Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/06/20/stove-top-pressure-cookers-are.html
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Stove top pressure cookers are still awesome? Come to India my friend, you will be reeducated as to the futility of electronically controlled pressure cookers. Stove top pressure cookers going strong for the last 50yrs and the next 50yrs. 
Seriously though, I appreciated the convenience of instant pots when I was in the states, but just like a chef will always want a nice gas stove, you can’t do better then a stove top pressure cooker (on a gas flame) for fine control of nice curry and दाल.
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Can it be converted to a pot still? If not, you chose poorly. How do you expect to convert leftover Halloween candy to alternative fuel?
Pressure cookers are awesome.
Want to cook potatoes for 10 people in 20min ? It’s the perfect tool.
Want to make soups ? Just throw vegetables in it, forget it for 20min, blend, et voilà mother fucker !
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I really only use mine for pinto beans, and I still love the thing. And it’s a cheap-ish weight-on-top style. (it does have a lock and a relief valve, it’s not archaic) Speaking of, it’s been a while since I bought it, I should prob pick up replacement rubber gaskets/parts for before they start to degrade.
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The stove top pressure cooker has many advantages over the instant pot. It comes in a variety of sizes and works at a higher pressure which increases the temperature and cuts the cooking time.
I have been using the Fagor 10 quart pressure cookers. With pressure cookers, size does matter. You need to leave space for the steam and to prevent any food that may ‘foam’ from reaching the vents for safety. The Fagor duo has two pressures, the standard 15psi and a gentler 11psi (about the same as an instant pot).
I also have a glass lid (accessory) to use it as a stock pot and a silicone cover with vents to use for regular steaming. I have several baskets for steaming and a trivet and steel bowl for ‘pot in pot’ cooking of beans and grains such as rice. (Brown rice in 14 minutes cooking time!) The pot in pot method puts the beans or grains in the pot with the correct amount of water while the pressure cooker only needs a much smaller amount of water to provide the steam for the cooking time. This means that the time to reach pressure is much less so the overall cooking time is greatly reduced!
I use my pressure cookers on an induction burner so there is much less heat in the kitchen when cooking. This is much appreciated in warm weather.
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I think the main difference is that the Instant Pot has a lot of specifically labeled buttons.
But wait, there’s more! The Instant Pot has a saute function!
Oh yeah, a standard pressure cooker can saute, too. It just doesn’t have a button for it.
So . . . the Instant Pot has buttons. Yay.
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I buy fresh sardines and pressure cook them in olive oil and some sort of flavor (lemon juice, liquid smoke, etc).
Sadly, it is no cheaper than store bought canned sardines. But somehow more tasty.
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Gotta admit I’ve never used a pressure cooker - was always kinda afraid they’d blow up and smear my face all over the kitchen. Should maybe give it a try some time.
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Thanks for a great first post!
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I’ve always scoffed at the idea of an instant pot, not wanting another plug-in gadget taking up space on my counter… but I really do want to be able to cook beans quickly. So, does an instant pot offer anything compelling over a stovetop pressure cooker?
Do you have a crockpot/slow cooker? If “yes” then “no.” I think the Instant Pot can be both.
yup, I have a big one, but find I don’t use it very often.
Thanks, that’s kindof what I figured!
I’ll probably go for one or the other mostly based on size/price and local availability where I live
yeah, having a pressure cooker and a slow cooker means i don’t need an instant pot. i mainly use the pressure cooker for beans (it really is the BEST way to make them), but this past weekend i discovered i can use it to make artichokes in 10-15 minutes (plus natural cooldown), which is STILL much faster than steaming them. i love my pressure cooker!
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The stovetop pressure cooker is better than an instant pot because it is hooked to a fatter circuit than the little 15 amp one your instant pot plugs into. You get to use your big boy burners to dump energy into the pressure cooker and get it up to temperature and pressure much faster.
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I have 2 pressure cookers, and neither are electronic. One smallish one for general cooking purposes and another huge one for canning. Both are the ‘old fashioned’ ones with weights and I love that - nothing to get out of calibration like with the dial-based ones. I’m a big fan of simple technology that just works.
The Instant Pot is terrible at slow cooking. Instead of having a ceramic insert that holds the heat and cooks the food like an oven, the Instant Pot heats from the bottom and is metal, so the food cooks unevenly. I would not get rid of your slow cooker once you get your Instant Pot.
I guess I am in the minority. The Instant Pot is nice because it brings it up to pressure, then starts the timer, so it is a set-and-forget sort of thing. I had the hardest time regulating my stovetop pressure cooker…lower the heat once it starts steaming, but if I lower it too much, it didn’t stay at pressure, so I never really knew when to start timing the food. I’m sure this is 100% user error, but it’s why I prefer the Instant Pot.
Pressure cookers also make great autoclaves, say if you need to sterilize growing medium for your illicit magic mushroom growing operation.
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We watched this earlier this year, and have put remembering to find a new gasket for our cooker (same as in the video) as a high priority.
(BTW, Spring Byington was already 63 when she made that video. I love the idea that she was supposed to have a 10-year-old son. Also that her teen daughter calls her “elderly”.)
I bought an instant pot and after an initial phase of contempt, I’ve used it to replace my slow cooker, rice cooker, and one of my stockpots, as well as giving me pressure cooker functionality. I have a small kitchen, and the instant pot does many jobs well enough, clearing up significant space.
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