Electric Pressure Cooker and other CookPots in UK

In 2016, my wife and I decided to buy some new pots. Being the kind of person that I am (online shopper), I decided to look online. That’s when I first discovered the instant pot – an electric pressure cooker.

I was amazed that there was something called an electric pressure cooker and the Instant pot was the front-runner at that time. I quickly persuaded my wife that we should purchase one.

However, before purchasing the Instant Pot, I began an exhaustive research on all the brands of electric pressure cookers on the market. I learnt a lot and I continue to learn. Here is my article about the best electric pressure cookers in the UK.

Best Electric Pressure Cookers in UK

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What is an Electric Pressure Cooker?

An electric pressure cooker is a pressure cooker that is powered by electricity! It is a sealed (airtight) pot to which heat is applied via an electrical heating system. Food in the electric pressure cooker is cooked very quickly because of the steam pressure in the pot.

This website is not just about electric pressure cookers, it is all about electrical cookware. I am an electrical and electronic engineer by training as such I have fallen in love with the idea of making the pot electrical and cutting down on the use of the electric stove.

On this site, I present all that I am learning about electrical cookware.

What is a cookpot?

The name cookpot is a merger between a cooker and a pot. The electric pressure cooker is a cooker and it is also a pot. If you say you want to buy and electric cooker, most people will present you with an electric stove. So I came up with the name “cookpot”. A cookpot is a kitchen appliance that can be used to cook like a pot without it being placed on a stove.

Enjoy the different articles and reports on this site, leave your comments, share your ideas and together let’s make this site the best resource center for all cookware that is powered by electricity in the U.K

Why UK?

I have decided to focus on the U.K because there are many resources and websites that cater to the North American users but there are relatively fewer resources for the U.K users. The reason for this may be because the biggest cookware manufacturers are in the USA and Canada. For example, the Instant Pot was designed by a Canadian Company.

Nonetheless, these electrical Pressure cookers and other electrical cookwares or “cookpots” are being used in the U.K and we need to have material the address their use here. These cookpots are virtually the same in both countries, however, the unit of measurements is different, the voltage and power ratings are bit different and the models available are different.

Types of Electric Cookers – Electrical Cookpots

I think the most popular cookpots are the slow cookers made popular by crockpot and the rice cookers. There are a few other cookpots in the market today. Most of them simply improve on the properties of the slow cookers and rice cookers and add the electric pressure cooker function. Here is a list of the top cookpots in the UK. I also wrote about the best electric pressure cooker in the UK.

Electric Pressure cooker – an electricity-powered airtight pot that cooks food quickly with steam pressure
Slow Cookers – a large electric pot used for cooking food, especially stews, very slowly
Rice Cookers – As the name implies, it is an electric appliance designed to cook rice.
Electric Multi-Cooker – an electric appliance the performs a combination of the above functions and more.

Top Electric Pressure cooker Manufactures or Brands

Almost every cookware manufacturer has its own brand of the Electric Pressure Cooker and other cookpots. In addition, there are many other “chinese” brands. There are also some manufacturers who make just electric pressure cookers or just cookpots.

About The Electric Pressure Cooker

Admit it. You’re quite attached to your pressure cooker. It’s always there when you need it, very fast, and it produces tasty meals. Unless of course, you don’t have one already; this reality is true for most pressure pot owners and users.

Pressure cookers used to always come in a more conventional form. They were (and still are) used as regular cookers and used on a stove top. A steam regulator, safety valve and pressure-activated interlock mechanism provides protection against overheating and the danger of explosion. In conventional pressure cookers, the steam regulator allows built up pressure garnered by the steam to escape. This causes the stove top pressure cookers to generate their signature loud and hissing noise when the pressure is on.

Electric Pressure Cookers are a more recent invention, made popular over the last decade. They consist of a pressure cooking container, the electric heating element, and the temperature/pressure sensors. These features, along with the experience of pressure cookers users that resulted in the creation of various cooking profiles; including rice cooking, slow cooking, steaming, sauté etc combine to form the new generation electric pressure cookers.

While Electric Pressure Cookers are not necessarily intuitive kitchen gadgets, there are a few things to learn about them.

What Makes Electric Pressure Cookers Special?

When considering what really makes electric pressure cookers stand out – it is important to weigh their perks against their closest alternative; stove top pressure cookers. Pressure cooking is great, but cooking with a stove top pressure cooker often means that the user needs to adjust the cooker while it is reaching pressure. Adjustments may happen a few times and take a few tries before you can discover the exact heat setting to keep the pressure ideal. They only require the users attention in order to select the desired pressure or program and begin the cooking process. No other monitoring is necessary.

Electric Pressure Cookers are especially great for being an ideal pick for people who cannot spare the time to monitor their cooking. They are a great replacement for a handful of appliances and for people who could really use the extra space.

Bottom line, it makes sense to give anything up in exchange for the convenience of an Electric Pressure Cooker. Even if it’s a chance at having the (often) more durable stove top pressure cooker.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Using Pressure Cookers

Ultimately, using electric pressure cookers and/or stove top pressure cookers will save time, energy, vitamins and time.

Pressure cooking generally reduces cooking time to up to 90% less than average. They guarantee 90% nutrition of foods cooked with them; improving digestibility and reducing harmful cooking byproducts to a minimum.

A few scientific publications provide supporting evidence to the claim of the health benefits of pressure cookers;

Findings recorded by the Journal Of Food Science suggest that pressure cooked broccoli retained 90% of its vitamin C content. This is an improvement over the 66% retention recorded when the broccoli was boiled and the 78% recorded when it was steamed.

In a related study published by the Journal of Food Science and Technology, it was found out that pressure cooking increased the amount of beneficial phenolics in bananas. And in the Plant Foods for Human nutrition, research suggests that pressure cooking is both the best method for retaining Vitamin C and beta-carotene in spinach and amaranth.

Summarily, using pressure cookers do not only boost the levels of nutrients acquired from food; it equally helps to reduces health harming compounds as well.

How Do Electric Pressure Cookers Help To Save Energy?

Simple; if an electric pressure cooker saves 90% of your cooking time, it automatically means that you will use over two-thirds less energy. Energy savings themselves translate into dollar savings. And with so little energy needed, the cost implication of owning an electric pressure cooker may be as little as one penny.

Unless you are using a solar cooker – with no obligations as utility bills and related expenses; it is nearly impossible to use less energy while cooking; 90% is as low as you can possibly go unless you begin taking drastic steps to becoming extremely frugal about the process.

What Are The Things You Need To Know Before Buying An Electric Pressure Cooker?

An electric Pressure cooker is different from the stove tope pressure cooker. It is also different from the regular pots. You will need to update all your recipes to cook them in an electric pressure cooker.

In my opinion, the changes are not to difficult to learn and there are many recipes online. Many new recipes are being added online daily.

What to look for in electric pressure cookers!

There are a few things that will guide you as you choose an electric pressure cooker for your home. Knowing these will make your search a little easier.

What size of electric pressure cooker do you need?

There are a variety of options available to you when it comes to pressure cooker sizes. If your electric pressure cooker is too small, it can become frustrating. So think about the size you need for your self or your household.

Please take note that when considering the size of your pressure cooker, you will need to leave some room in the pot for the food to expand and for the steam. Most electric pressure cookers come in sizes between 3 and 8 litres.

3 Litre cooker is ideal for a single person or just a small meal.

A 5 -6 litre cooker can cook for the average family. If you have more than 2 adults in your home then you may need to think of the 7 or 8 litre electric pressure cooker.

How complicated are the controls of the Electric Pressure Cooker?

If you are not so comfortable with reading complicated user manuals, then it will be a good idea to look out for pressure cookers with large and simplified controls. More and more of the newly designed cookers are having easier to read controls. Nevertheless, I still encourage you to confirm that the controls are easy to follow before shelling out your money!

Is the electric Pressure cooker also a Multi-cooker?

Most electric pressure cookers are also multi cookers. They can also be used as slow cookers, deep fryer, steamers and so on. If the have more functions they are usually more complicated and sometimes more expensive.

It is rare to find an electric pressure cooker that only does that, because it will be a waste of resources. Once all the electrical system is in place for an electric pressure cooker, it can also do a few other basic cooking functions.

Try to Stay Away From Silicone Based Non-stick Coatings

Silicone and pressure cooking do not mix very well. Not all non-stick cookers are made from silicone, but a few of them are. These silicone based non-stick accessories may make for easy cleaning and replacement, but the cooker itself may not survive much of anything. The cookers are easily scratched and damaged. The damaged surfaces often expose the aluminum underneath to direct contact with the food – this itself can pose severe health risks to users. Consider choosing non-stick fluoropolymer or sol-gel ceramic coatings instead.

Established Manufacturers Often Come With Great Warranty Arrangements

While you may like to hope for the absolute best, most pressure cookers will have some parts that may eventually experience wear and tear. Purchasing the cooker from a well-recognized manufacturer with a great reputation will make the process a lot less hassle than it might prove to be in the long run. Not to mention, considering their experience in the field – they are more likely to have products that are accompanied by mouth-watering warranty arrangements that will assure that you and your electric pressure cooker(s) are well taken care of regardless of mishaps and uncontrollable circumstance.

Bestsellers – Electric Pressure Cooker UK

Here are the top ten bestsellers in the Electric Pressure Cooker category on Amazon United Kingdom (UK) today. This list is updated regularly so you can always know which electric pressure cooker users like you are buying.

Electric Pressure cooker recipes

There are a couple of websites where you can find some electric pressure cooker recipes. Usually, you can start by visiting the manufacturer website of your chosen electric pressure cooker.

Here are some books that some of our readers have found useful. You may find them useful too.

You can see a list of cookbooks filled with Electric pressure cooker recipes here

Stay Tuned

These are my findings so far! I hope to do in-depth reviews of these pressure cookers as I am able to get to them. Expect a new review every month for the next 4 – 6 months. If I had the time, there are enough electric pressure cookers and multi cookers in the market to occupy me for a couple of years. I am enjoying the process so far. I hope I don’t get over this electric pressure cooker bug too soon to fulfill my promise. Stay tuned.