10 Best Pressure Cookers in India 2021 (Hawkins, Butterfly, and more)

Based on the features we have discussed in our buying guide, here are our top ten recommendations to make your shopping easier.

Pressure cooking reduces the time and energy required for cooking by about 70%. That's a lot, and most people buy pressure cookers only because of that. But do you know that there are other benefits to pressure cooking as well?

When food is cooked with water, the nutrients from the food will drain into it. And when we pour the water down the sink after cooking, which is usually what happens after cooking rice, dal, or pulses, we lose nutrients along with them. With pressure cooking, an even lesser amount of water is required compared to open-pan cooking and lesser the amount of nutrients lost.

When the food is being cooked in a pan or any other type of open container, oxidation takes place that could destroy the nutrients, colors, and flavors. Pressure cooking prevents that too. Also, as the heat doesn't escape from the pressure cooker, your kitchen will be significantly cooler.

Just like buying any cookware, there are certain factors to consider before buying a pressure cooker too. Choosing the best build material, lid design, etc. can be useful to us every day and also in the long run.

Pressure cookers can be used to cook rice, meat, and pulses as well. Depending on your needs, you can choose a pressure cooker with a capacity as low as 1.5 liters or as high as 35 liters. For your reference, in 1.5 liters of capacity, you can cook 250 grams (1 cup) of raw rice that can fully feed 4 people.

Of course, the capacity of the cooker your family needs depends on the amount of food each member eats. But, just to give you an idea — a 1.5L pressure cooker can feed 1 to 2 people, 3L for 3 to 4 people, 5L for 5 to 7 people, and 6.5L for 7 to 9 people. You can also buy a larger one for use when you have guests at home.

But, you are want to cook more complex dishes, for example, biryani, you may have to get a bigger one, as the meat takes up a lot of space and you may need more room for the rice to expand.

The build material plays a major role when it comes to our health, cooking time, and longevity of the cookware. Some factors to consider are the possibility of the material to react with the food, how conductive the material is, and how resistant it is to abrasion and corrosion.

Aluminum is a popular choice as a pressure cooker build material as it is an excellent conductor of heat and comparatively cheaper. But if the food you are cooking contains acids, say lemon rice, it could react with aluminum and release the metal into the food.

Not only does it give the food a metallic taste, but the metal could accumulate in our body, depending on the frequency of usage, and cause health issues like neurodegenerative diseases and impaired iron absorption. The constant corrosion from acid contact will reduce the durability of your pressure cooker too.

To tackle the issue of aluminum's corrosive reaction to acids in the foods, the cookware is subjected to an electrolytic process called anodization. This process converts the metal surface into an aluminum oxide that is resistant to abrasion and corrosion, making it more durable.

This process also prevents aluminum from leaching into the food from reacting with the acids. Anodized aluminum still has the conductive properties of aluminum, but the process makes the surface harder. Even though this process makes the cookware more expensive, people still prefer it because of the metal's comparatively better heat conducting properties that allow your food to get heated faster.

Yes, stainless steel cookware takes more time to cook. But that's a relative remark. The most popular metals used in making cookware are copper, aluminum, and stainless steel. Compared to the other two metals, yes, stainless steel takes more time to cook as it is not as good at conducting heat.

But stainless steel is a popular choice because of its corrosion resistance properties. It also doesn't release into the food as it is non-reactive to acids from foods like lemon, tomatoes, and other citrus fruits. Pressure cookers made of stainless steel also last longer than aluminum and copper cookware.

If you have used an induction cooktop before, you must have realized that the food gets heated faster, significantly reducing the cooking time. Induction cooktops heat vessels through electrical induction rather than thermal conduction, where the heat of the fire heats the vessel. This process ensures less energy loss as the heat is generated within the vessel.

But, to get the best out of your induction cooktop, you must use cookware made of ferromagnetic materials, which are materials that get attracted to a magnet If you can stick a magnet to your stainless steel pressure cooker, it will work wonderfully on an induction cooktop, whereas aluminum will prove to be less efficient.

To get around this problem, cookwares are fitted with an induction base made out of a magnetic material. These types will work on gas stoves and more efficiently on induction cooktops. To check if your pressure cooker actually has an induction base, try sticking a magnet to its bottom.

We are used to opening the lids of containers outwards, right? When we lift the lid of a container after cooking, the condensed water vapor usually falls back into the food or mess up your stove-top. Pressure cooker companies have found a solution to this problem too.

A slight change to the design of the lid—instead of opening it outwards, the lid loosens to fall inwards, which you can rotate in a specific way to take it out of the pressure cooker. Sounds complicated? It is not! Use it a couple of times, and you will find it to be extremely helpful for maintaining a cleaner kitchen.

Just like a stove-top pressure cooker, but sometimes much more efficient, electric pressure cookers are becoming a trend nowadays. Let's take a look at some benefits of owning one.

Imagine that you are cooking while watching your favorite show, there might be some moments where you’ll completely forget about the food, right? In such situations, you usually end up with a burnt or soupy food. If you don't have a timer mechanism connected to your gas stove, an electric pressure cooker may be your next best option.

These small appliances come with timers that will auto-shutoff after the set time. This becomes handy when you are busy getting ready for your office in the morning and cannot wait around near the stove to make sure that your food doesn't get spoiled.

Ready with your recipe and the ingredients? You got the right utensils too. But do you know how long you have to leave your flame on to warm your food? Do you know how long you have to cook for sautéing? Does cooking chicken take the same time as cooking rice?

Electric pressure cookers are much more than pressure cookers. Along with the option for setting the timer manually, they also come with presets for cooking different types of food and also different types of cooking. Until you become a master chef, you can use some help, and an electric pressure cooker is the best option.

Suppose you are living in a small space, like a hostel room. Such places usually won't have space to accommodate a gas stove and a gas cylinder, too. Not to mention the safety risk.

If you have a socket in your room, it's time to get your own electric pressure cooker. As we mentioned earlier, it does much more than pressure cooking. It is portable and a safe option.

Check out more small appliances and cookware that are necessary for every kitchen. We have curated a list of the best sandwich makers, slicers, and dosa tawas for you, along with a buying guide.

Not many people know that many factors come into play while choosing a pressure cooker. Anodized aluminum is a healthier option if you are looking for a lightweight and cheaper pressure cooker, while stainless steel can be sturdier but a comparatively expensive choice.

Choose one that fits the style of your kitchen and also the space available. An electric pressure cooker is a wise choice for people staying in places where it is impossible to have a gave stove or an induction cooktop. Also, this small appliance replaces many cookware in terms of the type of food that can be cooked and the type of cooking.

Author - Arun F Xaviour