There’s been a lot of buzz recently about the Instant Pot. It’s been around for a few years, but suddenly everyone is talking about it. Our initial thoughts were, “why do we need another gadget to find room for in the kitchen?” We decided to give it a try and see what all the hype is about.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Instant Pot, it’s a multi-functional pressure cooker. You can easily purchase one on Amazon and it comes in a 5, 6 or 8-quart size. There’s even a fancy one with Bluetooth that you can monitor from your phone.
It will replace your traditional pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, can be used for saute/browning, you can make yogurt, it’s a steamer and a warmer. That’s 7 things it can do!
Was it worth all the hype? Yes, yes, YES! And here’s why…
1) It cooks food in no time.
Like, seriously fast. Pulled pork in 90 minutes? Soft and tender pot roast in under an hour? Rice in minutes? Yup, it does all that and more.
2) You’ll use fewer dishes when preparing a meal.
Thanks to its stainless steel interior, meats can be seared directly in the Instant Pot. Juices are sealed in and meat flavors enhanced. With a slow cooker, meat has to be seared separately which messes up a pan and turns into just one more thing to wash.
3) Very easy to use.
Once you read the manual (and make sure you do), the rest is a piece of cake. The front panel has all the different programming selections. Press a few buttons based on what you’re cooking, and you’re done.
4) It actually SAVES space in the cabinet.
While we were concerned about another gadget taking up space, the Instant Pot will actually save you space. No need for the older pressure cooker, slow cooker, and rice cooker. Actually, this may get used so much it finds a permanent home on the counter and never makes it into a cabinet.
5) Set it and forget it!
Once you program the Instant Pot and it finishes cooking, it will keep your food warm for up to 10 hours. It won’t continue to cook, just keep it warm. A-mazing! A traditional pressure cooker can’t do that. You can also program the Instant Pot up to 24-hours in advance (hello extra sleep in the morning!). All you moms out there balancing work, kids schedules, and trying to get a healthy meal on the table, this will become your must-have kitchen gadget.
While we were initially skeptical of the Instant Pot, it completely won our hearts and taste buds over. Here are a couple of recipes to get you started on your Instant Pot journey.
