Are you looking for additional versatile cookware to add to your kitchen that will speed up your food prep time?
Several compact kitchen appliances are very versatile in cooking. They help you regulate your food’s moisture and crispiness to just the way you would like it.
An air fryer and a pressure cooker are one of those must-have cookware in your kitchen. These two popular cookware utilizes different techniques in cooking food.
Without further ado, let’s compare an air fryer vs. a pressure cooker to ensure you make an informed decision.
Overview Of An Air Fryer And A Pressure Cooker
Air Fryers
Air fryers are similar to a typical convection oven but a smaller version that takes little or no counter space. This is a type of kitchenware that makes use of heated air to cook. It is a healthier way of cooking your foods with fewer calories.
There is a heating element located at the top of an air fryer, and beneath the heater is a convection fan that distributes hot air across the inner chamber. It has a vent through which all the air goes out of the chambers.
Most air fryers come with adjustable thermostat and timer, which allows you to choose a suitable setting for your food. These features speed up your food prep time. An air fryer provides you with deep-fried food but with less oil.
Air fryers include multiple functions and cooking methods such as roast, grill, toast, dehydrate, moist, and bake. It cooks faster than your regular frying method. The preset settings, such as a timer, help you set your cookware and forget. An air fryer is portable, compact cookware that is ideal for cooking for a small number of people. It can be opened during the cooking process to add more foods and remove others that are cooked.
Pressure Cookers
Pressure cookers use the inner pressure of a pot to hasten your food prep time. It requires the use of liquid sealed in an airtight pot.
The water turns to steam as it heats and causes a build-up in the pot. The pressure within the pot cooks your food rapidly and lessens the cooking time. When cooking is over, the trapped air is released from the pot for a safe opening.
A pressure cooker reduces your normal cooking. If you need 15 minutes to cook your food using the regular pot, with a pressure cooker, you use 5 minutes. It is ideal for almost all kinds of foods. Pressure cookers require less fluid than your conventional cooking style. It utilizes less power to cook your food quickly.
A pressure cooker helps you lock up all the nutrients within the pot during the cooking process within losing any and minimizes the time you spent in the kitchen. The pressure cooker cannot be opened during the cooking process, except when the food has finally get cooked. This is because the air is trapped in the pot. When using a pressure cooker, you have to always look out for defect parts such as the gasket to avoid an accident. A damaged pressure cooker can cause more harm.
Air Fryer Vs. Pressure Cooker
Similarities
An air fryer and a pressure cooker require a high temp for cooking. They both require a little amount of fluid to cook, the air pressure uses water, and the air fryer uses oil. They both provide you with healthier meals as they also lessen your cooking time and conserve enough energy and fluid.
A pressure cooker has various settings that would either make your food moist or crunchy. An air fryer can also make your food crispy and succulent, depending on the temperature setting.
They both include extra features that make cooking easier. A high-quality brand will offer more features and functions than a cheap quality one. The preset features offer selective and effortless cooking.
Differences
The cooking technique of both air fryers and pressure cookers differs. Although they both require a high temperature when cooking, the chamber’s pressure varies for both cookware.
A pressure cooker uses high pressure throughout the whole cooking process, but the air fryer’s pressure is minimized as it cooks; it depends on the hot air that has been distributed around the inner chamber.
You don’t have to let out the pressure in an air fryer before opening. You can pause the timer, quickly check your food as you cook, and even add more along the way. However, before you can open a pressure cooker, you have to ensure all the trapped heat is released to avoid burning yourself or any other kitchen accident.
An air fryer and a pressure cooker are constructed differently, which affects the way they function. Most of the food cooked by an air fryer is deep-fried and always comes out crispy except you have a brand with a moist setting. To get juicy chickens when using a pressure cooker, you will have to use the saute setting instead of the regular pressure setting.
The quantity and type of fluid used by these two varies. An air fryer can function with or without oil, but some food requires a small amount of oil to cook properly. The quantity of oil is not as much as the one required for your typical deep frying. A tablespoon or a few more will do. A pressure cooker requires the use of water or bullion before it can cook and can use more than a cup of liquid.
The cooking surface of an air fryer is smaller than that of a pressure cooker. A pressure cooker offers more cooking surface and must be filled to a particular point for efficiency. An air fryer can only accommodate a large quantity of food when you cook in batches. It is better suited for cooking small portions of food.
Conclusion
The way you cook and how you cook will affect your choice when considering which of the two kitchenware to get in the market. These two cookwares help you prepare your meal in a seamless way and in no time. These cookwares are alternative ways to cook your food without wasting much time.
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