An Instant Pot is nothing but a freestanding pressure cooker, which creates an extremely pressurized environment to cook food quickly. Although Instant Pot is a new brand, pressure cooking has been there since the 1600s. Using it is very easy and cooks a large amount of meal at the same time.
So, does pressure-cooking destroy nutrients? To some extent, every cooking method reduces some nutritional quality of food. And when it comes to pressure-cooking, it does not destroy all the nutrients.
The speed at which Instant Pot cooks food might be a little cause of concern, but it does not destroy nutrients, according to the scientific evidence.
A 1995 study found that pressure-cooking is the best out of several other cooking methods as the foods cooked under pressure retained more nutrients than the other cooking methods. Many studies have even found that pressure-cooking preserves vitamins.
One study found that pressure-cooking broccoli retained at least 90% of its vitamin C when compared with steaming (78%) and boiling (68%). Researchers found that steaming and boiling reduced the antioxidant properties of legumes, while pressure steaming and pressure boiling increased their antioxidant activity. Some researchers found that pressure-cooked foods are easier to digest than foods cooked in a microwave.
Dr. Andrew Weil, who specializes in nutrition and a creator of the original anti-inflammatory diet, said, “Pressure cookers are safe to use and may actually be the best way to preserve nutrients in food compared to other cooking methods.”
So, it seems that pressure-cooking is a better cooking method because water does not let the nutrients out like other cooking methods. Quick cooking time means less time for nutrients to escape.
However, on the flipside, there are a few studies that have found that pressure-cooking destroy nutrients, but there is no strong evidence to prove that. For instance, one study showed that pressure-cooking lost more antioxidant activity than food cooked by microwaving or baking. Pressure-cooking also destroys some amino acids in vegetables, but so do other methods.
Is pressure-cooking really safe? Well, science says yes so far. Even though some studies suggest pressure-cooking is not a great way to preserve nutrients, there is no research suggesting that pressure cookers pose health risks.
