Sous Vide vs. Instant Pot: What’s The Difference?

Sous vide has become one of the most popular ways to cook up restaurant style meals right at home. It’s hard to beat this method because it delivers such stellar results. Meats come out juicy and tender, vegetables come out full of flavor, and there is such a wide array of recipes that you can try when you have a sous vide immersion circulator.

But, one of the appliances that a lot of people also love to use in the kitchen on a regular basis is the Instant Pot. In fact, if you know anyone who has this product, you probably hear a lot about how great it is.

Are there any noteworthy differences between these two beloved cooking methods? How can you decide between the two when you’re creating tasty and nutritious meals for your family? Check out the information below to learn more about them, including some of their pros and cons.

First Off, What Exactly Is an Instant Pot?

Instant Pot is a particular brand of multicookers that can cook food quickly and with less energy than other methods. You can program it, it sits on your countertop, and you can use it in a variety of ways. For example, this product can be used as a rice cooker, slow cooker, pressure cooker, and steamer. All in all, this one appliance might be able to replace up to seven different products that you would use on a regular basis.

There are different Instant Pot models to choose from, so you can shop for the one that will give you the functions you want. There are also models of varying sizes that you choose from, so if you want a smaller Instant Pot, you can certainly find one that’s suitable for your needs.

How Does the Instant Pot Differ from Sous Vide?

Sure, sous vide and the Instant Pot let you “set it and forget it” when preparing even complex recipes, but there are some noteworthy differences.

Temperature

One thing to consider is how quickly the temperature rises. With an Instant Pot, which is sealed, the temperature goes up quickly, especially when compared to other cooking techniques. Basically, if you’re familiar with how pressure cooking works, you already have a good idea of how the Instant Pot works. In addition to that, the Instant Pot works a bit like an oven by cycling the temperature to help avoid overheating. This leads to inconsistencies that might affect the way your ingredients cook.

With sous vide, though, the temperature rises slowly and gently. Once the exact temperature that you set is reached, it then remains stable throughout the rest of the cooking time until your ingredients are ready. Because you use an immersion circulator, the water that your ingredients sit in is heated up, rather than the pot itself. This is one major way that sous vide differs from the Instant Pot.

Time

Another difference to think about is the amount of time that it takes to cook food using sous vide vs. an Instant Pot. If you don’t have a lot of time to cook, the Instant Pot is a great way to go, as it can prepare a variety of ingredients in a surprisingly short amount of time.

With sous vide, slow and steady is what it’s really all about. Sure, it will probably take a lot longer to cook the same ingredients sous vide style than in an Instant Pot, but it will be worth it for the texture and flavor that you’re able to achieve with this cooking method. If you have more time, it’s tough to beat the quality of sous vide. And because you can basically “set it and forget it” when you use a high-quality immersion circulator, you don’t have to slave away in the kitchen either, even if you do have to wait longer for your ingredients to cook.

Two Appliances That Make Cooking So Much Easier!

Overall, the Instant Pot and a sous vide immersion circulator are a couple of appliances that you can invest in if you want to make your time in the kitchen easier. For efficiency and range of uses, an Instant Pot is great because it’s so versatile and it works so quickly. But it still can’t really give you the same amazing results that you can get when you cook using the sous vide technique.