Craving some hot, steaming bulalo, but feeling frustrated with how long it takes to tenderize the meat? Maybe it's time for you to get an electric pressure cooker. While it takes hours to cook nilagang bulalo on the stove, with an electric pressure cooker, it'll take only 30 minutes!
An electric pressure cooker has preset modes that cook meat and other dishes faster than conventional cooking, making meal prep easy and convenient. Want one? Our buying guide, reviewed by Chef Terence Fereday Jr, and recommendation list will help you choose the best electric pressure cooker you can buy online today.
Quick List - Top Electric Pressure Cookers
Instant Pot
Smart Cooker for Perfectly Tender Meals Every Time
Philips
Pressure Cooker With a Back-Up Memory in Case of Power Outages
Tefal
Opti-Taste Technology for Better Tasting Meat
Hanabishi
Intelligent No Pot Sensor to Avoid Burning Accidents
Chef Terrence has 30 years of experience working in the professional kitchen. He graduated from the Professional Culinary Institute in California, USA, and he was a former Culinary Instructor, Corporate Chef, and Executive Chef. He also won several awards in culinary competitions and is the founder and owner of Zilla Pizza.
Our recommendation articles are carefully researched and crafted by the mybest Philippines team of writers and editors. To stay true to our company’s mission and vision to help users’ selection process easier, we also collaborate with experts from various fields to ensure that our content stays factual and useful.
The expert oversees the Buying Guide only, and does not determine the products and services featured.
Table of Contents
In this era of smart cookers and electric kitchen appliances, it can be confusing to choose between a slow cooker, a multicooker, and a pressure cooker. The basic descriptions below can help you pick which one matches your needs the most.
A pressure cooker traps steam inside the pot and uses it to cook dishes and tenderize meats. This decreases the cooking time dramatically. The pressure created in this process can be released through a valve, or by letting the steam out over time. But if you're cooking breaded meats, pasta, and other food that easily become soggy, electric pressure cookers aren't the best appliance to use.
A slow cooker uses low heat to cook food for several hours without drying it out. All you have to do is throw all the ingredients in, set your desired temperature, and wait for the food to cook. It offers a “set it and forget it” type of cooking, making it ideal to use when you have other chores or activities to do at home.
A multicooker offers a wide range of cooking programs, which include sautéing, searing, boiling, simmering, grilling, roasting, frying, steaming, and baking. It speeds up the cooking time without sacrificing the flavor. However, not all multicookers have pressure cook settings for meat and other solid ingredients.
Here are some key points to consider:
For more detailed information, read through our buying guide below.
The main advantage of electric pressure cookers over their stovetop counterpart is their programmable settings, which allow you to set and automate the temperature and cooking time. To make your cooking process more convenient, make sure that the electric pressure cooker you are buying has preset buttons that have modes for cooking beef, pork, poultry, fish, rice, and soup.
There are some electric pressure cookers that are also built as multicookers, which have extra cooking functions such as sautéing or searing, slow cooking, baking, and a keep warm function. This way, you'll have a more versatile cooker that can keep your meal warm until you're ready to eat.
It's good to have different cooking methods in a multicooker system. I would get a separate unit for pressure cooking alone since this is a more high-risk cooking method. It would also have more safety features rather than cooking features.
The most common fear when using pressure cookers is the risk of it exploding or the lid blowing up while cooking. These can only happen if the pressure inside the pot is too high or the lid is not locked properly. To prevent this, you can look for safety features like a pressure release valve. This releases the steam from the pot after the timer is up and before the lid is opened.
There should also be steam vents that maintain the right amount of pressure inside the pot by letting the steam out little by little until the food is cooked. You can look for lid locks, too. These prevent the pressure cooker from operating while the lid is not locked correctly. They also prevent the lid from opening while the timer is still on.
Releasing pressure is key to avoiding explosions. Always follow the safety instructions for your cooker. Also, some cookers have a safety feature that indicates that pressure has been released. I suggest you look for that option when choosing your cooker.
An electric pressure cooker has three major parts. The first part is the base, with the control panel at its center and the heating element at the bottom. There's also the lid where you can find the pressure release valve and other safety lock features. And the third part is the inner pot where all the cooking is done.
When buying an electric pressure cooker, you should choose an inner pot made of stainless steel or aluminum with a non-stick coating. These materials are food-grade and can withstand high temperatures. They are also lightweight and easy to clean, making them ideal for home use.
Always choose durable material for your pressure cooker. Stainless steel is a good investment.
Most electric pressure cookers are measured in either liters or quarts. A capacity of 5-6 liters or 4-5 quarts is enough to cook meals for an average family of 4 to 5. It is also important to note that pressure cookers should only be filled to half when cooking beans, rice, and other grains and up to two-thirds full for meats and other types of food.
Thus, when choosing its capacity, you should consider the number of people in your household and the amount of food you plan to cook. It would help if you also keep in mind that you shouldn't fill the pressure cooker to the brim to ensure that the food inside will not bubble up and create foam that can clog or block the pressure valves and steam vents.
Remember never to fill your cooker to more than half its capacity to avoid clogging the pressure valves, which can lead to accidents.
Another common issue when switching to electric pressure cookers is their power consumption. If you're particular about saving on electricity, you should check the pressure cooker's wattage. The higher the wattage, the more power it consumes, which translates to a higher electricity bill.
In terms of accessories, most electric pressure cookers come with a serving spoon and a measuring cup, which can help you determine the exact amount of your ingredients. These are important because when using an electric pressure cooker, you won't be able to take the lid off to add any additional ingredient or seasoning once the cooking has begun.
Whether you're using an electric or stovetop pressure cooker, never remove the lid when the pressure builds. You can adjust the seasoning when the cooker has been de-pressurized.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Multifunctional Smart Pressure Cooker | ![]() | Smart Cooker for Perfectly Tender Meals Every Time | |
2 | Philips Electric Pressure Cooker|HD2139 | ![]() | Pressure Cooker With a Back-Up Memory in Case of Power Outages | |
3 | Tefal Home Chef Smart Pro Electric Pressure Cooker|CY625D | ![]() | Opti-Taste Technology for Better Tasting Meat | |
4 | Hanabishi Electric Pressure Cooker|HDIGPC10in1 | ![]() | Intelligent No Pot Sensor to Avoid Burning Accidents | |
5 | Dowell 6-in-1 Multi Cooker|EPC-707 | ![]() | An Energy-Efficient and Space-Saving Option for Practical Homecooks | |
6 | Tough Mama 15-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker |NTM-EPC6 | ![]() | 15 Preset Functions to Satisfy the Budding Chef | |
7 | American Heritage Ecookpot 16-in-1 Multifunctional Electric Pressure Cooker |AHEPC-6284 | ![]() | Has a Safety Release Valve for Explosion-Proof and Worry-Free Cooking |
The Instant Pot Duo has 14 preset modes for cooking soups, stews, beans or chili, poultry, rice, multigrain, porridge, and yogurt. It also has a sauté, simmer, steam, slow cook, and pressure cook function for tenderizing meats. It even has a keep warm function as well as 10 safety mechanisms to put your mind at ease while cooking.
Perfect for home cooks who are very busy, the Instant Pot Duo fully automates the cooking process, making it easy and convenient. There is no need to guess the cooking time since it is already preprogrammed, and for sure, you’ll get moist and tender meals with every use!
This electric pressure cooker from Philips has 14 cooking menus, including preset modes for fish, chicken, crab, beef, vegetables, and lobster. It also has an adjustable pressure timer and keeps meals warm for up to 12 hours. As a safety precaution, it automatically releases pressure and locks the lid once it detects abnormally high pressure inside the pot.
Another unique feature is its backup memory, remembering your most recent setting in case of a power interruption. Moreover, its inner pot is made of aluminum alloy with a Whitford golden coating, so it's non-stick, scratch-free, and it offers effective heat conduction. Its stainless-steel outer shell is easy to clean, too!
This versatile electric pressure cooker from Tefal functions as a multicooker. It has 19 preset programs plus 3 special functions for cooking a variety of dishes. With this cooker, you get to adjust the pressure, cooking time, and temperature according to your preference. It also makes the cooking time up to 80% faster than conventional cooking.
A distinct characteristic of this cooker is its use of Opti-Taste Technology, which makes meals tastier by using pressure to "massage" meats and other ingredients, further enhancing their flavor. For safety purposes, this pressure cooker also has an automatic pressure release system to avoid any "explosion."
This all-purpose Hanabishi appliance is a pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, stir fry pan, searing pan, steamer, yogurt maker, cake maker, warmer, and sterilizer in one! It has 10 program selections for cooking all sorts of dishes. In fact, you can cook melt-in-your-mouth beef pares in this cooker for only 25 minutes!
As a safety measure, this pressure cooker also has an intelligent sensor that detects whether the inner pot is inside the base or not. And in the event that it detects that the inner pot isn't in the base, the cooker will not heat up to prevent accidents.
Owning a Dowell 6-in-1 Multi-Cooker is like having multiple kitchen appliances in just one package. It has 12 preset programs for cooking rice, soup, porridge, seafood, yogurt, stew, and multigrain ingredients. You can also select other cooking methods like sautéing, steaming, slow cook, and pressure cooking for tenderizing meats, based on your preference.
This electric pressure cooker's energy consumption is only 950 watts making it the most energy-efficient one on our list. It also has a slim design, perfect for those with limited counter space. Plus, it has a 7-stage safety lock system, which includes lock indicators for opening and closing its lid and a pressure valve for releasing the steam once you're done cooking.
Features and benefits:
The Ecookpot from American Home combines the functions of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice or porridge cooker, cake maker, searing pan, and steamer in one versatile gadget. It has a 24-hour delay start, allowing users to schedule their cooking and a "keep warm" function to maintain the meal's warmth until it's ready to serve.
Moreover, it is equipped with excellent safety features, which include protection from over-voltage, pressure and temperature sensor control, a spring-loaded safety release valve, and an anti-overflow and anti-blocking function, making it explosion-proof.
Below are some of the most asked questions on the web answered by professional chef Terence Fereday.
Yes, it can. Overfilling the cooking pot with food can clog the pressure valve and cause the pressure cooker to explode.
The best thing to cook in a pressure cooker is meat items that are naturally tough, usually from the working part of the animal, like shoulder, brisket, or shank.
Yes, they are. Electric pressure cookers are energy-efficient since they reduce cooking time and energy usage by up to 70%. They consume around 950-1200 watts, but they require less liquid to boil, making them cook faster than a stove. They also conserve energy since they use all the trapped pressure in cooking, so no energy is wasted.
Using an electric pressure cooker still requires you to prep and measure your ingredients. Click the links below to see our recommended kitchen tools and accessories to help with your cooking preps like chopping vegetables, grating cheese, and measuring the seasonings for your meat.
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Author: Ayeza E. Mangulabnan
Re-editor: Carmina Milan
Our buying guide was carefully researched and crafted by the mybest team of writers and editors, in collaboration with the expert featured in this article. We used the buying guide as a basis for choosing and ranking the product recommendations, and we looked at reviews and ratings from different E-commerce sites like Lazada, Shopee, and more.
No. 1: Instant Pot|Duo 7-in-1 Multifunctional Smart Pressure Cooker
No. 2: Philips|Electric Pressure Cooker|HD2139
No. 3: Tefal|Home Chef Smart Pro Electric Pressure Cooker|CY625D
No. 4: Hanabishi|Electric Pressure Cooker|HDIGPC10in1
No. 5: Dowell|6-in-1 Multi Cooker|EPC-707
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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