Electric pressure cookers are commonly known as Instant Pots. But Instant Pot is actually only one of the brands that popularized the Electric Pressure Cooker. It’s like Xerox - which is the name of the company that helps with copying - that became synonymous with photocopying. I may use them interchangeably through the video.
Anyway - the main difference between a traditional pressure cooker and an electric pressure cooker is usability, technology and safety. Electric pressure cookers come with safety features that make it safer to use and more user friendly.
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🛒🛒 BEST ELECTRIC COOKERS / INSTANT POTS
❇️ FOR A FAMILY OF 3 - 6 - Geek Robocook
❇️ FOR A FAMILY OF 2 OR FOR SMALLER KITCHENS - Geek Robocook
❇️ FOR A LARGE FAMILY Geek Robocook Zest
❇️ Geek Robocook Airfryer attachment
BUYING CRITERIA FOR INSTANT POTS
Let’s start with the size - 4-6 liters is ideal for a family of 3-6 people and less than that is ideal for 1-2 people.
Size (in liters) | Cooks for |
3 liters | 1-2 people |
4-6 liters | 3-6 people |
>6 liters | Large family / hosting |
Amongst the models compared, there are only 2 models - Baltara and geek robocook zest 3L which is ideal for 1-2 people and only one model geek robocook nuvo which has 8L capacity which is ideal for a large family.
Next important criteria is the type of pot used. I almost always recommend the stainless steel pot for health reasons. Non-stick pots are typically a lot cheaper, but care needs to be taken so as not to scratch the non stick surface during cooking / cleaning. Since my video on this topic last year, many of the models have now switched to stainless steel pots which is great. Only the lower size and lower priced models - the ones you see on the top have non stick and the wonderchef nutricook now has a hard anodized aluminum pot.
Let’s talk about the presets. Presets are useful for frequently cooked dishes. But if you are following a custom recipe, you would need to adjust the time to that provided in the recipe. Most of these models have many presets - between 12 and 18 presets - but only a few models have presets for Indian dishes. So if you are keen on presets - then that’s something to consider. All the Geek Robocook models, wonderchef nutri-cook, and aufla model have presets for Indian dishes. Others have generic presents like rice, bean, porridge - which can be customized for Indian dishes.
Let’s first understand some of the terms frequently used in an electric pressure cooker - you may frequently see 6 in 1, 7 in 1, 9 in 1, 12 in 1 and so on. Essentially this means the number of appliances or uses they are replacing. For example, a 9 in 1 instant pot replaces a Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute vessel, Yogurt Maker, Sterilizer and Warmer. Most of your common usecases will be covered with an electric cooker. What’s funny is one of them said it replaces a gas cylinder - which is technically true - if this is the only appliance you are using.
All models have a delay start timer - sometimes upto 24 hours, have an LCD screen and control panel, multiple safety features compared to a regular pressure cooker.
Wattage is between 700-1300W based on the size. However, the Baltra model which is a small size at 2.8L has a wattage of 1000W - which seems like an overkill.
🛒🛒 BEST ELECTRIC COOKERS / INSTANT POTS
❇️ FOR A FAMILY OF 3 - 6 - Geek Robocook
❇️ FOR A FAMILY OF 2 OR FOR SMALLER KITCHENS - Geek Robocook
❇️ FOR A LARGE FAMILY Geek Robocook Zest
❇️ Geek Robocook Airfryer attachment
From a pricing point of view - Instant pot, being one of the innovators of the electric pressure cooker, is fairly expensive at about 12K. Rest of the models range between 6.5K to 8.5K - typically stainless steel pots are more expensive. From a warranty point of view - most offer a 2 year warranty except one model of Geek Robocook, Kuvings, Wellspire and Agaro. Crockpot express does not seem to have service center in India and there have been many complaints regarding service.
You may ask me - what about Mealthy - Mealthy electric pressure cookers were out of stock at time of making this video, so not included in the comparison.
From a spare part availability - spare parts like the replacement pot and silicon attachments are easily available for Geek robocook, Wonderchef and instant pot, but not easily available for the rest. Instant pot spare parts are more expensive however.
BEST INSTANT POTS IN INDIA
Based on all of this, it may come as no surprise that all of my recommendations will be the Geek Robocook models. This has never happened before! And ofcourse this is not a sponsored video, they are genuinely killing it in the electric pressure cooker market. Surprisingly - they were not even available at the time of my last video on this topic. They have a stainless steel pot, sizes from 3-8 L, so you can select one based on your family size and needs, presets for Indian dishes, a 11-in-1 appliance. What’s interesting is that they also have an air fryer attachment that you can purchase separately - that can make this product also an air fryer without occupying more space. Their spare parts are generally available and reasonably priced.
So my recommendation is the Geek Robocook Zest (NS 3L) in the 3L category, Geek Robocook Zeta (SS 5L) in the 5L category, and Geek Robocook Nuvo (SS 6L) in the 6L category.
🛒🛒 BEST ELECTRIC COOKERS / INSTANT POTS
❇️ FOR A FAMILY OF 3 - 6 - Geek Robocook
❇️ FOR A FAMILY OF 2 OR FOR SMALLER KITCHENS - Geek Robocook
❇️ FOR A LARGE FAMILY Geek Robocook Zest
❇️ Geek Robocook Airfryer attachment
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