EditorsIf you want to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle, while keeping an eye on your budget, there are several changes you can make around the house. A small investment can have added benefits. For example, changing your cooking method could not just save you money and make healthier meals but have the extra benefit of helping the environment. If you typically boil, steam, fry and bake then you could make some changes that will help to improve your bank balance and the world around you in a small but important way. Here are six benefits of an instant pot cooker that can save you time and money:
Instant Pots use less energy
An Instant Pot is similar to a pressure cooker. You may have heard about them as they have become popular over the last few years. Like a pressure cooker they seal in the moisture which turns to steam as the temperature is raised. After a few minutes the pressure will have built up enough to start cooking. Because of the combination of heat and steam they will cook food up to 70% faster than a conventional oven. This means 70% less electricity being used and therefore smaller utility bills.
Disposing of cooking oil
Getting rid of cooking oil in a safe and environmentally friendly way is sometimes awkward and inconvenient. You must never pour oil down the drain, sink or toilet. It can clog pipes and sewers. You can dispose of vegetable oil on your compost pile if you have one but not oil that contains any animal fat. Perhaps you are friendly with a local restaurant and they will include yours in their own waste oil collection.
Alternatively start cooking without oil. An Instant Pot cooks with moisture much like steaming and needs no added fats or oils. Not only are you eating healthier meals but you are now saving money on cooking oil and not having the problem of disposing of oil afterwards.
No need to defrost
You could defrost meat or other food in the fridge overnight but what if you forget to remove it from the freezer or decide to cook something on a whim but only have frozen ingredients? You might normally use the microwave to defrost your food before cooking but with the Instant Pot you don’t need to. It will happily cook food from frozen. This saves you using the microwave and saves energy and money again.
Less water used in cooking
The cooker is fully sealed so it uses a lot less water than steaming. Unlike normal steaming where you can literally see the water disappearing into thin air the Instant Pot traps everything inside meaning it requires a fraction of what you need for steaming. It will actually use around 75% less water using this method and also will leave the kitchen much more comfortable then steaming which can leave the room humid and surfaces damp.
Actual less heating time
The cooking system employed in the Instant Pot is smart enough to monitor the pressure inside the cooker. It only needs to heat the inner pot to a certain pressure and this means if you were doing a longer cook the heat would off for nearly 40% of the time you are cooking.
Insulated for heat efficiency
The instant pot cooker is more efficient even than standard pressure cookers. It concentrates the heat where it needs it in the inner pot. This is completely insulated with two air pockets retaining the heat. Unlike some cookers that are hot on the outside the Instant Pot remains cool and at most lukewarm which means little heat is being wasted in areas it doesn’t need to be.
Other considerations
Like all products there are both advantages and disadvantages to the Instant Pot. It can be expensive and if you want your food to have a crispy exterior or skin then you may need to either buy one with an air fryer adapter or spend extra time putting the food under the grill. You will also have to add some additional time to any recipe you are following. The pressure takes a few minutes to build up before cooking can begin. After you have finished cooking you will then need to wait a few more minutes to release the pressure so your time savings are slightly reduced.
On the other hand by being able to preprogram the Instant Pot to start at a certain time you can make more use of your time. If you wanted to work overtime but the thought of having to prepare a meal after those extra hours is off putting then just put the ingredients and water in the pot before heading to work and set the timer to come on before you finish work. You make extra money and still eat a healthy meal and thus avoid temptation to spend cash on junk food. They can be used for making healthy snacks like https://www.corriecooks.com/instant-pot-boiled-peanuts/ and help retain nutrients through the cooking process.
Other cooking methods
An Instant Pot isn’t the only way to reduce time and energy bills.
If an Instant Pot is either out of your budget or feels unnecessary then you could look at an induction hot plate. This helps to reduce your energy consumption by heating the cooking surface more efficiently than other hobs. It is able to turn itself off after a preset time which neither traditional electric or gas cookers do and not only that but will also switch off if it detects the saucepan or frying pan has been removed from the cooking surface. Saves not only time and money but makes the induction cooker a safer way to make food.
Air fryers and convection ovens are also ways to reduce cooking times and save money. They cook a wide range of food like Instant Pots and you can even make Boston style pizza in them. They use more energy than convection ovens but because they cook faster they use less power overall and will save money and off a few of the benefits of an instant pot cooker.
