Pressure cookers have been in the homes for quite a long time now. They transformed household kitchens by reducing the time spent on cooking delicious meals. Where it used to take a couple of hours to prepare a meal for your guests, pressure cookers squeezed the time to just a few minutes. On the other hand, air fryers were introduced to the household market in about 2010, this was the time when it became commercially available for the general population. Since its introduction, air fryers have taken the world by storm due to its functions that present it as a healthier alternative. Because of the popularity of these two products, there’s an air fryer vs pressure cooker debate for quite some time now. Thus, we have written this detailed guide to help you choose the perfect addition to your kitchen.
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Air Fryer
Air fryers were introduced as a healthier alternative to minimize the requirement of cooking oil in the preparation of meals. This idea and technology took the world by storm and made the appliance popular in no time.
How Does an Air Fryer Work
The air fryer works a lot like a convection oven. It consists of a fan and a heating element that helps to circulate hot air around the food, making it crispier than other alternatives. The fact that a perforated basket is used to place the food, it increases the contact of food with hot circulating air. This mechanism ensures that the food is cooked evenly with all the flavors intact.
There’s is also an exhaust vent in air fryers to let out the hot air. As the temperature rises quickly, it slowly vents out the hot air depending on your setting. It prevents food from being overcooked or getting burnt.
Due to the mechanism of air fryer and circulation of hot air, they use 80% less cooking oil but provide you with the same or better taste than their counterparts. Also, if you set the timer and temperatures right, you can get the perfect juicy burger that you were craving for.
The small size of air fryers also allows it to reach the desired temperature faster. Thus, it cooks your food faster and reduces your time spent in the kitchen.
You might notice a slight difference in the products of different brands. All air fryers crisp and brown the food from top and bottom, however, some brands do a better job in cooking the food evenly while others lack behind. Thus, you must be careful in choosing the best product for your kitchen to get the most out of your air fryer.
Pros of an Air Fryer
The love for air fryer is in the air. Let’s talk about the best qualities of this appliance.
Saves Time
An air fryer saves time as it can reheat in no time and cook your food in record time due to its mechanism of air circulation and compact design.
Energy Efficient
With an air fryer, you wouldn’t have to worry about burdening your pockets with huge bills. As the small design of the product cooks faster and saves time thus, you save on your electricity bill.
Healthy
Most of the brands recommend using small amounts of oil or spraying a small amount of oil on the food. However, according to some experts, you can also enjoy the same taste without using a drop of oil. Whether you choose to spray oil or not, the air fryer uses 80% lesser oil. Making your food healthier and tastier!
Cons of an Air Fryer
Just like any appliance, there are a few problems that are encountered by its users and air fryers are no exception. Thus, we have listed down the drawbacks that you might experience while using the appliance.
Burnt Food
The food is cooked at high temperatures ranging from 300-400 F, this might be confusing for some people at the start. Thus, a lot of people have shared their experiences of burning the food before they successfully understand the temperature settings.
Taste
The food cooked in an air fryer tastes a bit different due to the absence of oil. This might take a few meals for your tastebuds to get used to this taste. Also, the food may turn out to be dry if you don’t carefully monitor the food. As few extra minutes of cooking might dry out your food. Thus, you would have to experiment a bit with the settings before you can cook the perfect meal with an air fryer.
Portion Size
Air fryers are usually smaller in size as compared to a pressure cooker. Thus, they are usually suitable to cook meals for 3-4 people depending on their size. They might not be suitable to cook large batches of food due to their compact size.
Pressure Cooker
There are a variety of pressure cookers available in the market. The traditional ones were designed for stoves, however, now you can easily purchase an electric pressure cooker from any store.
Check Out the Best Pressure Cookers
How Does A Pressure Cooker Work
A pressure cooker works on the mechanism of a sealed pot with trapped steam. As the steam increases, it increases the pressure in the pot which helps in cooking the food faster. The increase in pressure, decreasing the boiling point of the elements thus, the food cooks faster.
Apart from this, the steam in the pot is forced into the food which also helps it cook faster. Also, this helps the food in retaining its moisture.
Unlike an air fryer, you cannot open the lid of a pressure cooker midway to check your food. This would release the pressure and steam in the container. Also, the pressure in the pot can be dangerous and the lid can be blown away in case you decide on opening the lid. You will have to let the steam out through the given nozzle before it is safe to open the lid.
Nowadays, electric pressure cookers have replaced traditional ones due to their ease of use. The digital display and timers have made it convenient and convinced the masses to replace their traditional pressure cookers.
Pros of A Pressure Cooker
Now let’s delineate over the benefits of a pressure cooker.
Cooks Faster
As the pressure cooker is sealed and keeps the steam trapped inside, this helps to cook the food faster. On average, you can cook a meal in 1/3 of the time with a pressure cooker. This is how much time this appliance would save you.
Retains Nutrients
A recent study concluded that steaming retains most of the nutrients in the food as compared to frying, boiling or microwaving.
Saves Energy
The pressure cooker helps to cook food in 1/3 of the time. Thus, this also helps you save on your gas or electricity bill depending on the type of pressure cooker.
Cons of A Pressure Cooker
Monitoring Food
You can’t check your food once it is inside a pressure cooker as it would release the steam. Thus, if you made a mistake or forgot to add an ingredient, you will have to start the process all over again.
Releasing the Steam
Once you are done with cooking, you have to wait with a pressure cooker before you can open the lid because of the trapped steam. Thus, you will have to wait before you can get your hands on the delicious food in the pot.
Different Ingredients
Not all ingredients require the same time to cook. Thus, you might have to cook the meat and then use the pressure cooker like a normal pot properly cook the rest of your ingredients. This reduces the effectiveness of a pressure cooker.
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Differences Between Air Fryer and Pressure Cooker
At this stage, you might have an idea of the workings of both appliances. However, if we talk about air fryer vs pressure cooker, there are a few key differences that distinguish them from each other.
Method
While an air fryer and pressure cooker both rely on high temperatures. However, their cooking mechanism is different from each other. An air fryer relies on the circulation of hot air to cook the food. On the other hand, a pressure cooker uses steam pressure to cook your meals. You can easily check your food in an air fryer as it does not need to be sealed. However, you cannot monitor your food in a pressure cooker due to its pressure and cooking mechanism. This is one of the major differences that further distinguish the usage of these two products.
Food
Both products are designed for cooking different types of food. An air fryer is more suitable to cook crispier foods such as chicken wings, burgers, fries, etc. On the other hand, you cannot use a pressure cooker to prepare the mentioned meals. You can prepare more juicy items with a pressure cooker as it relies on steam for cooking. Thus, meals that require at least 1-2 cups of water can be cooked in a pressure cooker.
Safety
While cooking with a pressure cooker, you must always make sure to check the sealing gasket for any damages. As it can dangerous if the cooker is not sealed or closed properly due to pressurized steam. On the other hand, the outer layer of air fryer tends to get hot during its operation thus, increasing the chances of burns. Because of these reasons, you have to be careful whole handling both the products otherwise you might be exposed to the risk of injuries.
Size
The most popular sizes of air fryers range from 3-5 quarts that are sufficient for a family of 3 to 5 persons. However, you can also find bigger sizes to accommodate large portions.
While the most popular sizes of pressure cookers are 6 to 8 quarts that can easily accommodate food for large families.
Maintenance
When it comes to the maintenance of an air fryer vs pressure cooker, the air fryer wins the race. Due to the compact size of an air fryer, it is easier to maintain and clean. You can easily clean the interior using a wet cloth. In contrast, a pressure cooker requires thorough cleaning due to the type of food prepared and you must also make sure to clean the exterior of the cooker to ensure it gets sealed properly.
Health
If you are looking to shift towards a healthier diet and cut on your calories. Then an air fryer would be the perfect addition to your kitchen as it requires a minimal amount of cooking oil and makes sure that the food is crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. On the other hand, a pressure cooker also preserves the nutrients in your food by shortening the cooking time so heat-sensitive nutrients are retained in your food.
Now the choice of product depends on your goal, either you want to cut on your calories or you want to retain the nutrients in your food.
Which is Better? Air Fryer or Pressure Cooker?
When it comes to the air fryer vs pressure cooker debate, people are looking for the better product of the two. However, both products have their own benefits and the best of the two would depend upon your needs.
If you are looking for an alternative for your deep-fried foods and want to cut on the extra oil then the air fryer would be the perfect addition to your kitchen. Whereas, if you want to preserve the nutrients in your meals then the pressure cooker is your way to go.
Also, if you are looking for a product to reduce your cooking time then a pressure cooker is better than an air fryer. As on average, an air fryer cooks a food 20% faster than a conventional oven or through a deep-frying method. Whereas, with a pressure cooker, your meal would be ready in 1/3 of the time.
An air fryer is not an alternate of a pressure cooker or vice versa due to their different designs and mechanisms. Thus, to conclude the air fryer vs pressure cooker debate, you can look at the pros and cons of both the products and then decide on the best product according to your goals.
Check Out the Best Pressure Cookers