closeup of rice in a rice cooker

Instant Pot vs Rice Cooker

If making perfect rice is something that is you are always striving for but never quite getting there, the answer may lie in your equipment. Many people use a simple pot that they use for other foods but there are lots of different rice cookers on the market to help you make great rice every time.

The leading tools for cooking rice are instant pots, otherwise known as pressure cookers, and rice cookers. We take a look at the pros and cons of each piece of equipment to help you decide which of the two you should invest in.

Instant Pot

What is an Instant Pot?

An instant pot is also referred to as a pressure cooker, is a modern way of cooking rice that allows for precision cooking. Many people in the US, Asia, and Europe like to cook rice this way as it is very accurate, both with plain rice and rice based one-pot dishes.

The instant pot, while also known as a pressure cooker is quite different from old-style pressure cookers that sit on the top of your stove. Modern instant pots have programmable features that mean it is very difficult to overcook your rice.

Cooking Rice With an Instant Pot

To cook rice in a pressure cooker is very easy as you simply add the desired amount of rice for your meal with the stated amount of water. The principle of the instant pot is that the pressure inside the vessel means that the water boils 20 degrees higher so that it cooks quicker than in a stand pan of boiling water.

The pot consists of an inner pot, an outer pot, and a lid and is very simple to use and to clean.

The Benefits of Cooking Rice With an Instant Pot

Cooking rice with an instant has the following benefits:

  • Multi-functional as you can cook other foods such as stews and soups
  • Accurate cooking as you can time the instant pot to finish cooking after a certain length of time
  • Saves time as rice cooks more quickly
  • Comes in various sizes so you can cook large quantities if required
  • Energy-efficient so kind to the environment
  • Easy to clean

The Cons of Cooking Rice With an Instant Pot

The downside of cooking with an instant pot include:

  • You may need to make a few batches before you get to know the optimum amount of water and length of time to cook
  • It can feel unsafe when taking the inner pot out of the outside pot so caution is needed
  • Instant pots are generally more expensive than rice cookers

Rice Cooker

What is a Rice Cooker?

A rice cooker does exactly what it says on the tin, cooks rice of all types. Generally, people will use their rice cooker as a stand-alone way to cook rice but they are multifunctional and can work as a traditional pressure cooker. A rice cooker consists of the main pot, an electric heating plate, internal pan, thermal device, and a control panel.

Cooking Rice With a Rice Cooker

When you cook rice with a rice cooker it is similar to cooking with a pressure cooker in that you simply need to add rice, water/broth, and a little oil if desired and press a button. The sensing device means that the temperature will never go over 100 degrees but the rice will still cook quickly. Once the sensor knows that the rice is cooked it will switch to ‘warming’ mode so that the rice stays at a safe temperature until you are ready to serve dinner.

The Benefits of Cooking Rice With a Rice Cooker

Cooking rice with a rice cooker has the below benefits:

  • Consistent rice cooking
  • Takes no getting used to as it cooks rice precisely as you want
  • Great for cooking different types of rice, such as brown rice and wild rice
  • A great keep warm ( for up to 2 hours) function so you can cook ahead of a dinner party or when cooking for large groups
  • Great for cooking vegetables and eggs
  • Safer to use than an instant pot as it does not reach as high temperatures
  • Easy to clean
  • Cheaper than instant pots

The Cons of Cooking Rice With an Instant Pot

The below list a short number of reasons why you might not want to choose a rice cooker:

  • While the rice is consistently cooked correctly it does not cook any quicker then in a standard pot so may not be good if you want to cook in a hurry.
  • Not as versatile as instant pots so you cannot cook as many foods in it.
  • Non-stick which means you need to be careful what utensils you use so that you do not scratch the pan.

Whatever way you choose to cook rice, whether in an instant pot or a rice cooker, you are sure to save time and rest assured that the rice will be cooked accurately.