How Much Electricity Does an Instant Pot Use (instant pot power consumption)

An instant pot is nothing less than a blessing for those who cook. It is a multi-cooker and can cook for you in many ways. The utility of an instant pot is unquestionable; however, the question of concern that arises is- How much electricity does it use? Is it economically feasible?

We will discuss all you need to know about the instant pot here. We will also figure out if it consumes less or high electricity. Read on to find out.

 

How much electricity does an instant pot use?

instant-pot

There is no fixed answer to this question, but we can confirm that an instant pot uses less electricity than an oven. What also determines the power usage of your instant pot is the length of time you use it and how frequently you use it.

You must know that instant pots are relatively cost-efficient. It will cost you way less electricity bill money while also giving you the benefits of an oven. That should be a reason enough to invest in an instant pot. After all, it is versatile and takes up less electricity than a standard oven. Instant pots are good at retaining heat and hence use less energy to heat the cooked food.

The size of the instant pot determines to a large extent, the amount of electricity it consumes. It will use somewhere between 120 to 140 volts of power.

Tip: If you regularly cook for just one or two people, use a smaller instant pot. Using larger ones will take up more electricity and increase your bill.

 

Factors that affect instant pot power usage

There are many factors that determine the amount of electricity your instant pot consumes. The most crucial being size of it and the setting you are using.

 

Size

Instant pots come in a wide range of sizes, so you can choose one as per your requirement. Select one that corresponds to the number of people you usually cook for so that you are done in one go. It is also important to note that the amount of electricity an instant pot consumes also depends on its size.

 

Settings

settings

Other than the size, the settings also determine how much electricity an instant pot takes. As we have mentioned that an instant pot is quite a versatile device, it offers various cooking settings- pressure cooking, slow cooking, sauté, and yogurt-making. The kind of cooking setting you put your instant pot on will decide the power usage of the pot.

 

How can I save money while using an instant pot?

save-money

An instant pot does its job pretty quickly, as the name suggests. It cooks the food faster and also needs less amount of water, hence using lesser energy. All in all, an instant pot is an energy-efficient device that can help you save some bucks.

However, if you use your instant pot very frequently and want to cut down on electricity usage further, you can try these few tips:

 

Shorter Cooking Time

time

A trick is to keep the cooking time shorter. The longer your device will be plugged in, the higher will be the energy usage. You can also cook suitable food items in a high-pressure setting, considerably reducing the cooking time.

 

Versatility

The versatility of an instant pot is its biggest perk. It will make your kitchen clutter-free and save you from spending on many more cooking appliances. There is no need for you to buy a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, or a rice cooker if you happen to have an instant pot. That accounts for a lot of saved money.

 

Don’t use the “keep warm” option until not needed.

Use the keep warm function only when you need it, as keeping the food warm will consume electricity continuously. Even though it takes up less electricity than the “cooking setting” does, it is still good to be careful and do the needful.

 

Avoid preheating your instant pot.

An instant pot is quick enough in its functioning; hence you do not need to preheat it. Using it just when you need to put food into it for cooking can save you a lot of electricity.

 

Use the “Pressure-cooker” function.

The pressure cooker setting prepares your food faster, hence taking up less electricity by reducing the cooking time.

 

Can an instant pot be used in a Camper or RV?

RV

You can use an instant pot in a camper or an RV, as long as you have a power connection. It is, however, advised to be aware of the wattage system of your instant pot. Plus, a little experimentation beforehand will help you understand your RV’s electric system better and how much it can handle.

In fact, many RVers use instant pots since it does the job of a number of cooking appliances and saves space. The wattage of instant pots varies as per the size and can go from 700 watts to 1200 watts.

As far as camping is concerned, why should you be deprived of the joy of an instant pot here? While camping, you’d want to spend more of your time enjoying yourself and gathering experiences.

So, you can look up a few simple, instant pot recipes that will save you a lot of time and allow you to have the best time on your camping adventure. If you don’t have an RV, you need to make sure that you have power facilities available on your campsite.

A tip for you would be to keep all your ingredients ready and do your chopping beforehand. It will ease the cooking process for you. Also, keep your cleaning supplies handy so that you can use your instant pot multiple times.

 

FAQs

 

Does a slow cooker use more electricity than a pressure cooker in an instant pot?

The main difference between a slow cooker and a pressure cooker is that while a slow cooker cooks food slowly, a pressure cooker is quick at preparing food using pressure. A slow cooker works on low heat, preparing the food for a longer time. A pressure cooker is more energy-efficient than a slow cooker and uses way less electricity.

 

Can I deep fry food using an instant pot?

The instant pot is not suitable for deep frying. It can, however, be used for shallow frying. Instant pots just are not meant for the function of deep frying.

 

What can I prepare using an instant pot?

You can make a variety of things using your instant pot. It ranges from preparing rice and beans to cooking meat. Stews and soups can also be prepared in an instant pot. Other than these, pasta dishes, pancakes, and vegetables can also be cooked. Using certain accessories, you can also make desserts in your instant pot.

 

Conclusion

By now, we are pretty familiar with the versatility factor of an instant pot. It should be a sigh of relief for you that it is an energy-efficient device, which also helps you save a lot of your time.

So, if you are planning on buying an instant cooker, we can only suggest you go for it!

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