So you want to cook more conveniently, but wondering if you should get an Instant Pot, a slow cooker, or a rice maker? This guide will help you decide!
Keep reading to learn:
- What our first choice is (and why)
- Pros and cons of the Instant Pot line
- Pros and cons of a typical slow cooker
- Pros and cons of a typical rice maker
Don’t have time to read? Here’s a quick summary of the products we recommend.
| Product Name | Grade |
| Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure | A+ |
| Crock-Pot | A+ |
| Aroma Housewares | A |
What’s Our First Choice? A Quick Summary
Instant Pot Pros and Cons
The Instant Pot Duo seemingly came out of nowhere and dominated the cookware scene. It can do the job of several kitchen appliances, but can it replace the classic slow cooker or rice cooker?
It can do all that and more, so we chose it first over the traditional slow and rice cookers. It is important to have only the most useful kitchen appliances in hand where storage space is lacking.
Advantages
- 14 Smart Programs take the guesswork out of prepping many ingredients.
- Slow cook, pressure cook, and make rice and grains – all of the other two machines’ functions.
- 24-hour delay start gives you the ability to prep and plans ahead.
- Easy to use and clean.
- They are manufactured in various sizes.
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure
One of the most recent crazes in cookware, the Instant Pot, definitely has a lot going for it. The inner pot is made from stainless steel and the exterior. The exterior stainless steel is fingerprint resistant, which feels like a miracle when you have kids.
The Instant Pot also comes with 14 Smart programs. This makes cooking certain dishes much easier. For example, if you wanted to make chili, instead of trying to figure out what heat setting to cook it on or how long to cook it, you can press a single button and not have to give it another thought. This will make it super easy to follow certain recipes designed specifically for the instant pot. Making less specific recipes is easy as well as the machine is programmed to monitor temperatures, times, and pressure.
With the Instant pot, you can get up to 9 kitchen appliances in one. It also comes in lower-tier versions, such as the 6-in-1 or 7-in-1. Obviously, that would save you lots of space and money. Rather than purchasing a pressure cooker, slow cooker, or rice maker, you can just purchase the Instant Pot and get the best of both worlds.
Another really useful feature is the 24-hour delay start. This means you can prep dinner, throw it in the Instant Pot, set it to turn on a few hours before you get home, and then it’s ready to eat when you get home. This can make the difference between feeding your family fast food because you don’t have enough time to cook and feeding them a healthy, homemade meal.
After eating that delicious meal, everybody’s the least favorite part of homemade meals is the dishes. The Instant Pot is super easy to clean, thanks to its non-stick pot and dishwasher-safe technology.
Lastly, the Instant Pot is manufactured in various sizes to accommodate any family. The Instant Pot is manufactured in 3, 6, and 8-quart sizes.
Disadvantages
Overall, the Instant Pot has little to no disadvantages. It is one of the few products that functions the way it is intended, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Related Article: Instant Pot 6-in-1 vs. 7-in-1 [The Two Major Differences]
Crock-Pot Cook and Carry Pros and Cons
Alas, the classic slow cooker. What household is complete without one? Slow cookers have been popular since the 70s as a way for busy, working moms to feed their family home-cooked meals. But is it time for the slow cooker to take the back burner? We will be looking specifically at the Crock-Pot 6 quart Cook and Carry Slow Cooker for this article.
Advantages
- Programmable Digital Controls
- Keeps food warm
- Easy to use and clean
- Portable
- Durable
You Might Also Like: Instant Pot Smart vs. Duo vs. Duo Plus vs. Lux vs. Ultra | What’s the Difference?
Crock-Pot
Although it has been around for a long time, slow cookers haven’t stayed the same. Sure, there are still manual dial controls, but they have also evolved, and some are now digital, such as the Crock-Pot Cook and Carry. This makes it a breeze to program. So, you can turn it on and set it to cook for a certain amount of time.
Once the cooking time is up, the slow cooker automatically shifts to warm. This can be incredibly useful if you have set it to cook and leave the house. If you are late getting back home, you don’t have to worry about your food being burnt or cold. The slow cooker does not turn off, and it will not continue to cook your food after the time is up. Instead, it keeps your food warm and ready to eat for 6 hours.
Like the Instant Pot, cleanup is a breeze once the meal is over. The interior pot can be easily removed and is totally dishwasher safe.
This slow cooker is easy to pick up and take with you with air-tight locking mechanisms and oversized handles. This makes it easy to travel to potlucks and picnics without spilling it all over your car.
Above all else, this slow cooker is durable. Made from high-quality material, it can stand the test of time. It can even cook continuously for up to 20 hours. If that’s not durable, I don’t know what is.
Disadvantages
The only real disadvantage of this slow cooker is that it doesn’t have preset programs. However, with the thousands of slow cooker recipes you can find online, it is not hard to find exactly how long to cook something. Other than that, this is a great slow cooker.
This Crock-Pot also does not have the delay start option. Meaning you can not set it to turn on by itself like the Instant Pot. But, set it to low heat before you go to work, and it can cook slowly over several hours. Once it is eventually done, the automatic shifting to warm will keep your food from burning.
Obviously, as compared to an instant pot, it’s also not as versatile.
Things to Keep in Mind
When you are trying to decide whether to purchase a slow cooker or an Instant Pot, there are a few things you should keep in mind to make the process easier.
- How many people are you cooking for?
- How often do you plan on using it?
- Does color matter?
Read Next: Instant Pot vs. Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker (CPC-600)
If you are only cooking for 1 to 3 people, you would probably be fine with the 3 quart Instant Pot. There is no need to spend more money on a bigger appliance if you don’t really need it. Plus, the 3 quart Instant Pot is very easy to store.
While both appliances are very versatile and durable, the Instant Pot is probably best if you plan on using it very often throughout the week. This is because the Instant Pot has a 24-hour delay start, so it can turn on by itself while you are at work, whereas the slow cooker does not.
The Instant Pot only comes in plain stainless steel. However, if you want a splash of color, the Cook and Carry come in a beautiful red option. If you are a very colorful person and want a slow cooker that reflects that, Cook and Carry would be the best option for you.
Also, pressure cooking is out of the question compared to an instant pot. Granted, you can make rice in a slow cooker, but it is just going to take a while.
You can find the Red Option Here
Aroma Rice Maker: Pros and Cons
Now that you’ve seen the Instant Pot and the Cook and Carry, let’s see how it measures up to your standard rice cooker – in this case, the aroma Aroma Housewares ARC-914SBD.
Advantages
- Digital control
- High capacity
- Fast – if you’re making dinner in a pinch – you can’t wait for a slow cooker to cook your rice.
- Delay start
- Easy to clean
Aroma Housewares
The digital control of this rice cooker makes it really easy to use. You have to turn it on and pick what type of rice you are cooking, brown or white. Once the rice is done, the cooker automatically shifts to “keep warm” because no one likes cold rice.
This rice cooker can hold up to 4 cups of uncooked rice, which makes 8 cups when it is cooked. 8 cups of rice are more than enough for the average family. It does more than rice, though. Although not quite as versatile as the Instant Pot, it can also handle several other one-pot meals.
Very quickly, your family can have perfectly fluffy rice. Of course, you can make rice in the Instant Pot, and it will take about the same amount of time as the Cook and Carry. However, this rice cooker is much quicker than the Cook and Carry. Rather than taking up the whole slow cooker all day just to make rice, you can make dinner and then whip up a few cups of rice real quick.
Aroma Housewares has made this rice cooker with a delay start option. You can set it to turn on anytime in the next 15 hours. So, if you want it to be ready when you get home, you can set it to turn on a little bit before you get home.
The interior pot is easy to remove and clean, thanks to its non-stick coating. You won’t have to spend 10 minutes just trying to scrape rice off of the bottom of the pan. The included accessories, such as:
- Steam tray
- Measuring cup
- Serving spatula
They are all very easy to clean as well.
Disadvantages
Like some other models, this rice cooker does not turn off after the rice is done cooking. It switches to keep warm, which is nice, but you have to turn it off from there manually. If you forget, it will just stay on keep warm, which can be a bit wasteful. However, it is easy to turn it on and off since it is button-controlled.
It’s the least versatile unit in this post. It doesn’t have nearly as many of the bells and whistles that the slow cooker has, and its also not ideal for slow cooking things. However, it is a good choice for a budget-minded individual who doesn’t think that they will use the other machines’ functions.
Further Reading: Power Pressure Cooker XL vs. Instant Pot (Easy to Follow Comparison)
Which One Should I Buy?
In the end, the choice is yours. After reading this article and answering the questions in the section above, whichever one stands out to you is a great choice. They all will get the job done that they are intended to. Whatever you choose, you can feel good knowing you will be able to cook healthy, homemade meals for you and your whole family without doing much work or babysitting the meal.
However – we stand by the Instant Pot as our number one choice because it can do everything that the other machines can do and a lot more. You simply cannot go wrong.
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
