Electric Pressure Cooker Vegetable Soup (Easy Instant Pot Recipe) - Recipes That Crock! (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a pressure cooker and a crock pot? ›

Slow cookers and pressure cookers are large countertop appliances that can be used in place of pots, pans, and even ovens. The distinction between them is in their names; slow cookers cook food slowly, while pressure cookers cook food fast using pressure.

Yes, you can use your Instant Pot as a slow cooker, but our Test Kitchen says it's not as easy as just hitting the “Slow Cook” button.

Slow cookers and pressure cookers come in a variety of sizes up to eight quarts, but pressure cookers need extra room inside the pot for the steam to accumulate, which limits the batch size. If you have a large family or plan on making soups and stews you can store for later, you may be better served by a slow cooker.

An Instant Pot does have more functionality (like sautéing, pressure cooking, slow cooking, and acts as a rice cooker, steamer, and warmer!) than a slow cooker, but if you don't plan to use all of its extra functions and just prefer the simplicity of a slow-cooker, then you might prefer a Crock-Pot.

Yes, slow cookers are a healthier way to cook food. This is because they use a low temperature to cook food, which unlike other styles of cooking, reduces the risk of destroying the nutrients in food when cooking at higher temperatures.

Locate the soup setting on your Instant Pot control panel. It is usually labeled with a soup icon or the word “soup”. Press the button to activate the setting. The Instant Pot will automatically adjust the time and temperature for cooking soup.

Most cookers have two or more settings generally operate between 170° and 280° F. If possible, turn the cooker on the highest setting for the first hour of cooking time and then to low or the setting called for in your recipe.

Normal on the Instant Pot Slow Cooker Function is equivalent to low heat on a traditional slow cooker. Normal reaches 200 degrees F. High on the Instant Pot Function does not get as high as high heat on a slow cooker, but by adding 15 minutes per hour of slow cooking, you can experience similar results.

Advantages of pressure cooking include reduced cooking times and retention of nutrients, plus it's a great way to make energy-efficient, one-pot meals. The downsides include problems with foods that have different cook times and not being able to check the progress of the food cooking.

What are the disadvantages of cooking in a pressure cooker? ›

Because pressure cooking is an enclosed form of cooking, there is no contact with air. Therefore, some nutritionists argue that the ingredients may remain uncooked from within which can hamper your digestion on being consumed. Almost all cooking methods, including pressure cooking, have their own pros and cons.

Yes, an Instant Pot can replace a slow cooker, but the results may be a little different. "The difference primarily lies in the shape of the cooking bowl. Slow cookers are often longer and wider and offer more surface area for larger roasts.

Crock Pot is a brand that manufactures slow cookers. Slow cookers are countertop appliances that cook food over low heat for a long period of time. They are designed to heat food for up to eight hours, so they're ideal if you want a hot meal ready for you when you get home from work, or when you wake up in the morning.

If you like the vegetables incredibly soft and fall-apart tender and with more flavor of the broth from absorbing the liquid while cooking, the slow cooker is the way to go. If you prefer your potatoes and carrots to be more like a steamed “side” that happened to cook with the meat, the Instant Pot is the way to go!

The key benefit of a traditional pressure cooker is that it can deliver a higher pressure than all but the most expensive Instant Pots, so it cooks even more quickly: where most Instant Pots deliver a maximum pressure of 12psi, traditional pressure cookers can go up to 15psi.