle. Whether you choose a slow cooker over an instant pot or an instant pot over a slow cooker, the output is still the same. Both will also give you a convenient way of cooking and a nutritious one. At the very least, having a home-cooked meal, either using one of these devices, will keep you away from buying processed fast foods outside.