The pressure cooker is a kitchen staple that cooks food in a sealed pot under pressure, with the help of steam. In this article, you’ll learn about how to use your traditional pressure cooker as an air fryer by adding oil and flour or egg white into it before cooking. You’ll also learn how to cook at a lower temperature using a standard stovetop setting instead of the usual 10mm for an air fryer.
Pressure cookers are heavy, clumsy to use, and they make a lot of noise. On the positive side, pressure cookers are less expensive than air fryers. And they are easy to work with especially if you’re not comfortable with using an air fryer. Pressure cookers are your ticket to serious frying!
Before you get started, it is advised that you read these safety tips for using a pressure cooker. A couple of important things to note: never fill your pressure cooker more than half way with oil or water. If you have a digital pressure cooker with dual settings, put the switch on low-pressure setting for this recipe.
Step 1: Opening Your Pressure Cooker
For those who have older models, the valve is located at the back of the cooker. Close the lid and turn it to lock it closed. Hold your hand underneath it and give a quick press to release any extra pressure in the pot. The pressure should go down immediately. If there’s any pressure left, unlock your handle and let off a bit more air before closing the lid again.
If you have a newer, self-locking pressure cooker model, the process is the same except that there’s no valve at the back. Just open your cooker by turning your handle to open.
After making sure that all the pressure is released from the pot, unlock your handle to open it. Be careful with this part as it’s very hot! You can use a kitchen towel to protect yourself from burns.
Step 2: Adding Eggs or Flour
For this recipe, you need 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp of oil and 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp of flour or egg white (1 large egg or 2 medium egg whites). These ingredients will form your crust when you fry.
Measure out the flour and set aside. Add the oil to your pressure cooker and heat it over medium heat (5 on a stove-top setting; it’s very low which is perfect for an air fryer). Once the oil reaches 400ºF, add the flour and mix together into a paste. Do not add any more than 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp in case there isn’t enough oil to cover all of your food.
Step 3: Using Your Pressure Cooker for an Air Fryer
Make sure you put your pressure cooker back together the same way you opened it. It’s very important that the lid fits tightly. If there’s any water left inside, it will boil and get very hot! If the lid doesn’t fit tight, it won’t be able to get hot enough to cook at a lower temperature. You can pour all of your ingredients in and close. Cook on low-pressure setting (number 3 on a stovetop; where all the numbers go up) for 5 minutes after everything is in but before verifying that there’s no more steam coming out of your pot. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally.
Now you can add your food to test out your air fryer at a lower temperature. Here’s an example of how it turns out:
Step 4: Cooking at a Lower Temperature Using a Stovetop Setting Instead of the 10mm Setting for an Air Fryer
When you select a lower temperature, if you’re using a stovetop setting instead of an air fryer, there is no need to increase or decrease your cook time. Just cook on low heat for as long as it takes to finish cooking all of your food.
Just like in the previous example, I used a pressure cooker to make an air fryer. This time, I cooked cola chicken legs.
The Results: The air fryer was able to cook my chicken evenly without drying it out. Even when using a stovetop setting to cook at a lower temperature, the pressure cooker still cooked the food just as well as when using an air fryer.
Which is better an air fryer or pressure cooker?
If you love using your pressure cooker but want to use it for frying, then the best option is to take the time to learn how to use an air fryer.
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably already familiar with the pressure cooker and maybe even own one. If yes, then you should consider buying an air fryer for your kitchen. Air fryers are more convenient than pressure cookers, take up less space than an electric stove or oven, and cook at a lower temperature than most electric cookers. While they do not heat up as high as traditional stoves or ovens do, they still get very hot.
The outcome, however, is the same for both methods of cooking food. Air fryers are more efficient than pressure cookers for cooking fast foods like fried chicken, burgers, and other foods that can be deep fried. The consistency is also pretty consistent with no hard edges on the food.
For those who want to know which pressure cooker is better, I can say without a doubt that air fryers are much more versatile than pressure cookers. If you’re the type who would rather spend time frying food at home rather than go to restaurant every day or make snacks at work, then an air fryer is your safest bet. They are durable and will last for years even if you use the cheapest parts available in them.
Is there a difference between an air fryer and a pressure cooker?
There is a big difference between the two appliances. An air fryer is an electric appliance that cooks food by circulating hot air around the food. Air is circulated at a high speed and then rapidly cooled to preserve moisture. Pressure cookers, on the other hand, require higher temperatures than regular stoves do and are able to get hotter than pressure cookers without steam.
Air fryer vs. pressure cooker: Which one is better?
So what’s the difference between an air fryer and a pressure cooker? The biggest difference comes with their settings and some added features that usually only come with new models of each of these appliances. The air fryer is a lot easier to use as you only need to set a timer and don’t have to worry about adjusting the temperature as you would with a pressure cooker. On the other hand, the air fryer doesn’t cook as fast as a pressure cooker does which can be bad if you’re in a rush. The biggest difference between the two is their shape/size and cooking mechanisms. A pressure cooker looks like a pot but is also designed like one, thus it has all of its parts inside of it. An air fryer, on the other hand, uses hot air circulation to cook food. It has an open top and there’s no water involved in its mechanism.
What are the disadvantages of air fryer?
They are a little more expensive to buy
They have a smaller size than a pressure cooker . It’s not as easy to cook larger amounts of fried food.
It takes longer to cook. This can be bad if you’re in a rush or have hungry children or yourself waiting for their food.
There is no way to increase the temperature which prevents you from cooking meats that require high temperatures. For instance, how do you make crispy pork skin without burning it? You’ll have to use your pressure cooker for that specific type of recipe.
If you want an air fryer but don’t want any of those disadvantages, then I recommend getting a pressure cooker as well as an air fryer for your kitchen appliances. They are very similar in terms of how it works, but the air fryer is a better choice for beginners who want to use an air fryer. If you want an air fryer but don’t want any of those disadvantages, then I recommend getting a pressure cooker as well as an air fryer for your kitchen appliances. They are very similar in terms of how it works, but the air fryer is a better choice for beginners who want to use an air fryer.
Since there’s a difference in their functionality and features, I recommend getting a few tools that do both when you buy your first pressure cooker or when you buy your first set of electric cookware.
Why you shouldn’t use an air fryer?
Air fryers can give you a dry, unevenly cooked food which is why it is recommended that you cook food only in the deep fryer when using an air fryer. You can also check out these other ways to improve your air fryer cooking skills.
What are the advantages of a pressure cooker?
They have a lot of advantages when it comes to cooking and here are some: Because they have a built in pressure release valve , they let us know when the pressure starts building up by showing an audible or visual alert so we don’t have to open them mid-cooking session. This way you don’t open them too early and end up burning yourself because the lid wasn’t completely closed.
Final Thought:
If we look at both of the appliances individually, we’ll find that they have their pros and cons. However, it is more practical to use them both together as you’ll get the best features from each of them.
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