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Imagine yourself surrounded by so many tasks that you realize you’ve only had one meal throughout the day. This practice, although quite common in today’s era, can pose a threat to your health and well-being if it becomes habitual.
Indeed, dealing with a hectic routine in today’s time is no joke. You may often find yourself multitasking just to get your daily tasks done. Under such circumstances, you would want to spend less time preparing a meal and more time being in the action. If this situation seems similar to yours, then Pressure Cooker is all that you need!
Pressure Cookers aren’t your ordinary piece of kitchen equipment. You can actually refer to these cooker pots as the Cheetah of the kitchen considering the time and speed it takes to prepare meals.
If you’ve already considered investing in a Pressure Cooker than What Size Of Pressure Cooker Would You Require For Your Kitchen?
This perhaps is a tricky question. Normally, you cannot fill the Pressure Cooker for more than ⅔ of the size of the container. With that being said, you wouldn’t want to invest in a Pressure Cooker which fails to serve its purpose effectively. Therefore, it becomes essential for you to know The Size of the Pressure Cooker that could easily cater to your and your family’s need.
What Size Of Pressure Cooker Is The Best For You?
Have you heard of “there’s more to this than meets the eye”? Well! This saying goes well when it comes to the size of the Pressure Cookers.
Normally, you would see a cooking pot and know the size that can make the best fit for your kitchen. However, such is not the case with Pressure Cookers.
Pressure Cookers usually do not reflect the capacity of food it can actually hold in its container. Once you’re in the market, you will find various shapes and sizes of Pressure Cooker. Some will be measured in quants, while others will be in liters.
To make matters trickier, you cannot fill the Pressure Cooker to the level of its lid. There are various measurements you need to follow while cooking your meals in your cookware.
You can fill most food items up to the ⅔ level of the container. While for most beans and grainy food you must fill ½ of the container. Grains and beans usually foam and expand, therefore, more room is required as compared to the other variety of food.
What Size Of Pressure Cooker Can Fit Your Ingredients Perfectly?
2 Liters / Quants Pressure Cooker: This is the smallest size of the Pressure Cooker. Normally this size would serve well and prepare a meal for 2 people. Pressure Cooker with a size of 2 Liters or Quants can contain the following measurements in its container:
- Rice: 1 ⅓ Cups
- Dry Beans: ¾ Cups
- Stock Or Soup: 5 ¼ Cups
4 Liters / Quants Pressure Cooker: This size usually prepares food for 4 people at max. Following are the measurements which 4 liters or quant container can fit easily:
- Rice: 2 ¾ Cups
- Dry Beans: 1 ½ Cups
- Stock Or Soup: 10 ½ Cups
6 Liters / Quants Pressure Cooker: A 6 liter or quant Pressure Cooker can prepare a meal for 6 people easily. Here are the measurements of food that a 6 liter/quant Pressure Cooker can easily hold:
- Rice: 4 Cups
- Dry Beans: 2 ½ Cups
- Stock Or Soup: 15 ¾ Cups
8 Liter / Quant Pressure Cooker: The size of 8 Liter / Quant Pressure Cooker can prepare a meal for 8 people easily. Here’s what your container can hold:
- Rice: 5 ½ Cups
- Dry Beans: 3 ¼ Cups
- Stock Or Soup: 21 Cups
10 Liter / Quant Pressure Cooker: Generally this size works well for preparing large servings of food. 10 Liters or Quants can easily prepare food for 10 people. Here’s what your 10 Liter/Quant Pressure Cooker can hold:
- Rice: 7 Cups
- Dry Beans: 4 Cups
- Stock Or Soup: 26 ¼ Cups
How the Calculation Works?
Generally, the calculation goes like 1 Liter/Quant = 1 person serving. Therefore, 4 Liter/Quant Pressure Cooker serves portions for 4 people, whereas, 8 Liter/Quant Pressure Cooker prepares food for 8 people, and so on.
If you’re looking for a cooker to serve your family’s need then we would recommend that you go for a Pressure Cooker with a size of 6 to 8 Liter/Quant. This an optimal size of Pressure Cooker for a family based on 6-9 members.
What Elements Should You Consider Before Investing In A Pressure Cooker?
Brand or Manufacturer
It’s best that you go brand or manufacturer conscious before investing in a Pressure Cooker. Although almost all Pressure Cookers have a similar function. However, the quality differs from one another.
There are certain parts of Pressure Cookers that are subject to wear and tear. Purchasing your unit from a renowned brand or manufacturer can help repair or replace your Pressure Cooker inexpensively. The manufacturer or brand’s warranty is another factor that plays a plus point in your purchase.
Pressure Settings
Pressure Cooker nowadays features two or more pressure settings. The goal of the setting is to help you adjust the pressure of your cooker according to your meal’s requirements.
Generally, the two pressure settings are based on high pressure and low pressure. The high pressure is used for meals that require a long time to cook. Mainly for meat, beans, and legumes. Whereas, the low-pressure settings are used for cooking, veggies, pasta, eggs, or fishes.
Stainless Steel
If you’re looking forward to purchasing a stovetop Pressure Cooker then you have mainly two options. A stainless steel cooker or an aluminum Pressure Cooker.
Aluminum cookers are inexpensive as compared to stainless Pressure Cookers. However, they deform rather easily. In some instances, the aluminum Pressure Cooker can also change the taste of some acidic ingredients. Therefore, its better you purchase a Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker in order to save yourself from such a hassle.
The Valve Of The Pressure Cooker
Back in the days, there used to be Pressure Cookers that would fill the kitchen with the sound of a whistle. The sound would usually go off because of the built-up steam inside the cooker. The whistle, however, indicated the steam being vented out of the cooker.
In the present era, we have valves to save our ears from the torture of constant whistles. They not only create little to almost no noise but also are energy efficient.
For stovetop cookers, you can find Pressure Cookers with spring valves. Whereas, for electric cookers, there are float valves
For electric cookers, you can find Pressure Cookers with float valves. Whereas, for stovetop cookers, there are spring valves that help regulate the steam pressure inside the cooker.
Which One Works Best For You? The Stovetop Pressure Cooker OR The Electric Pressure Cooker
The answer to this question honestly depends on your preference. An electric Pressure Cooker has the same function as the stovetop Pressure Cooker. Both of these Pressure Cookers provide a solution to efficient cooking as compared to our regular conventional cooking method. However, in certain aspects, these cookers are slightly different from each other.
Speed And Durability: Electric Pressure Cooker is comparatively less durable and as a limited performance speed as compared to the Stovetop Pressure Cooker.
Pressure Settings: Stovetop Pressure Cookers have fewer controls and settings as compared to the Electric Cooker. Electric Pressure Cookers work best for people who aren’t quite sure about the controls and would want the technology to take over the controls according to your requirement.
Supervision: The Electric Pressure Cooker requires less to almost no supervision. However, people who prefer to control their cookers manually prefer the Stovetop Pressure Cooker.
